Book Festival Aug 19

The Big Society debate

Soon after gaining power David Cameron launched the “Big Society”, encouraging people to become more involved in their community through volunteer work. But what will this Big Society look like? This was the question put to Lib Dem MP Sir Menzies Campbell, The Times’ columnist David Aaronovitch and Oliver James, author of Affluenza. The main thrust of the debate came from James and Aaronovitch’s disagreement over the direction British society is going. 

James argued that, in the Anglo-centric world, there has been a shift from collectivism to individualism from the 1950s to the present day. He quoted many statistics showing a rise in violent crime and a rise in family breakdown to support his arguement, and linked increasing levels of debt to a decrease in mental health. 

Aaronnovitch disagreed with what he described as James’ “declinism”, arguing that every generation views the past with an element of nostalgia. “We should have more faith in the societies we’ve constructed,” he said. He was supported by a member of the audience who pointed to recent health and safety legislation and the 1998 Human Rights Act, as evidence that society has seen improvements over the past 50 years.

Campbell did not get embroiled in this argument, but observed that although volunteer work can complement work carried out by the state, “it is not a substitute for state obligations”. He expressed his concern over well-intentioned but unskilled amateurs dabbling in areas in which they do not have the necessary competences. 

The debate raised some contentious and some controversial points, which thoroughly engaged members of the audience - who continued to argue with each other as they left the tent.

Next, did you know that producing a cup of coffee requires 145 litres of water? Or that a beefburger produces three times the amount of carbon dioxide as a veggie burger? Professor Tony Allan, an expert in water security, and Mike Berners-Lee, author of How Bad Are Bananas? described the hidden environmental cost of the decisions and commodities we take for granted. 

Allan began the talk by defining different types of water, from “blue water”, which we can see, drink and pump, to “green water”, which is found in soil, and “virtual water”, the subject of his new book. He discussed the role that trade plays in solving potential water disputes. 

But despite the challenges facing the world’s water security, Allan said: “The water issue is solvable - if we’re prepared to change our behaviour.” On an individual level, he recommended consuming less meat as an easy way of reducing your water footprint.

By focusing on ways that individuals can lead more environmentally responsible lives, his talk intersected neatly with that of Mike Berners-Lee. The latter hopes that people will develop a “carbon instinct”, like a money instinct, which would allows us to roughly evaluate the carbon cost of different purchases. He argued that our attention is regularly misdirected from the real issues: a frequent flyer who is concerned about whether to use paper towels or electronic hand dryers, he said, is asking the wrong question.

By uncovering the hidden processes behind what we consume, Allan and Berners-Lee are equipping listeners and readers with the facts needed to make ethically informed decisions.  

Finally, prolific crime writer Quintin Jardine began his talk by describing Scotland as the “world birthplace of crime fiction”, and the centre of contemporary crime writing. He read a short extract from his twentieth Bob Skinner novel, A Rush of Blood, before discussing his own writing methods in more detail. 

But Jardine did not set out to write crime fiction. He recounted a holiday that he had taken over 20 years ago, where all he had to read was a book he described as “absolute crap” to his wife. “Why don’t you write something better?” she replied - and the rest is publishing history.

Jardine has already written the next Skinner installment, a prequel to the series set in 1996. He likes Bob Skinner’s character: “if I didn’t like him, he wouldn’t be here any more”, he explained. “But he surprises me all the time.” 

Several members of the audience were interested in possible TV adaptations, a question Jardine said he had been asked for many years. His preferred actor for the role of Skinner is The Wire’s Idris Elba. “He is the right guy,” said Jardine, emphatically. A radio production is in the early stages of discussion, a prospect that Jardine described with enthusiasm.

And it seems that Jardine is also branching out into other genres. He has recently self-published Somewhere over the rainbow, a fantasy, online. Perhaps in time he will becomes as well known for writing fantasy fiction as crime.