Author Archives: Phil Teece

The Independent View: Participatory democracy and the People’s Budget

It’s budget season and here’s a question ….

Is it an exaggeration to claim that there is a crisis in our system of democracy? When so many people don’t bother to vote and there are communities in the UK which no longer have any faith in the willingness of parliament and local government to address their needs and concerns, to actually represent their interests, then I think not. However, the direction of the coalition government’s policy is avowedly towards greater accountability and a stronger role for local people in decisions about local services.

The reality is that, despite the rhetoric about localism …

Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Tagged , , and | 3 Comments
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Recent Comments

  • Nick Hopkinson
    Fully agree with Chris’ assessment. We should focus on one defining issue and that indeed should be Europe. That not be because EU membership in an end in its...
  • David Warren
    Some really good points here Matthew! My big concern is how we are falling behind the Greens in urban areas. In my home town of Reading two wards that return...
  • Brian Evans
    The policy of bringing derelict homes into use by means of grants (not exactly what was referenced here, but I have recently heard it in other political comment...
  • David Blake
    There were fewer MPs speaking than I expected and one or two seemed to be always at the microphone....
  • Geoff Reid
    When we live in the worst of times for democracy it ought to be the best of times for saying what we are for....