Monday 13 December 2010

Local Difficulties

Eric Pickles has permitted Councils to return to the old committee system, and he should require that. But instead, he has been captured by the Westminster Village think tank boys, who are oblivious to the fact that local government is vastly more efficient and less spendthrift than central government, and who are possibly the only people of voting age in the entire country who do not know their Ward Councillors personally. Today, we see the result of their ignorance.

In the course of each Parliament, each party should submit to a binding ballot of the whole constituency electorate its locally, internally determined shortlist of two for Prospective Parliamentary Candidate. Many a stalwart of the Council would then beat many a Westminster Village think tank boy or his girlfriend. And our Parliament would be infinitely better for those victories.

2 comments:

  1. Thus speaks the right-wing Labour machine, the farming/populist Tory machine, the right-wing Liberal machine, all of which still dominate local government and you want to revive as national forces by means of AV and primaries. Vote No.

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  2. Thus speaks the right-wing Labour machine (less of the "right-wing", please), the farming/populist Tory machine, the right-wing Liberal machine, all of which still dominate local government and I want to revive as national forces by means of AV and primaries. Vote Yes.

    ReplyDelete