Your questions for Eric Pickles

It's been a week since we asked CoffeeHousers to put forward their questions for Eric Pickles.  We've since picked out the best five, which have now been put to the shadow communities secretary.  He'll get back to us in a couple of days.

The CoffeeHousers whose questions were chosen can e-mail me on phoskin @ spectator.co.uk to claim their t-shirt and 180th Anniversary issue of the magazine.

Anyway, here are the questions:

Victoria Street

"Devolving power downwards from Westminster doesn't mean that the blame can always be devolved downwards. Are you prepared for the inevitable slew of critical media that is an inevitable result of letting go the reins? Can you resist the temptation to intervene? Can you take the pressure of Labour and LibDem authorities demanding central government action to pay for their local mistakes?"

Tiberius

"Do you have a formula which you feel will lead to successful integration of minorities into mainsteam, host communities, simultaneously leading them away from destructive influences?"

Ray

"Will a future Conservative Government have go at one-and-for-all sorting out the powers, responsibilities and funding of local authorities in such a way that councils once again raise the bulk of the money they spend themselves (and hence councillors can be held more fully accountable for the way it is spent)?"

Silent Hunter

"How are you going to deal with all the New Labour 'embedded' senior civil servants in all departments of government?

Won't they be a drag anchor in your efforts to get this country back on its feet after 11 years of Labour misrule?"

David Parker

"Are Regional Assemblies cost effective, worthwhile or compatible with Tory local government policy?"

BorisforPM

"Eric, the Crewe and Nantwich result was an astounding one which attracted masses of support from activists and officers of the Conservative party. All their hard work, no doubt, contributed to the result. But that was a by-election. In the coming general election, each constituency won't have that sort of manpower. What is the single most important strategic change that can be made to the campaigns for the general election?"