It was as I remember it a late autumn morning in 1987. We sat in the disfunctional executive work room of the student association. Alastair looked at me. ‘It’s gone.”
I did whatever was so darn important, and then looked across at him, “what?” I said as if I might be interested.
“The word society”.
“What?” I wasn’t sure what his point was.
“The ministry of education has removed the word society and only talk about communities.” He indicated the pile of discussion documents, the Ministry Annual Report, and the infamous Treasury un requested huge volume which had come out like a Christmas Cracker toy with their volumes of incoming briefing material
. Briefing to incoming minister
Government Management: Brief to the Incoming Government 1987 Volume II Education Issues
“Oh”
“Communities or community may not be everyone.” He grinned.
I parked this odd observation.
It isn’t till 2024 when the full weight and danger of undermining the concept of Society is truly obvious.
Yes it wasn’t just education briefings, It was all Government documents. All speeches, all contributed content, in every book, magazine briefing note.
There is no collective society in modern neo classical, monetarist and libertarian thinking.
We are all individuals.
And if anyone says the writing doesn’t matter, grammar is irrelevant, synonyms are fine: just think about it.
