[cma-l] 10Radio - Somerset is GO! 5pm - the Big Society!

[Julian Mellor]

Today on Somerset is GO!, 10Radio asks 'what is the Big Society' and  
does it offer anything new for the residents and organisations of  
Somerset.  Some people say we've been here before, while others see it  
as the rolling back of an intrusive state.  Tune in to find out more.

And an anecdotal tale that has emerged while we were recording the  
programme.  We had hoped to have an interview with Nat Wei who is the  
government’s new advisor on the Big Society. Last week we rang the  
Cabinet Office, where Nat is based, to ask for an interview, a request  
that was greeted with enthusiasm by the press officer, and who said  
he’d call us back with arrangements. By Friday we’d heard nothing and  
in the end had to call back three times, each time being told that it  
was being dealt with and they'd call back.  They never did.  If we’d  
been told that Nat was too busy, or community radio stations were not  
a media priority well, we could have lived with that. But to tell us  
one thing, and then do the opposite does rather indicate that in  
Cabinet Office at least, the walk is not yet the same as the talk. And  
sadly that reflects the experience of many community and voluntary  
sector organisations trying to work with governments and councils of  
all colours over many years.  So is the Big Society really anything  
more than its acronym suggests?

Email in any comments during the show to studio at 10radio.org and we'll  
try to include them at the end.

Repeated 12 noon Saturday, and podcasted next week.
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