In February 2014 the East Midlands Salon hosted a discussion entitled ‘Is ‘community’ dead?‘.

Our speaker was Dave Clements, author of many publications including “Society Wars” (IOI, 2012), “Social Care for Free Citizens” (Manifesto Club, 2010) and “The Future of Community”(Pluto, 2008). Dave convenes the Social Policy Forum at the Institute of Ideas and blogs for the Guardian, the Independent and Huffington Post. As an introduction to his talk, he writes:

“As the Care Bill goes through parliament, representing the biggest reform of social care in sixty years, was Norman Lamb, the care minister, right to propose the setting up of ‘Neighbourhood Watch’ schemes to guard against isolation and loneliness amongst the elderly population? There is controversy about older people not being looked after and falling between the cracks of inadequate local services, on the one hand, and their apparently negligent neighbours, on the other. In one particularly shocking case, it was reported that a woman starved to death without anybody noticing. But if, as we are told, community really has died too – that youths are riotous and anti-social, and that Britain is ‘broken’ – then how do we go about looking out for older sometimes vulnerable people? Is it even communities’ job to do this anymore or is that the responsibility of the so-called caring professions? Should we embrace this more positive notion of community or is it just an excuse for making cuts to social care and other public services?”

We look forward to seeing you on Monday 3 February. Please note there will be a small charge of £3 to cover some of our costs.