Which leading politician said this on Friday?
An ageing society will require more investment, whether from individuals or the state, on pensions, health services and long-term care. But we need, wherever possible, money to be in the hands of citizens so that professionals are accountable and responsive to them rather than to a distant bureaucracy. That is why we must look at how direct payments, personal budgets, and individual entitlements can be extended across social care, health and other services.
As well as this?
We need to get state power in the right place...unless we devolve greater powers to local government and local people to choose their own priorities and influence the key services in their area, from policing and skills to healthcare, we will not tackle the deeper causes of disaffection with party politics.
I have posted before (see here and here) to argue that demographic and social change means that public services need fundamental rethinking and re-design, not just tinkering, with localism and consumer power (direct payments, personal budgets, vouchers) as the keys to reform. So it is encouraging to see a frontline figure agree. Not surprising though - this isn't particularly new or controversial. Many politicans agree - at least in their rhetoric. Direct Democracy is just one example.
But who was it this time? Times readers already know the answer: David Miliband. Forget the swastika, this is what Bottler Brown et al will be discussing at this week's taxpayer-funded international centre-left gathering. Alan Milburn won't be invited, but he would say the same. In fact he's a whole lot more radical, saying that Whitehall needs to be cut by a quarter if we are going to make a serious attempt to decentralise power.
Of course this is Conservative territory too. Both main parties, and the Lib Dems, will be talking the language of decentralisation, local empowerment and consumer choice between now and 2010. They will be almost indistinguishable. The electorate's problem is working out how to cut through the rhetoric and decide who really means it.
In Opposition you get very few chances to demonstrate how you will behave when you get back to power. You need to use them to show that you are authentic; that you will walk the walk. Unforced errors must be avoided at all costs. As any marketeer should know, this is about maintaining consistent brand values. That's why Fraser Nelson and Iain Martin, amongst many others, are right to be worried about the Party's handling of the MEP selections, which is just about as far removed from post-bureaucracy and open source politics as you can get. It's not only genuinely shocking. It has the potential to cause electoral damage as well. The Conservative Party's challenge is to show that we really mean what we say. This hasn't helped us.