31st July 2011

My in-house critic warns me that these blogs are becoming too serious but I say we are living in serious times.

Still I claim to be offering a wry look at the big society so I guess wryness is required. Dryly humorous with a touch of irony is the on-line definition of wry.

So I have been told to inject a bit of dry wit and irony after all you should never ignore your critics.

I was delighted to read that Manchester United had beaten Barcelona in Washington DC and then visited the White House I hope that David Gill was able to offer President Obama some insights in how to manage his debt ceiling given United's own levels of debt about which the Chief executive is apparently comfortable.

My delight was somewhat lessened when I read that not only was Messi not playing but Guardiola also chose to leave Xavi, Carlos Puyol and Gerard Piqueout of his team. Still 2-1 is 2-1 and Michael Owen scored which leaves me hoping that next week at Wembley the Manchester Derby goes United's way and gets the season off to a winning start.

What with News International still making the headlines and Parliament about to recess and Mr Cameron off to Tuscany following in the footsteps of Mr Blair, although, apparently,  he is paying for the Villa himself and flying on a budget airline, the big society will be on hold.

Apart that is from the announcement of Big Society Capital which is the name of what was going to be called the big society bank until the FSA determined that it wasn't a bank at all, which given the post credit crunch, post Lehman Brothers, post financial crisis, reputation of banks is probably just as well.

So a shot in the arm or a boost for citizen power. The big society has been capitalised.

That's capital you might say.

Now things that were worse stand a chance of getting better as we all pull together in this we are all in this together society we are creating, where it seems the rich get richer whatever the weather and the sun always shines in Tuscany.

So where will the rest of us go for our holidays?

Certainly not Iran, Libya or Afghanistan, although Egypt still get good reviews.

But the most popular destination of choice seems to be staying put. Staying at home has never been so popular.

The staycation is here to stay in the big society.

Unaffected by exchange rates, debt ceilings and airport waiting lounges and with only the price of filling the car with fuel, (and prices going up again that will not be cheap), to worry about, the traditional British sea side holiday is gaining in popularity.

There is a big society angle to all this of course and its all in the post cards which stand on the racks outside newsagents and gift shops.

Having a great time, wish you were here messages on the back of the card, brightened up by the witty or slightly smutty cartoon on the front, no dry wit or irony there.

Lots of pneumatically endowed young ladies and raffish older men enjoying themselves in various ways and usually described by double entendres and homonyms.

There! I wanted to get that word in because I saw it yesterday in a poem by Paul Muldoon which is published in a book celebrating Dylan's 70th Birthday. My poem called Zimmerman to Zimmerframe was rejected, not enough dry whit and too humerus probably.