Douglas Carswell MP: Direct Democracy at Bournemouth

Localism is in danger of becoming a cliche. 

All major political parties now talk about handing power to local communities and of "double devolution".  Last week, Gordon Brown spoke of passing "power away from the centre".  This week in Bournemouth the conference is a-buzz with Conservatives doing the same.

The rapid advance of these new ideas has been striking.

Since the publication of "Direct Democracy; an agenda for a new model party" last year by a group of young Conservative MPs, MEPs and activists, the Party leadership has been swift to adopt many of our ideas. 

Much of the modernisation agenda we outlined are now mainstream; directly elected police chiefs are party policy.  Our candidates are being selected through open primaries.  David Cameron has announced plans to reform arcance Crown Prerogative.  The new model Conservatives are at ease with the idea of passing power away from Whitehall down to the townhall and the individual.

Yesterday's excellent Daily Telegraph debate on "Direct Democracy" underscored the extent to which direct democracy is becoming part of a new orthodoxy.  Chaired by the great Charles Moore, this fringe meeting starred Boris Johnson MP, Dan Hannan MP and Greg Clark MP. 

Mr Hannan explained the problem of voter disilusionment with the political classes, and demonstrated convincingly how our system of representative democracy has been steadily corroded by the quango State.  Greg Clark then outlined some of the solutions; putting power back in the hands of town halls, directly elected police chiefs and other aspects of the direct democracy agenda.  Boris provided the entertainment in the middle.

"Power to the people" was the theme of Policy Exchange / POWER Commission talk this morning.  Ferdinand Mount and Ali Miraj gave an excellent outline of the case for direct democracy.  Ali heads up one of David Cameron's policy review groups, and we must hope that they are listening to him as intently as the delegates did this morning.

Other fringe functions, from Unlock Democracy to Saira Khan's OUR SAY meeting tomorrow show that direct democracy is no longer on the margins, but going mainstream.

And therein lies the danger. 

As Charles Moore observed, direct democracy has gone from launch to orthodoxy in just twelve months.   But is it a genuine conversion?  Has the British centre-right really reclaimed democracy from the left?

There is a danger that, like all opposition parties, we are just talking the language of smaller central government.  Once we control the machinery of government, wil temptation prove too strong, as it has with US Republicans?

Tomorrow, I will outline what I regard as the "litmus tests" of the genuine localist.  Litmus tests as part of our post-Thatcherite agenda, not neo-Thatcherite agenda;  a refinement of the Thatcherite legacy, rather than its repudiation.

Comments

[Michael McGowan]

The litmus test of whether this is nothing more than hot air will be if and when the Tory Party offers ordinary taxpayers control of their own taxes by giving them direct choice in relation to education and healthcare. So far, there is no indication that the Tory approach will be any different from Gordon Brown's.

[tapestry]

Gordon Brown does not appoint John Redwood as Chief Policy Adviser on the Economy.

If Brown sees a £5 in someone's pocket, he can't keep his hands off it. He takes the fiver and gives £1 change. He can't understand why next time he tries to pick the same pocket, there's only £2 in it.

Conservatives take £2 when they see the fiver. Next time they find a tenner's taken its place. Then we take £4. The government gets more money and the taxpayer keeps more too.

Cameron's a competent manager. He's a Conservative. Brown's not only incompetent. He's a deluded kleptomaniac.

[Christopher North]

Carswell and Hannan's Direct Democracy initiative is one of the best things happening in politics. At last, politicians who start from an analysis of what is wrong with Britain, and who then set out practical ways to do something about it.

Elected sheriffs, a local sales tax, pluralism in health care, powers back from Brussels, breaking up the Crown prerogative, school choice - it adds up to a revolution in politics, a tilting of the balance back from the state to the citizen, from Whitehall to local communities, from unelected quangoes to elected representatives.

If you haven't done so, look at their website, www.direct-democracy.co.uk, and sign up for their email briefings.