Eric Pickles kickstarts the local blame game

David Lindsay

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.

alexsandr

referenda - pah. we had a local one here about charging for parking in our village. did the district take a blind bit of notice. did they fcuk,

Chuck Unsworth

David Lindsay

"and who are possibly the only people of voting age in the entire country who do not know their Ward Councillors personally."

Utter, utter, tosh. I wouldn't have a clue as top who the local Ward Councillor is - and nor would he/she know me, either. And I'm damn sure that applies to the vast majority of electors.

Once again, a glimpse into the weird world of Lindsay.

Alex Gallagher

Interesting.

The Tories brought in large regional authorities in 1974, but when they challenged central government, they split them up as a punishment(in 1996).

Now they are asking these smaller authorities to merge and become bigger again to get the benefits of size....

funny old world....

David Lindsay

What does that say about you, Chuck Unsworth?

People who hate local government are an embittered lot, unable to cope with anyone not brow-beaten by their wealth. And therefore, via the Coalition, determined to put them out of existence.

TrevorsDen

The 73 (I think) reforms were a big mistake - but to govern is to chose and to make mistakes. This was I think a big mistake.

The problem with local government is that they spend money but do not raise most of it. So there is no incentive (in the form of lower local taxes) to be efficient.
Equally though all they are is basically the agent of the government - the govt have no real control.

Nicholas

Alex Gallagher - a somewhat partisan view of the Local Government Act of 1972, introduced by a Conservative government in response to a Labour initiated report in 1969 but implemented by a Labour government in April, 1974. Likewise your use of the term "large regional authorities" which is nowhere used in the Act and certainly not in the sense of New Labour regionalisation.

Labour-type re-interpretation of history again?

Widmerpool

Is it true that Pickles has a picture of Che Guevara in his office ha ha.
Glad to see the Lindsay stream of consciousness is shorter than usual!
For one I would give Eric a chance particularly if it shakes up those "little men with brief authority " who seemingly hang round our local council chambers.

David Lindsay

It is a very important point that a Conservative Government abolished or redrew all of the ancient counties, with no Cabinet dissent from Margaret Thatcher, but with parliamentary opposition from Labour.

Like Europe three times, like the dismantlement of the rail network, like the devastation of small and family business by the abolition of Resale Price Maintenance, like the abolition of any formal recognition of marriage in the tax system, and so on, and on, and on. Conservative measures all, every one of them opposed by the Labour Party, as such. Since, in those days, there was a Labour Party, as such. Roll on electoral reform, to bring it back.

In the words of an anonymous comment on my blog, further to what I posted here at 6:04pm:

"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."

To which I have replied:

"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."

Chuck Unsworth

@ David Lindsay

So you're seriously suggesting this nonsense? Where's your evidence?

Speaking purely personally I couldn't give a stuff about local government - just as long as they do what I pay my taxes for efficiently, don't spend my cash on crackpot schemes and then spend even more of my money on telling me about it and how wonderful they all are at doing their jobs.

As and when my local Ward Councillor chooses to make contact I'll maybe give them the time of day, maybe not, but I'm not too fussed. It's a major mistake to believe that Councillors know what they're doing or indeed have any expertise at all.

In my experience such people often have precious little real expertise and are mostly out for what they can get - just the same as so many MPs.

Alex Gallagher

Just fact Nicholas. Strathclyde was the biggest local authority in Europe. It organised effective opposition to the idiotic Tory plans to privatise Scottish Water. The Tories felt humiliated and reorganised local government into smaller authorities that they reckoned would not have the size or power to resist central government control ever again.

daniel maris

Chaos, cuts and more bureaucracy...

These proposals are not to be taken as a serious contribution to better government at a local level. If they are to be taken at face value, they are a recipe for chaos. To the extent that they will be bound up in red tape by the Sir Humphries determined to neutralise their impact, they will be another serving of bureaucracy.

Also Pickles is a giving a v. false impression of the financial impact of the cuts. Some transitional money this year is ameliorating the scale of budget cuts but this is only for one year - the full force of the cuts impacts next year.

Major Plonquer 1

I can't believe some dingbat is proposing we go back to the days of Resale Price Maintenance. That's how they do things in North Korea. And Cuba. Even Communist China abolished government pricing mechanisms.

Then again there's very little difference between the North of England and North Korea anyway. So perhaps we should look forward to the day when John Prescott sets the price of steak'n'kidney pies. Hmmm. Maybe there's something to that?

Then we can all hold hands and sing and hold giant parades with soldiers and tanks.

Fergus Pickering

Linday's a weirdo, isn't he? He KNOWS local councillors. Does he ask them in for cups of tea? Why on earth would I want to know a local councillor? Every bit as self important as an MP but not talented enough to become one. And every bit as corrupt and then some if their address happens to be, say, Glasgow or Newcastle.

Steve Tierney

>>referenda - pah. we had a local one here about charging for parking in our village. did the district take a blind bit of notice. did they fcuk,<<

That reflects more on your local council than on the idea of referendums. Obviously - for them to work - they must have teeth.

Steve Tierney

Some of you guys really do have it in for local politicians. I don't think you're being entirely fair.

There are a large number of local politicians and they are all different. Some are good, some are bad. Some work hard, some not so much. Some are well-known in their ward or division - some are not.

This grouping of them as "all the same" that some of you are making is unjust and unwarranted. I don't deny there are probably some duff councillors out there - but there are lots of very hard-working, honest and effective ones too.

Tarka the Rotter

It all went tits up when the ancient counties were abolished. I mean, does anyone feel the remotest affinity with Teeside and the like? I'd like to see national government whittled down to defence of the realm, foreign affairs and (possibly) justice. Local democracy is what we need more of, but real democracy and not just forums for Con/Lib/Lab party hacks.

Cabbie

@Fergus. Don't leave out South Tyneside. Iain Malcolm Leader. CEO of Sovreign Strategies. Owner Alan Donnelly. Airport!

yank

Be fair.

The money stolen by local politicians generally gets spent back into the local community from whence it was lifted. So there's that.