The term civil society can be traced to the Latin term societas civilis, which itself is a translation of the Greek term koinonìa politikè. This phrase then forms the title of Aristotle’s great work of political philosophy, usually known in English as The Politics. Civil society relates to the activities of human beings in communities and implies cooperation and a commitment to the common good. It has traditionally been treated as a distinct social space, separate from the state, the family and the market, and covers the wide range of activities that people participate in at a local level: charities, community groups, sports clubs, women’s organizations, faith-based organisations, professional associations, trade unions, self-help groups, social movements, business associations and advocacy groups.
In a British context, the idea of civil society is often associated with initiatives that emerged in the Nineteenth Century when groups of people – businessmen, church leaders, local squires and others – came together to promote enterprises to benefit their local communities. During this period, millions of ordinary people also joined forces without the assistance of the state to form voluntary organizations, to raise their standards of living by saving, investing, buying and selling together. The Nineteenth Century witnessed the proliferation of mutual benefit societies, which included burial clubs, co-operative societies and friendly societies.
A crucial element of Nineteenth Century civil society was the extent to which it did not rely on central government funding. It flourished independently of state intervention at a local community level. A modern Conservative vision of civil society in Britain today takes a degree of inspiration from this model.
The last Labour government promoted a largely artificial form of civil society, highly dependent on large subventions from central government. This was unsustainable, especially when it is remembered – and it is not easy to forget – that the annual budget deficit stood at £160 billion, or more than 11 per cent of Britain’s GDP, when the Coalition was formed in 2010. Over the last four years, the Conservatives have attempted to foster civil society with a shrinking amount of money. This has been a big challenge and has forced us to think more widely about the nature of civil society and how to support it most effectively.
My constituency, Spelthorne, is a compact urban area with a population of approximately 90,000 people, covering some 20 square miles. The constituency was created by the 1918 Reform Act and was originally a County of Middlesex seat. During local government reorganisation that took place in 1965, it became one of Surrey’s eleven parliamentary constituencies. Today, it is a major residential, business and retail centre. It is home to a number of large international companies including BP, Shepperton Studios, Wood Group Kenny and Siemens. Business really is at the heart of life in Spelthorne. At the same time, though, there is a thriving voluntary, community and faith sector in the constituency.
Voluntary Action in Spelthorne (VAIS), a registered charity, is the infrastructure support body for the hundreds of organisations that make up the voluntary, community and faith sector within Spelthorne......
To read the full article click here