Civil society #review

At one time, churches and pubs where at the heart of the community. They provided the venue for civil society to grow as small groups, independent of government, did things to bring the community together and make it better. Everything from boys scouts to the pub dart team provided community cohesion.

That was civil society in action, small NGO’s (non-governmental organisations) making communities better. David Cameron tried to hijack the idea and call it ‘Big Society’, but that was just because he thought volunteers would take over government responsibilities and save money. Some charities have done that, where government has failed to provide mental health services or food for the most vulnerable. Civil society provides a sense of community and gives a community pride, whether those involved are helpers or the people being helped. Civil society has now gone global and uses the internet to communicate and to grow. They bring people together who have common purpose or values and provide for need; without greed.

Safe harbours #investments was yesterday’s post. I think investment groups are a great idea, where people club together to invest their money.

Cutting out the middle man #thrifty was my usual thrifty post on Thursday. We are all getting thrifty these days and trying to waste less money on junk. It can be quite hard these days to dispose of our belongings when they are no longer needed. Everything has to be recycled these days.

Planned #photography was on Wednesday.   Most photographic trips require minimal planning and we explore for new views to point our camera at. If you want a brilliant photo for a competition (or to impress your friends) then a little planning can help, like picking the right time of day to get good light.

How to get the perfect shot #photography Being aware of the changing seasons and changing light can help us get that great shot for a calendar or competition.

Variety is the spice of life #life was on Monday. We need variety in our lives. We look at grey environments and just find them horrible. We walk down a country lane with it’s array of things to look at and we marvel at the beauty.

It could be worse #Sunday #ramble was my usual ramble on a Sunday morning through the dustier pathways of my mind.  Life can always be worse, we see children on our televisions, that are starving in far off lands  and think how lucky we are to live in such a rich country. Success in life is mostly about the environment you’re born into, rather than hard work or money grabbing ‘aspirations’.

I’ll be back tomorrow, with another Sunday ramble. In the meantime, you can subscribe using the widget in the sidebar or follow me on Twitter for updates.

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