N e w s f r o m C a t a l y s t
1 8 N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 2
Included in this mailing:
1. A CRITIQUE OF THE NEW LOCALISM - new pamphlet out today
----------------------------------------------------------
1.
IN PRAISE OF CENTRALISM - A CRITIQUE OF THE NEW LOCALISM
By David Walker
It's been called the "new consensus" in British politics. According to a
recent report in the Guardian, all parties are now pronouncing "the death of
the centrally planned welfare state established in 1945" and pushing
competing variants of "localism" and devolution as the key to public service
reform. Its importance for the government was underlined by last week's
Queen's Speech, in which "decentralisation" was the spin uniting a range of
measures from the creation of quasi-autonomous "Foundation Hospitals" to the
loosening of financial controls on local government.
But is this a genuinely radical agenda, or just rhetorical cover for what is
often a conservative or neo-liberal one? Today Catalyst publishes a
refreshingly provocative and elegantly written polemic "in praise of
centralism" by journalist David Walker which reminds us that a strong and
confident centre is frequently essential to achieving basic social
democratic goals of universalism and equality.
Only central government is in a position to redistribute resources according
to social need; and only central government has the effective capacity to
intervene in the market and regulate private capital. Walker argues that in
the 20th century progressive policies have largely flowed from central
initiatives while local politics have more often than not been "the
homeground of reaction".
The pamphlet concludes:
"The principle source of inequality is market access; market power is a
key to life chances. Why then, if the argument for decentralization and
devolution is so strong in public and political life, why do we so rarely
hear it applied to power in the private economy, say in favour of the
localization of markets and the downsizing of firms? The answer is that
devolution is often, surreptitiously, an argument for shrinking the state
and diminishing the capacity of government. After all the market is a dream
mechanism for proponents of diversity. Left to its own devices, it spreads
income and wealth differentially.
"The market exults in 'difference'. Localists and advocates of
regionalism need to beware becoming stalking horses for smaller and weaker
government. There is a danger that in their enthusiasm they become a fifth
column for economic liberalism."
David Walker writes for the Guardian and is co-author, with Polly Toynbee,
of Did Things Get Better? An Audit of Labour's Successes and Failures.
For more information visit http://www.catalystforum.org.uk/pubs/pub7.html.
The pamphlet will be sent out to Catalyst subscribers and can be ordered
from Central Books (020 8986 4854), price £5.
David Walker's article on SocietyGuardian.co.uk can be read today at
http://society.guardian.co.uk/comment/column/0,7882,841051,00.html
----------------------------------------------------------
'In praise of centralism
A critique of the new localism'
By David Walker
A Catalyst Working Paper
Published in November 2002
ISBN 1 904508 01 4
32 pp
Price £5
----------------------------------------------------------
T h e C a t a l y s t F o r u m
150 The Broadway
London SW19 1RX
Telephone +44 (0)20 7733 2111
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
www.catalystforum.org.uk
' p r a c t i c a l p o l i c i e s
f o r t h e r e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f
w e a l t h , p o w e r a n d o p p o r t u n i t y '
----------------------------------------------------------
Catalyst occasionally sends out e-mails detailing latest publications or
announcing future events. If you do not wish to continue receiving these
e-mails (which at present we do not expect to number more than one or two a
month) please contact [log in to unmask] Equally, if you know
someone who would benefit from being added to our growing list, please
forward this mailing to them.
|