'Localism'

There is currently a 'localism' bill going through parliament purporting to support that wearied cliche the decentralisation of power and the passing control back into the hands of 'ordinary people.' It of course does no such thing but represents a major smokescreen behind which the dismantling and privatising of of local services is taking place. Along with the 'Big Society' it represents the Cameron fart, a lot of noise followed by an extremely unpleasant smell.

I am a long time supporter of decentralisation, of placing control of local services in the hands of local people, however such services have to be well resourced, decentralisation or to use the new buzz word 'localism' is not a cheap option. A really radical approach to dismantling central government power would have truly revolutionary implications as to how we view ourselves as citizens, our primary loyalty would become our neighbourhood, our locality, a place in which we could exercise real democratic power. This of course is not the exercise the government is engaged in, no Cameron's ruse is to withdraw funding from a range of local services handing back the wreckage to local people under the slogan 'The Big Society.'

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