tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post114349031427739895..comments2024-03-28T22:32:50.562+00:00Comments on Liberal England: Localism and equalityJonathan Calderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730157683743989696noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-1143564808767081932006-03-28T17:53:00.000+01:002006-03-28T17:53:00.000+01:00An interesting debate indeed. I'm surprised that l...An interesting debate indeed. I'm surprised that liberals are still so wedded to idea of equality - a hopeless cause if there ever was one - instead of genuinely devolving power to the lowest possible level.<BR/><BR/>Every government since Clement Attlee has reinforced the tendency to centralise, and none of it has bought equality between the various regions in terms of public service provision much closer. But there has been a cost: Increasing disenchantment with the political process by the public who feels ever more remote from the centres of power which exercise arbitary decision making over the things that count such as police and hospital provision.<BR/><BR/>I for one believe that as well as empowering people, proper devolution of powers to local councils actually would increase efficiency as public service providers would be far more immedietely answerable to their 'customers' if Whitehall were cut out of the equation.<BR/><BR/>Chasing after the mirage of equality via more central government control and unsustainable increases in public spending is what Gordon Brown is doing. We should leave him to it.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01646256918213762642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-1143495909857810652006-03-27T22:45:00.000+01:002006-03-27T22:45:00.000+01:00On the plus side, it is positive to see such noise...On the plus side, it is positive to see such noises coming from the Scot Lib Dems, who for a while now seemed quite content with centralisation so long as it was <I>Scottish</I> centralisation.James Graham (Quaequam Blog!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/00319089107820032874noreply@blogger.com