Tuesday 20 February 2024
Mangle the constitution and ban things
Henry Hill has an entertaining conservativehome piece on Labour plans for citizens' assemblies.
An arch-mandarin like Gray must know that citizens’ assemblies only enhance the bureaucracy’s power
One of the many challenges that Sir Keir Starmer will face if and when he becomes prime minister is what a Labour government is to do when there isn’t all that much money to spend.
After the final (or at least latest) abandonment of the £28bn green investment commitment, the Opposition’s policy offer at the minute is very thin indeed...
My own guess for what Labour does with no money is “mangle the constitution and ban things”, and things certainly seem to be going in that direction – for example, reports that it now intends to really ban fox-hunting. Much worse, however, is news that Sue Gray is apparently drawing up plans for “policy juries” (citizens’ assemblies by another name) to “bypass Whitehall” and make “key decisions”:
The piece is well worth reading as a reminder that citizens' assemblies are only being proposed because they won't work. As Henry Hill says they will merely enhance the power of the bureaucracy.
Perhaps this is simply a way of kicking awkward topics into the long grass. Starmer has wisely backed away from Lords reform following warnings from Labour peers, and the Shadow Cabinet is reportedly unenthusiastic about Gordon Brown’s awful constitutional reform plan. If citizens’ juries end up merely being an eye-catching way of substituting process for action, that will be the least-worst outcome.
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8 comments:
Theodore Dalrymple on reading Call-me-Dave's 700 page memoirs: "there was recounted not a single amusing incident, there was not a single original thought or a single striking phrase. He met important people, even world-historical figures, in his years of office, but had absolutely nothing of interest to say about any of them. ... In the entire book, he displayed no interest whatever in ideas, in art, science, philosophy, music. It is not his fault, perhaps, but his face remains as characterless as his mind and his prose: a face neither intelligent nor stupid, neither kind nor vicious, a face on which nothing whatever can be seen, marked by no experience of life, no suffering, no joy, no good humor, no ill temper, no generosity."
"The piece is well worth reading as a reminder that citizens' assemblies are only being proposed because they won't work. As Henry Hill says they will merely enhance the power of the bureaucracy. "
So really they will achieve what they set out to do. Find extra lengths of road to kick the cans down. More long grass to hide unpleasant ideas. Not upset any bureaucracies with the necessity of actually doing work. All hiding behind the idea that 'there is no more money' rather than 'there is plenty of money but it is being spent poorly and in the wrong places'.
dearieme - at 700 pages I'll be giving that a miss. For people to read a tome like that it had to be either genial and chatty or full of insights into the people he met and the events he had to cope with, maybe both. Theodore Dalrymple must have some stamina.
DJ - I'm sure you are right, hiding behind the idea that 'there is no more money' will be a useful screen as well as a way to strengthen the bureaucracy in relation to the HoC. As Henry Hill says, it's a way to substitute process for action and that's what bureaucrats always favour.
If citizens’ juries end up merely being an eye-catching way of substituting process for action, that will be the least-worst outcome.
Indeed. I can see worst-worst outcomes, in the form of rigged Question Time audiences agreeing to open borders, Net Zero,and a guaranteed income for the dear old Beeb.
A special thank you to dearieme for the quote on Dave. Superb!
Sam - citizens' juries could also muddy the political waters to a considerable degree. Add in some Labour infighting and Starmer won't know what is going on and certainly won't be able to explain it to people such as Rayner and Lammy. Which may be the idea.
I thought we already had enough "citizens’ assemblies by another name", in local councils,or county councils!
They're bad enough, but to add yet another layer of pullovered and wire-rimmed lefties will indeed waste even more money...
It's interesting to reflect that the only firm policies Labour seems to have (ban hunting, VAT on school fees, drive out non-Doms) are nothing to do with improving the economy, nothing to do with raising peoples' living standards, nothing - even - to do with Net Zero or global warming.
Instead, they are pure and simply class-warfare plays: they will achieve absolutely nothing except attacking the class enemies.
I think this gives us a clue about what we're in for.
Scrobs - wasting money seems to what the game is, many people now depend on it.
Peter - I agree, class-warfare plays are what we're in for. With luck that will all become so obvious that a cascade of negative media stories will stir the pot. We already know that Starmer is quick to drop hot potatoes.
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