Wednesday, January 04, 2012

The Big Society


Having received my Samsung Galaxy Note today I have been having a field day playing with it and its various applications. For those of you who may be unaware the Note is a monster of a phone that is absolutely amazing- I've included a link and an image just for you.


In my adventures into Android world I came across a very interesting You Tube video all about the Big Society.


Fair's Fair- the name of a project that the Runnymede Trust undertook to examine  people's attitudes to The Big Society at a local level makes for interesting reading and the You Tube documentary makes for interesting viewing.





Until today I did not know of this organisation's existence but now I know that the  Runnymede Trust is an independent think tank which aims to promote racial equality. Its name derives from the famous landmark area of Runnymede - a short distance from me where the Magna Carter is said to have been signed. As the trust states on their website:


'The immediate effect of this legal document, meaning ‘Great Charter’ in Latin, was to guarantee the liberties of the King's free subjects and to restrict the absolute power of the ruling monarch.


The charter has since formed the basis of the constitutions and statutes of other countries in the English-speaking world. Extending well beyond its original purpose as a definition of the limitations of royal power, the Magna Carta is the cornerstone of many ensuing historic legal documents, such as the Human Rights Act. In fact, with the Royal Assent of the Magna Carta, human rights and equality were granted official legal protection in Britain for the first time.


A right to equality in law and under public policy has, since that day, become an intrinsic part of what it means to be British.'
Following my earlier feelings about modern Britain I suppose the last sentence struck a chord which is why I felt compelled to share this discovery with you today.


I hope it provides readers with some food for thought, while I go off and play with my new phone!