Headline June 8th, 2012 / "Postcode Lottery"

"Postcode Lottery" 

So let me begin dear readers by recommending a classic British Comedy: ''Yes, Prime Minister'' and
better still. ''No, Minister''. Haha! You can enjoy nothing more,.... believe me!! So, David Cameron has pledged nothing less than ''massive redistribution of power from the powerful to the powerless--from the political elite to the man and woman in the street''.

In the wake of many scandals, anything that weakens the disgraced political elite is bound to raise a cheer from all around. The engine off change--as it is happening-- will be the Web. Czmeron has promised that his government ''will publish all Parliamentary information online in an open-source format''. Likewise, all items of public spending above pound 25,000 and all public sector salaries over 150.000.

The Mandarins monopoly on data will end. The corollary will be a grand handing over of power from the bureaucratic centre to neighbourhoods that means local control over schools, housing, polling; localised energy production; more city mayors with greater powers; food co-ops to challenge supermarkets; a cull of quangos; and a shift from nationalised state benefits towards local provision of welfare-to-work schemes.

Just as Thatcher sold shares in the privatised utilities, so David Cameron is determined to disperse power over institutions and services to million of citizens. If Dave achieves half of what he promised and is working on, it will mark a revolution in the way the British are governed. But -as he readily admits-it is hard going. Persuading anyone to let go of power is hard, and the Whitehall mandarins will be especially reluctant to surrender control: the words: ''No, minister'' will be heard often. Haha! 

Second, as every Kung fu master can tell you, with power comes responsibility: will local communities rise to the challenge posed by Cameron?? To take the example of schools: parents are dissatisfied with the state education and want something done about it. But do they want to do it themselves?

If your boiler broke down and the plumber didn't turn up, how would you feel if you were handed the tool kit and told to get on with it! Dave's call for greater ''social responsibility'' is fine in principle but let say a note on ''postcode lottery''?? This is applied whenever local variances are detected in, say, hospital performance, school exam results or quality of decisions taken by the courts. 

Don't miss !WOW!'s great research in morrow's post. 

SAM Daily Times - The Voice Of The Voiceless