What is the good society?
Submitted by Belinda Pratten on Fri, 25/09/2009 - 13:57
This is a crucial time for our society. With the recession still making itself felt and an election ahead, there is a growing recognition that we are at a crossroads: should we be trying to get back to business as usual, a world of unsustainable growth and increasing inequality, driven by greed? Or should we take a different approach, one that is based on fairness and social justice; which puts the well-being of people and communities first?
There is a growing interest, particularly amongst politicians, in how we can create the ‘good’ society. But what is it? What would the good society look like?
Make culture and cultural education a priority, as it was in the 1930s. If you don't know what was going on in adult education in those days, just drop into any well-established adult education centre and ask to see prospectuses from that time.
We (Social Firms UK) launched a campaign last week - Just Buy - aimed at encouraging spend within our sector. It was on the back of our own Social Expenditure Report which revealed that 54% of our non-pay spend was within the third sector. Creating a good society can start at home and we can all make small purchasing changes which could help sustain 'good' businesses. Social Firms are social enterprises that support employment of severely disadvantaged people - a clear benefit to society as a whole. Thoughts?