An editorial in the Guardian argues for less government.
Now, with 119 MPs and peers in government, and at least another 46 MPs serving as parliamentary aides, the coalition is hitting new records. The argument that fewer MPs (down to 600 after the next election) should be accompanied by a similar cut in the size of government has also been rejected. Yet outside the thinktanks, there has been little public consideration of what ministers are for, how to train them, nor how to calculate their productivity – while assessing and promoting competence has always lagged far behind condemning incompetence. In an era of savage cuts, it’s high time ministers themselves felt the pain.
Good lord! Well, maybe they aren’t exactly asking for less government in the way that I would wish to see it. When getting rid of ministers, slash the ministries they serve. There are whole swathes of government that serves no real purpose – sport, art and culture is a prime example of something that has no need for government involvement.
But, yeah, the Groan is right even if it is only feebly stepping, blinking, into the light. Slash and burn then slash and burn some more.
No burning is necessary, just let them rot!!!! 😈
Burning causes CO2 and is bad for the environment.
Well, burn the department of environment change first, then no one will notice 😈
Would the Graun be saying the same thing if its preferred party was still in government?
What do you think?
Well that’d be a good start, but let’s not forget that the government spends far more on ‘private sector procurement’ (aka ‘corporatism’) than it does on either public sector salaries/pensions, or on the whole welfare/pensions system.
The government is so keen on privatising government services they must privatise the government. The money that can be ripped off the tax payers must make it very attractive for an efficient private company to pay many billions for the privilege.
I don’t suppose they really mean less government, rather less elected government. I don’t see them advocating a reduction in civil servants, quangos or other unelected elements of our ruling system, nor of returning more power and responsibility to the people as a consequence.
Much as I agree with the general disappointment over the capabilities and motivation of our politicians, at least we elect them…
Yeah, hence my qualification. I want to see less of all of them – elected and unelected.
Oh definitely.
I’m suprised (and disappointed) there isn’t more disquiet being expressed over all these so called techocrats who’ve got themselves appointed to rule various European countries lately on the back of the financial crisis. If they were wearing green uniforms and arrived in tanks presumably the likes of the Guardian would be calling for UN intervention to remove them but what’s the real difference – who voted for them?