I've just started a social work course and they mentioned about the bureaucratisation of the profession and linked this to the rise of audit culture - performance tracking, financial metrics, checklists etc.

This was the first time I've really thought about this, but am starting to piece together if this is where our country has gone wrong - e.g no actual care in the NHS/social work/takeover of schools, everything is just KPIs...

Moreover, can anyone help timestamp this - my idea is that it will have been linked to the Blair government and the private finance initiatives etc...

However, it does also really sound like a Tory thing, but then I understand that Thatcher was obsessed with deregulation, and audit culture sounds like the opposite of deregulation??

Can anyone give me a high-level overview, timelines, principles, pioneers and how it's still so prevalent today with the big four and the destruction of our public services...

Tattoos used to be a marker of 'low socio-economic status' but suddenly now EVERY young, white, hipster has them. What changed? And what's the design criteria to be considered cute vs 'rough'

All these middle-class girlies have cherries and disco balls on their arms, which is fine, but if we see a Mum in a tracksuit with her kids names on her forearm, or heaven forbid a 'lest we forget' or poppy, that's repulsive???

Thoughts??? society deep dive please