THE Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev John Pritchard, is right to help prick the myth behind the new buzz phrase ‘The Big Society’ doing the rounds in all corridors of power.

The way it has been adopted and repeated by some is almost approaching cult-like status to suggest these three words can really make our communities individually, and the country as a whole, a much better place to live.

As an over-arching concept it has merit: everyone working together for the common good rather than their own interests.

But that is nothing new. It’s called community and is the underlying reason people began to live in groups thousands of years ago.

The Big Society is nothing more than a catchphrase invented by politicos. What people must remember is it’s being adopted, as Bishop John says, as some sort of chant to shield us from the realisation of the decisions being made.

We are entirely realistic about the state of the country’s finances.

But if the state is retreating from providing many of the services it traditionally does, then it needs to be honest, rather than attempting to guilt the public into taking up these tasks by being responsible citizens.