Just what is it?

I am struggling to understand this concept of the Prime Minister's "Big Society".  If it simply means people looking out for each other more - a sort of return to the spirit of the war and immediately post-war years - then all well and good, although I have to say that that spirit was driven more by necessity than altruism, and although he may see the necessity today I'm not sure other people do.  But his idea seems to go beyond that - it's more that people should seek to take a greater part in local matters - and quite apart from the question of having enough time, the danger as I see it is that the sort of people who are most likely to push themselves forward will not necessarily be the most suitable or desirable, and as by definition they will not be elected, how the hell do you get rid of them?