British Prime Minister David Cameron calls his vision for his country "the Big Society." Doubts about what that vision entails have been put to rest in his government's first budget. "The Big Society" consists of small government and a private-nongovernment organization partnership that fills in the gaps as public services recede.
For Mr. Cameron, it is an audacious vision that is dictated in equal parts by ideology and economic necessity. Critics charge it threatens to tear the social fabric of Britain apart. The answer will not be clear for several years, but there is no doubting that the country is on the verge of wrenching change.
Whoever won this spring's general election in Britain was going to antagonize voters when they dealt with the country's economic mess. Taming the country's budget deficit, which currently exceeds 11 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and is the largest among developed countries, would require drastic cuts in government services.