25th March 2011

Another beautiful day in Cumbria. We're watching the difference in the weather between here and Genoa as we get ready to take up the Locum Chaplaincy for Easter. It seems that Genoa is warmer (just) and (wetter) if the forecast on my weather app is correct.

Time will tell.

Meanwhile tonight we head East to Newcastle and The Sage in Gateshead to see Debbie Harry and the Jazz Passengers, can't wait, should be a great night.

It's all part of our Big Society, family, grandchildren, neighbours, the street, the local community and onwards and outwards to take in as much as we can, from prayers for Japan to sponsoring clean water in Sudan (that last from my Sermon preparation for this coming Sunday: a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, Will you give me a drink? (John 4 vv 7).

Apparently Chancellors are allowed to drink whilst delivering their Budget Speech, presumably water but who knows ..... perhaps a tot of one of those well known subsided beverages available in the commons bars?

Towards the end of his speech the Chancellor had a bit on the Big Society.

Apparently we should be judged not only on 'the strength of the economy' but on our 'compassion'. Try telling that to Asylum Seekers detained in Yarl's Wood.

But mainly the reference was about money which given that this was a Budget Speech seems fair enough. But some of the language was, to say the least somewhat lax, 'from the largest donations to the coins collected in the charity bucket'.

Bucket?

Not sure about that it somehow doesn't quite reflect what I think I am doing when I put my collection on the plate in Church, it somehow sneers a bit at what the bible calls the 'widow's mite' after all we don't want to be reminded of 'Bucket Shops' low cost tickets and cheap travel, or do we? charity on the cheap?

But it is worth remembering that story of the Widow whose giving was sacrificial versus the businessman whose giving was designed to impress.

Still Charities 'can claim up to £5000 a year without donors having to fill in any forms at all' and there will be special deals for 'works of art and historical objects' along with an 'encouragement to give 10% of your estate to charity'. All very worthwhile I guess.

But this 'hermeneutic' of the speech spotted two other interesting phrases, 'do the right thing for a charity and the Government will do the right thing by you' and 'a big help for the Big Society' notice the capital 'B' and capital 'S'.

Obviously what is proposed will help some charities and that is a good thing, but surely a big society is about more than financial help with the implied, bargain of do the right thing and the Government will respond in kind.

And what about the wide range of other activities that go on in families and communities?

To take an example close to my heart, what about those thousands of carers who give their time and energy to caring for less or differently abled family members? Admittedly there is a benefit called Carers Allowance but the carers allowance is both taxable and cannot be claimed with other benefits and pensions, including retirement pension.

According to Carers UK 'the value of carers unpaid support for their elderly, sick or disabled relatives, makes a contribution worth £87 billion a year', hardly a drop in the bucket, but that contribution 'is not properly recognised or rewarded'.

It would have made for a much more powerful rhetoric identifying both the compassion inherent in our society and the way that a Government can offer encouragement to ensure that compassion and care extend beyond what we might expect the state to do for us, to what we can do for ourselves. And to recognise or even reward that contribution.

The big society is simply the community in which we live. When I was a vicar in Newcastle I used to take a communion service every Tuesday and Thursday where we prayed especially for the City.

At each service I prayed for the 'the common good' it is an interesting phrase and one which this coalition Government would do well to reflect on, and ask, has this budget improved the common good?