BGOP or Not?

Interesting to see that the Government is attempting to take seriously the challenges of an ageing population, by building a network of forums across the UK to involve older people in decisions. The Rt Hon Rosie Winterton, who has the glorious title of Minister for Pensions and the Ageing Society, has put forward a plan to allow us all to influence government.

I suspect that I am not alone in feeling that the principle here seems absolutely right - we are a democracy, and why would older people not be involved in government? I actually thought that we already were, I recall seeing some statistics that older people are far more likely to vote in elections, so we should already be influencing government.

Looking at the reports and documents on the proposals, and trying to figure out what the hard proposals actually are, one gets that odd feeling of trying to herd cats. Lots of consultations with innumerable bodies, no doubt masses of conferences and days out for civil servants, yet quite what the end result is is very difficult to pin down.

The obvious reaction to anything like this nowadays is to search for the website. The government report devotes a whole page to acronyms, and the relevant one is BGOP (Better Government for Older People, if you’re wondering). Google it, and none of the links work - there is no website. Presumably there is a steering group holding consultations leading to a proposal which may lead to the adoption of a plan going forward with clear targets, but best not to hold your breath. “Yes, Minister” was remarkably prescient.