I wrote this under the ancien regime - it still applies:
So, dear readers, you need to stop with the 'we don't need more politicians' nonsense and understand that unless you elect people directly to make decisions on your behalf, you make it harder to hold the decision-makers to account. And you need to tell your councillor and your MP that devolution is all fine and dandy, an absolutely spiffing idea, but only if the spending of that public money is subject to your accountability through the tried and tested method of having the chance to vote the bastards out if you don't like them.
You've a choice between devolution managed by bureaucrasts and government appointees or devolution under the control of people you elect. Having a mayor and assembly works for London - I've no doubt it will work for Yorkshire too.
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1 comment:
Simon, you have a rosier view of democracy than I do.
I don't buy this notion that being elected makes people accountable. On the whole, some people vote Labour because they've always voted Labour, and some people vote Tory because they've always voted Tory. The politician who gets elected can do pretty much what they like, and if they have a majority of voters of their own party in their area, they'll still get elected.
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