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Details about The Big Snoreciety emerge!
See what I did there? Anyway...
"...the Big Society is the devolution of power, or it is nothing"
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/matthewd_ancona/8098976/Boris-Johnson-represents-the-essence-of-David-Camerons-Big-Society.html (don't bother reading it cos it's, appropriately enough for this OP, convoluted and shit.)
Thanks for that, I look forward to the support of more devolved powers to Scotland by the (to give it it's full title) the 'Conservative and Unionist Party'. But this thread isn't about that. And in any case, it doesn't seem to be the gist of what we're hearing from the government....
"Windsor and Maidenhead council hopes to join forces with a commercial rewards scheme such as Nectar – whose points can be redeemed in Sainsbury's, Homebase and Argos among others – or RecycleBank, whose vouchers can be spent in outlets including Marks & Spencer and McDonald's. The council, one of four chosen by the government to lead the big society "vanguard", hopes the system could eventually be rolled out nationwide."
"The points would be given free by the commercial partner in return for the publicity and marketing opportunities, with the local authority picking up the relatively small cost of administering the scheme. The scheme might be extended to reward improved behaviour in areas such as school attendance and healthy living, according to the Conservative council's leader, David Burbage. Although he ruled out offering rewards for losing weight or quitting smoking, he said: "We're not picky really … Anything that works, we'll give it a go."
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/31/council-plans-big-society-reward
So is this it? Sounds like a way to get around paying minimum wage to me. And for those wages to be paid for in the form of loyalty card points subsidised by big business. And all they want in return is "publicity and marketing opportunities"? Oh aye. If this is it, it's turning out to be a contemptible crock of bollocks.