Local Council by-elections 11th April

[Toylyyev]

Apr 12, 2019 20:24:26 GMT Merseymike said:

Apr 12, 2019 20:13:02 GMT cj said:

I think it has become that, but that is because of the centralism of Thatcher and Blair, to disconnect local power and autonomy for market solutions and/or central Government edicts based on modelling. This further promotes apathy in local democracy, which in turn enables, almost encourages, worsening local government which of course then reinforces the negative view of local government and promotes more attacks upon it.

Without strong local input local Government officers operate on auto-pilot to DCLG direction, we have centralism with the expensive trappings of local authority. The solution is not to further rationalise operations and strip away the trappings of local democracy it is to gut and re-found local control.

Far more effective and resilient 'municipal socialism' can be be created by more people than can be gifted to the populace by leaders.

That I wouldn't disagree with, but there would need to be some clear boundaries
1. Local authorities must again focus on running services, not just agreeing to dole out contracts for outsourced work
2. They need to have the ability to raise money and make genuine decisions, and if that means raising more money, so be it. The electorate can always throw them out
3. Local councillors need to start making decisions again, not this focus on casework when they have little actual influence on the issue concerned. That means abandonment of mayors, cabinet systems etc.
4. Like the Tories set caps on service provision in terms of money, Labour should ensure that councils like Wandsworth cannot treat their poorest like shit. If they want to prioritise bin collections, let them, but they can't do it at the expense of vital provision for the poorest. This is I suppose what I mean when I say I'm a centralist. I strongly support minimum standards enforced from the centre. I simply wouldn't allow Tory boroughs to farm out vital services required by those in the greatest need to the private sector, for example.
5. And this means that funding must also be sorted. The tactics of failing to ensure that the boroughs with the greatest social problems were properly funded and using special grants to make up the shortfall ended up with what we have now, but the effective depoliticisation of local government where Labour councils grit their teeth and carry out Tory cuts using the argument that it would be much worse under the Tories, and to feel they are still doing some good throw themselves into hours and hours of casework to make up for their lack of ability to deliver real change...that must cease.

Municipal socialism has absolutely nothing to do with liberal 'localism' which is largely 'take the politics out of politics' writ large

There are quite a few types of standards from technical standards to canons, but as far as i can see, taken as such they would be agnostic relative to centralism, given the various ways and means of establishing and maintaining them. Within the context of European political history i would rather relate centralism to the "Senātus Populusque Rōmānus".

Another clue may lay here in one of the words used in French for municipality. The German word also throws the same punches. Or even for adepts of other political horizons, the etymology of the word municipality itself.

[edinburghtory]

Apr 12, 2019 10:33:35 GMT Tony Otim said:

Apr 12, 2019 10:11:43 GMT The Bishop said:

It is clear that quite a lot of our previous vote went your way.

I recall you saying previously that Labour weren't putting that much effort in here, which does strike me as somewhat odd on the face of it.

What did you campaign on?

It was edinburghtory who commented on the lack of Labour activity. I wasn't actively involved but campaign focus was affordable family housing, public transport and green spaces, but housing mainly I think...

Yes Labour didn't seem to do very much, in particular as it is in North & Leith for the most part a key target seat in Scotland at the next GE, meanwhile the Greens did and what they point out was well put together as well. I'm not sure if that is the reason for the result or if it is part of the bigger shift away from Labour that was also present in Clacks Central were they did put a lot of effort and resources. I think it is probably a bit of both.

As Tony pointed out as well I wouldn't read to much into the Tory result here, I can't think of a worse ward in the Country for a by-election to happen for the Conservatives under the current circumstances.