“I am not actually certain that Cameron’s new idea of the big society has been taken up, so how can it be abandoned!
Volunteers who have been putting in hours if not years of work in their community are astounded that anyone can think that a new catch phrase is going to change the pattern of their volunteering. They volunteer because they believe in what they are doing.
Volunteers founded the Barnet Museum. Barnet people provided the archives and objects for the collection. Volunteers provide the manpower to welcome our visitors, give lectures on local topics, research the archives and much more. But as things stand with the cuts it seems the big society won’t save Barnet Museum.”
“How can you abandon something you never had? As most people seem to profess an inability to understand the big society, is there not first an obligation to try and figure out what it could be, rather than simply walk away from something we do not, or perhaps do not want to, understand in the present climate?
I suspect it will turn out a bit like art: initially, don’t really know what we like until we stumble across it. However, I also suspect any meaningful debate will be drowned out until the understandable cacophony of voices raised against the cuts subsides. There are two separate things here, so I’d prefer not to abandon the principle until we have at least had a decent cultural conversation.”
“No. Since its early days, over 100 years ago, the National Trust has demonstrated how what is now called the big society can work. We believe that working with volunteers, community use of properties and involving local people and now our Going Local agenda, which has put more power with property managers, has created a sustainable business model.
There will always be a need for government to provide a framework of support, but the end goal of diverse sources of income coupled with the involvement of a large number of people who give their time freely will help to compensate for the short-term pain.”
“The general thrust of the big society, as a politician’s idea, seems pretty clear. But how this turkey can be got to fly is perhaps another matter.
Several aspects concern me. One is the possibility, driven by tightened local authority budgets, that some museum staff may be made redundant. In that event there will probably be offers of volunteers to take their places. If they do, will those museums be accused of replacing their staff with volunteers?
But should not such a museum be congratulated on keeping the museum open, particularly if it promises to re-employ professional staff when funding can be restored. No, don’t abandon the project.”
