If you’ve seen the TV game show Pointless, you’ll know that – like in civil society – common assumptions are often a veneer. The most illuminating way to understand a community is to seek out the Pointless answers...
Tag: history
From the industrial revolution to the internet: putting power in people’s hands
We stand at a pivot point, facing an ‘us and them’ future which shuts out so many - and the real possibility of opening up enormous change for the better.
It is time for civil society to seize the opportunities technology offers to transform society
In the late 19th century, as the industrial revolution came to maturity, an extraordinary system emerged to address the health needs of industrial workers. In Tredegar, south Wales, a hospital sick pay and insurance system was so effective that Nye Bevan took it as the model for the NHS. This is far from unique. It …
Civil society feels increasingly broken – but we can fix it
Part of the purpose of this inquiry is to provide a space for conversation about difficult and controversial subjects which either ignite strong feelings, or get ignored through fear and embarrassment. This article is intended to stimulate an open and respectful conversation about some of these issues, and does not necessarily represent the views of …
Civil society history: We should remember James Parkinson for more than the disease that bears his name
200 years ago, the iconic doctor published his paper discribing a now well known disease. But his other pamphlets were of a more revolutionary nature...
The debates in the voluntary sector have raged for a century
As the National Council for Voluntary Organisation approaches its centenary, its history shows that many of the debates among voluntary organisations now are the same ones as have been playing out for decades. History until fairly recently has not been particularly kind to the voluntary movement. Its story has tended to be told either through …