Earlier this week Nick Clegg gave a speech on social mobility:
I want to devolve power from the centre to communities and to individuals. I want to see local solutions applied to local problems, and I want to see the genius of grassroots innovation set free to drive up the standards of our public services, and deliver on the people’s priorities.
That does not mean an impotent state. Government will still have a role to play. Money must be allocated fairly to those delivering services, equality of access to public services must be guaranteed and core standards and entitlements must be firmly put in place. But it is time to limit central government and allow innovation and diversity to flourish in our communities. That’s the localism I believe in. That’s liberal social justice.
You can read a report here and the full text here.
Meanwhile, this week David Heath has been talking about how to deal with the ongoing fuss over MPs and their allowances:
Auditors should be able to carry out spot checks on MPs’ expenses to ensure they are being spent appropriately … [and] it should be a matter of public record who is employed on the public payroll by MPs.
You can read more here.
In other news, my favourite first paragraph in a blog posting so far this week is one by James Graham.
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