Last evening I watched a wonderful documentary made by the National Film Board of Canada.
It followed the activities of a group of homeless men in Vancouver.
Their 'Day' job was collecting tins and bottles which they sold for a dime or a nickel to maintain their simple lifestyle.
But they had developed an extreme sport, racing the shopping trolleys, which they used to collect their tins and bottles, down the steep hills of Vancouver. The Trolleys could reach speeds of 50 or 60 mph and the sport looked pretty scary, very dangerous but thrilling, like extreme sports usually are.
When I lived in Boston I was aware of the homeless who pushed their trolleys around the centre of the City collecting bottles and cans, both a useful service and a form of regular income.
Here in Genoa I have, insofar as language and lifestyle allow, become friendly with a homeless man who lives near the crossing near where we live, he spends his day begging from the cars paused at the traffic lights and always greets us with a friendly wave and a Ciao, Buongiorno or Buonasera as we pass by on our way into town.
Like the UK there is no fee payable for returning a bottle or a can so they remain discarded on the sidewalk or under the bushes in the parks and gardens.
Litter and homelessness are causes of public concern.
I read recently about the agencies in London complaining that homeless people had joined the LSX protesters in their camp at St Paul's and that this was 'hindering' the agencies work in re-settling their homeless clients.
On eof the first voluntary projects that I set up, whilst still in my twenties, was a hostel for homeless people, this led to a campaign to re-settle individuals into abandoned houses in a blighted area around my Church through a campaign of organised squatting.
Homeless people often reflect the general public in the sense that the reasons for their situation can be very varied, arising from illness, marriage breakdown, even suprisingly, choice.
Ross Raisin's new book Waterline explores how a settled man with a job and a family can so easily become another homeless statistic, moving from shelter to shelter.
Having read some of the interesting and challenging stories emerging from the LSX Camp it does seem to me that what has been created, possibly unintentionally, possibly intentionally, is a microcosm of wider society, with its health care provision, catering, university tent, lectures, active democracy, the LSX camp looks uncannily like a big society at work, or possibly in this case a small society with big aims and ideas.
Whatever, if you work on the basis that 99% cannot be wrong then perhaps its worth exploring the principles that underlie, not so much the demonstrators public aims which are becoming increasingly clear as the Global economy continues to act in a dysfunctional manner, proving beyond doubt that capitalism is part of the problem not part of the solution, but the organising principles that make the camp an exercise in democracy.
So if the Prime Minister wants some advice on how a big society could work in practice he should maybe take advice from St Paul's.
Meanwhile, lets add 5p to every bottle and can to add another income stream alongside the Big Issue, encourage active recycling and challenge Mr Dyson to design a faster, sleeker shopping trolley .......
It followed the activities of a group of homeless men in Vancouver.
Their 'Day' job was collecting tins and bottles which they sold for a dime or a nickel to maintain their simple lifestyle.
But they had developed an extreme sport, racing the shopping trolleys, which they used to collect their tins and bottles, down the steep hills of Vancouver. The Trolleys could reach speeds of 50 or 60 mph and the sport looked pretty scary, very dangerous but thrilling, like extreme sports usually are.
When I lived in Boston I was aware of the homeless who pushed their trolleys around the centre of the City collecting bottles and cans, both a useful service and a form of regular income.
Here in Genoa I have, insofar as language and lifestyle allow, become friendly with a homeless man who lives near the crossing near where we live, he spends his day begging from the cars paused at the traffic lights and always greets us with a friendly wave and a Ciao, Buongiorno or Buonasera as we pass by on our way into town.
Like the UK there is no fee payable for returning a bottle or a can so they remain discarded on the sidewalk or under the bushes in the parks and gardens.
Litter and homelessness are causes of public concern.
I read recently about the agencies in London complaining that homeless people had joined the LSX protesters in their camp at St Paul's and that this was 'hindering' the agencies work in re-settling their homeless clients.
On eof the first voluntary projects that I set up, whilst still in my twenties, was a hostel for homeless people, this led to a campaign to re-settle individuals into abandoned houses in a blighted area around my Church through a campaign of organised squatting.
Homeless people often reflect the general public in the sense that the reasons for their situation can be very varied, arising from illness, marriage breakdown, even suprisingly, choice.
Ross Raisin's new book Waterline explores how a settled man with a job and a family can so easily become another homeless statistic, moving from shelter to shelter.
Having read some of the interesting and challenging stories emerging from the LSX Camp it does seem to me that what has been created, possibly unintentionally, possibly intentionally, is a microcosm of wider society, with its health care provision, catering, university tent, lectures, active democracy, the LSX camp looks uncannily like a big society at work, or possibly in this case a small society with big aims and ideas.
Whatever, if you work on the basis that 99% cannot be wrong then perhaps its worth exploring the principles that underlie, not so much the demonstrators public aims which are becoming increasingly clear as the Global economy continues to act in a dysfunctional manner, proving beyond doubt that capitalism is part of the problem not part of the solution, but the organising principles that make the camp an exercise in democracy.
So if the Prime Minister wants some advice on how a big society could work in practice he should maybe take advice from St Paul's.
Meanwhile, lets add 5p to every bottle and can to add another income stream alongside the Big Issue, encourage active recycling and challenge Mr Dyson to design a faster, sleeker shopping trolley .......
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