Now -read the book!

Here is a link to my memoirs which, if you are a glutton for punishment, you can purchase online at https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/an-obscure-footnote-in-trade-union-history.
Men fight and lose the battle, and the thing that they fought for comes about in spite of their defeat, and when it comes turns out not to be what they meant, and other men have to fight for what they meant under another name. (William Morris - A Dream of John Ball)

Friday, September 24, 2010

EasyCouncil not at all easy

I was sorry that the need to attend an anti-cuts meeting in Lambeth last night kept me from the important rally in Barnet.



I am pleased however to see Barnet's bonkers "EasyCouncil" nonsense trashed by the auditors (http://m.guardian.co.uk/?id=102202&story=http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/sep/23/barnet-easycouncil-costcutting-plan-criticised).



I think that all high profile attempts to "re-invent" local service delivery are more or less driven by a desire for profile on the part of their proponents rather than any realistic prospect of positive change.



What we need now isn't innovation - it's a circling of the wagons to protect as much as we can of the Welfare State bequeathed us by previous generations.



Politicians and senior managers love to have a "vision" but I think "visions" are generally the product of hallucinogenics.



I want to spend the next few years limiting the damage being done to our society by a Government of millionaire public schoolboys. That's not a "vision" but it's cold hard pragmatism.

Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

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