Government encouragement of various activities

The Chancellor encourages both parents with low incomes to work. This is the result of the government's reform and modernisation of the Welfare State:

The work ethic must be the centrepiece of a new welfare state.

Principle One states:

The new welfare state should help and encourage people of working age to work where they are capable of doing so.

Is it the best use of parents' spare time to become "discerning or sophisticated investors" (9.14)? The government is encouraging people to carry out various activities such as getting on the internet and becoming town counsellors. Seeking to promote "community involvement":

"What is new is the current Government's policy emphasis on community involvement as a central plank in the project to achieve modernisation of government and democratic renewal."

it has set up the Active Community Unit at the Home Office:

"to promote voluntary and community activity and to support a healthy and cost effective voluntary sector"

and boost volunteering in poor areas. Following the findings of the Report of the Advisory Group on Citizenship, it has introduced citizenship into the core curriculum. Active citizenship, and also involvement as mentioned above, are being taught from an early age:

"Effective public involvement leads to better quality decision-making and aspires to reinvigorate civic culture by promoting active citizenship."

The government seeks:

"to work with individuals and communities to build a safe, just and tolerant society enhancing opportunities for all and in which rights and responsibilities go hand in hand"

Rights and responsibilities do not go hand in hand like similarities and differences, or insurance and assurance mentioned above. For example, I have not yet seen the list of responsibilities going hand in hand with the rights in the 1998 Human Rights legislation.

However much we may wish to assist with the reinvigoration of civic culture, many of us are subject to time constraints. On top of working the longest hours in Europe, in the South East commuting is a nightmare. Commuting times, already the worst in Europe, are getting worse. They are expected to worsen still further with the expansion of London resulting from efforts "to ensure British business has the skills it urgently needs".

Shopping is becoming impossible in Central London because of the congestion, which has resulted in the new congestion charge, sometimes described as "a poll tax on wheels". We sometimes do not even have the time to go shopping. How then can we be expected to respond to the numerous consultative documents? The FSA has for example, issued 140 Consultation Papers (at the time of writing). Its responses are almost entirely from the industry. The fact that the industry point of view tends to predominate in comparison to that of savers, is therefore not at all surprising.