In an interview with ePolitix.com, the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone has called for power to be devolved from national government to local government. Mayor Livingstone says that Mayoral offices could then be used as a training ground for national politics, as in Germany and the US.
"I watched Tony Blair’s government when they were all learning how to run things, whereas I learnt that on Camden council in my twenties.
Regional leaders could be responsible for running police, fire, transport, regeneration, skills training, and further and higher education, he said.
"I watched Tony Blair’s government when they were all learning how to run things, whereas I learnt that on Camden council in my twenties.
Regional leaders could be responsible for running police, fire, transport, regeneration, skills training, and further and higher education, he said.
Well I couldn't agree more. In Ireland most powers are held by Dublin and what small powers local councils have are usually wielded by the officials as opposed to the councillors. We need real decentralisation, we need powers at the local level as much as possible. This involves people in their government and make politics relevant to them.
Politics in Ireland is badly damaged following the likes of Mr Haughey and his ilk. We need to build confidence in politics and politicians and this should start from the bottom up. Make councillors accountable, give them the powers to deliver in their communities and people will begin to trust the system again.
It is time for real local government, time for directly elected Mayors and time for councillors to have the powers to make the decisions for their communities.
No comments:
Post a Comment