...to give it away

For many people, government in the past 12 years has concentrated more and more power either in the government, or in one of its quangos. The result has been that regional planning bodies (unelected) can overrule local opinions on planning issues, local councils in many of their policies are acting as mere agents of central government and having to accept diktats from Westminster for whence comes the bulk of the finance. It is little surprise when people see voting in local elections as a waste of time. (I make no mention of the growing power over us by unelected Eurocrats in Brussels.)

For some people the all-intrusive government is seen in sundry databases or various cameras or other measures which record our behaviour or listen to our words.

Business complains about the mountain of regulation which weighs heavily on them and puts up their costs significantly. Teachers, police officers and nurses find themselves as unpaid data recorders of the government.

Within the next 14 months we shall have a general election. I want a government which has sought power in order to give it away, rather devolving it as low as possible where the people affected can influence what happens. I want policy which reflects the views of the people who know most and care most about their situation. If the policies differ between councils, so much the better, people will be able to move if they like the situation and policies elsewhere.

We have had devolution, for party advantage, for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but absolutely none for England.

I see little sign of meaningful devolution in NuLabour, and I would suspect what they say if they now campaigned for decentralising powerin a complete about turn . So it's between Cameron and Clegg. At the moment I would not know which one is more likely to trust the people as I want, even though I write on a Conservative Blog.