Comments on: Why Grant Shapps is letting himself down http://www.platform10.org/2009/08/why-grant-shapps-is-letting-himself-down/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-grant-shapps-is-letting-himself-down Campaigning for a modern liberal Conservative Party Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:28:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Fiona Melville http://www.platform10.org/2009/08/why-grant-shapps-is-letting-himself-down/comment-page-1/#comment-22596 Fiona Melville Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:41:29 +0000 http://www.platform10.org//?p=583#comment-22596 Mark, you're absolutely right to say that there is currently little or no accountability. But I think at this stage in the electoral cycle, 'you've broken your promises' is not really enough. Given that many assume that there will be a Conservative government next year, it's up to everyone to look at how they campaign against Labour, and to make sure that they are being consistent. I do understand, as I said, why Grant is making these points. But I think he's going about it in a way which is unhelpful for the Conservative idea with the most potential. Mark, you’re absolutely right to say that there is currently little or no accountability. But I think at this stage in the electoral cycle, ‘you’ve broken your promises’ is not really enough. Given that many assume that there will be a Conservative government next year, it’s up to everyone to look at how they campaign against Labour, and to make sure that they are being consistent.

I do understand, as I said, why Grant is making these points. But I think he’s going about it in a way which is unhelpful for the Conservative idea with the most potential.

]]> By: Mark Clarke (tooting) http://www.platform10.org/2009/08/why-grant-shapps-is-letting-himself-down/comment-page-1/#comment-22595 Mark Clarke (tooting) Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:04:18 +0000 http://www.platform10.org//?p=583#comment-22595 Fiona I agree with your drive for localism. But you can only have localism with genuine accountability. In the case of PCTs the managers who choose whether or not to follow NICE guidelines are accountable to no local people for their decisions. In fact the only person that they are accountable to is the department for health which is the controlling authority - so its quite legitimate in the current set up to treat this as a central government concern. It would be localism if those managers faced the electorate and justified their decision to say spend more on cancer than on IVF in an area. If local people didn't like the decision then they could have a mechanism to change the policy. What mechanism do people have to change this policy? No mechanism at all. PCT managers just making their own unaccountable decisions is not localism that's just another manifestation of the bureaucratic age that we need to get beyond. Mark Clarke Fiona

I agree with your drive for localism. But you can only have localism with genuine accountability. In the case of PCTs the managers who choose whether or not to follow NICE guidelines are accountable to no local people for their decisions. In fact the only person that they are accountable to is the department for health which is the controlling authority – so its quite legitimate in the current set up to treat this as a central government concern.

It would be localism if those managers faced the electorate and justified their decision to say spend more on cancer than on IVF in an area. If local people didn’t like the decision then they could have a mechanism to change the policy. What mechanism do people have to change this policy? No mechanism at all. PCT managers just making their own unaccountable decisions is not localism that’s just another manifestation of the bureaucratic age that we need to get beyond.

Mark Clarke

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