Our ideas matter in the Big Society

Ideas matter and people need to work together to really make the idea of the ‘Big Society' work, according to a key player in British governmental policy.

Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of charity the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), gave his ideas on the future of the ‘public realm' in the Big Society when he visited Edge Hill University recently to launch a series of debates on the issue.

Listen to the author, media commentator and former Chief Advisor on Political Strategy to the then Prime Minister Tony Blair explain how he thinks that ideas matter, local people matter and institutions matter in order to make a difference in times of uncertainty and political unrest.

He explained: "Everyone is depressed at the moment at this long period of austerity ahead. At the moment the Big Society is seen as a ‘toxic' brand and is generally associated with cutbacks. But I think the idea behind it to build a better future is a good one and we can't get away from the fact that we need to change. For example, people say they want more to be done on climate change, but they don't actually do anything about it themselves. In my view, we can't have the society we want to live in if we're not willing to move along the journey and make those changes."

Matthew believes that no matter what government is in power, the economy would still have to go through a period of loss, which is why he feels that we need new ideas and innovation to make the idea of the Big Society really work.

He also called for more localism and a need for ‘civil leadership' and people to pull together to make places matter.

Finally, he urged institutions to become a source of ideas and make radical changes in order to engage with people and become ‘hubs' for civic society.

The event is the first of a number of debates on the public realm, its meaning and its future that the University's Centre for Local Policy Studies has organised. The challenges of climate change, the digital and globalised economy, the crises in the banking system and the future of the welfare state all raise questions about the public realm, its scope and the way it is governed. These issues will be explored further during the lecture series.

The next debate is on 28^th September with Julia Unwin CBE, Chief Executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, who will look at people and places in poverty. For more information and to book on this free event, email corporateevents@edgehill.ac.uk.