The Public Realm

 The end of the year seems a good time to compose an inventory of the state of the UK's public realm after 14 years of Conservative rule.

Prison estate: under-staffed, rat-infeed; so close to capacity that new government forced to release inmates to make room for  more recent offenders.    Courts:  buildings closed or neglected, insufficient functioning toilets for jurors, insufficient barristers, long waiting-lists (up to two years or more) for trials  NHS: Hospitals, crumbling buildings, long waiting-lists waiting lists           GPs: insufficient; few “designated “ doctors; 8am phone-call lottery.           Nurses; massive shortage; too few in training (result of abandonment of            bursaries.)           Dentists; completely unavailable in many areas.  Schools: restricted curriculum, arts/music etc neglected; crumbling concrete in bulking; shortage of teachers.. UUniversities: many on brick of bankruptcy; grade inflation; overseas students discouraged.  Local government: savage cuts to grants: forced to abandon vital services  (eg Sure Start)  Social care: long-standing problem left unaddressed.  Roads: pothole infestation  Privatised industries: Inadequate regulations  and rip-off dividends to owners (often foreign governments.) eg Water; sewage pollution;                                                      Railways; inadequate services; cancellations Housing: failure to build sufficient for affordable rent or purchase  Stock Exchange: flight of key firms from.  Money laundering: London now the word’s capital for.  Key industries and assets: sold to overseas buyers (eg ARM!)  Poverty: percentage of families in poverty increased.  BBC: Savage cuts to this world Class institution, especially the World Service  House of Lords: unprecedented number of new “peers” created; failure to reform  Democracy: restrictions on voting, reduction of powers of electoral commission.   IIn my view this list, or something similar,  should be brandished every time the tories calim to be ready to form a government again.  I'm sure I've not thought of everything: amendments and suggestions for additions welcomed.   for balance, is there anything that i is better at the end of 2024 tan it was in 2010 .  Well, we pensioners have done rather nicely, thanks to the Triple Lock (introduced at the insistence of  the Liberal Democrats, who played a noble but unrewarded part in making the Tores less bad than they proved to be  after the first years of tTory Rule, when they escaped from our restraining hand.)  But the basic state pnsion still compares very unfavourable to those in similar developed countries..) Anything else. . . ?

 

Starrmer's six good intentions

 

 

Analysts of  the US election results seem to have come to the preliminary conclusion that  whereas the Democrats fought on  high-minded policies extolling decency and democracy the Republican message resonated more closely to the real needs of the majority of the people. The Democrats could also point to an economy which, theoretically is in good shape, with low unemployment, inflation reduced to a manageable level and relatively fast growth, but “ordinary people”, whom right-wing talk-show host Tucker Carlson describes as “the people who can actually change a flat tyre, who pay [their ] taxes and work 40 hours a week” feel that the economy is not working for them. 

They do not feel “better off” today than they were four years ago (or even, in the US14) and  they are prepared to overlook Donald Trumps immoralities because he  speaks to their condition  and is more likely to fix it.

It is probable that the Labour Government believe that something similar applies to Britain and that is the reason for Sir Keir Starmer’s much heralded  bread and butter milestones.  They seem designed to appeal to our own “left behind,”  though  need further and better particulars to make much sense.

 The originally- promised Fastest growth in the G7  has been wisely converted  to “higher living standards in every region of the country." Fine if  the growth is equitably shared, sustainable and non-polluting, and the measurement includes rising standards of public services in each regions as well as private consumption.

Building 1,5 million homes will be great  if they are affordable, the majority are council or housing association dwellings for rent,  they are not available for second homes, the right to buy is severely curtailed or abolished, and  any “planning uplift” arising from the sale of agricultural land for building  goes to local government or the exchequer and not the landowner.

No more that 18 weeks waiting time for operations in the NHS for 92% of patients: fine if the rest of the health services also improve (some of us would like no more than 18 minutes waiting time to contact the GP) and include public health provision, along with adequate provision of social care.

An additional 30 000 police and allied officers “on the beat.”  Also fine if allied with an efficient court service to accommodate the extra offenders who are caught,  a well-staffed probation service to persuade offenders to follow more orderly paths, and a clean and up to date prison estate to house those who must be incarcerated in humane and civilised condition, along with effective education and training facilities to promote rehabilitation.

Getting 75% of five-year-olds ready for school.  I think this should be 95% and in this area we do need a “nanny state” to do the job, whatever the Daily Mail and Express say about it. Something like “Sure Start” must be restored, and local government provided with the funds to finance it effectively.

Clean power by 2030  should be non-negotiable, will be terribly expensive and should be genuine and not obscured by the pretence of “carbon capture.”

We must earnestly hope that the government achieves enough of the above, and more (eg, rescue the universities, provide local government with the funds to do their job, properly fund education and…and ….and . ..) sufficiently to convince voters, that they, preferably in alliance with other progressive parties, should be returned to government for at least another term. A move back to the discredited Tories, especially in alliance with the xenophobic Reform Party, should be unthinkable.

 But even if this is achieved, Britain will not have become the efficient modern equitable country we deserve to be.  

 In his speech Starmer gives a hint of blaming the civil service for being obstructively complacent.  Maybe they are, I have no experience (other than watching "Yes Minister"). 

The real problem is that Britain’s government structures are “not fit for purpose.”.

We need commissions, all-party symposiums, citizens assemblies or something to consider:

Devolution: our government is far too centralised.  Genuine power, with tax raising functions, need to be passed down effectively to our nations, regions and localities.  To my mind directly elected mayors are the wrong vehicle and for the most part are a sham.

A complete rethink of our taxation system, taxing unearned rather than earned income, bads rather than desirable activities, and leading to a greater measure of equality.

The machinery of government, with  fairer voting  systems which elect a parliament, national,regional and local government assemblies and councils which effectively hold their executives to account, strict control of the funding of the parties vying for power and measures to secure fair and balanced media coverage of political activity  

There is no sign at the moment that anyone is paying attention to these root and branch reforms that we need. If we ignore this need than the problems we face in 2029 or whenever, may be ameliorated, but they will remain and still be daunting.