Thriving Communities

Market forces have intervened at last to bring the Big Society to some of Britain's least likely Conservative voters. Various independent entrepreneurs have organised themselves into squads of idleness police and, without turning into blood-sucking quangos like Booktrust or the Forensic Science Service, have begun lifting the scourge of dependency from those who have failed to do their bit for the housing market. It is true that many of the beneficiaries and providers are foreign, which could conjure up the spectre of illegal immigrants jumping the queue ahead of indigenous resources; but the scheme is largely confined to inner cities and can therefore be considered still at the pilot stage. It is not thought that there will be much difficulty in formalising the arrangement legally, although some Liberal Democrats may possibly table an amendment requiring a tax on the use of corporal punishment.