Published by Policy Press, October 2015
There’s no doubting that when it comes to political fashion,
devolution is one of this Parliament’s essential items. Following the Scottish referendum, the
much-vaunted “Northern Powerhouse” schemes & the introduction of the Cities &
Local Government Devolution Bill, the recent deadline for local proposals to be
submitted to DCLG saw over thirty detailed bids put forward. Cities, regions, counties & as yet
unnamed combinations of local areas in England are bidding to assume greater
powers & responsibilities from Whitehall.
If the previous century did witness, as Taking Power Back suggests, Britain “arguably becom(ing) the most
centralised country in the developed world”, then it would seem centralism’s
reversal is en vogue for the 21st century.
It is fair to say, however, that when it comes to devolution
& the localist agenda, Simon Parker is no arriviste. As the director of a local government think tank &
frequent contributor to the debates surrounding public services & the
state, Parker’s work has often been ahead of the game when analysing the
challenges & prospects for local democracy.
With Taking Power
Back, these experiences & the opportunities presented by the
devolution zeitgeist are distilled into a prospectus for a radical shift in how
& why government exists, & what might (at least in part) replace it.
The book includes an examination of shifts in the structures
of government power, from pre-war municipal corporations via the centralisation
of the post-war settlement, through to the ideological battlegrounds of the
Thatcher era & the statism of the New Labour years. The author contends that throughout these
significant periods of government, the opportunities for decentralisation to
more local pluralism in public services have either been squandered or
purposely rejected. “Britain’s
centralism”, he writes, “is ultimately a result of political ideology and
managerial convenience”. The perverse
outcomes arising from this centralist “hoarding” of power are vividly
illustrated by Parker’s analysis of three pillars of the public sector;
housing, skills & the NHS. The
latter, examined under the subtitle “Why we spend more on gastric bands than on
losing weight”, exposes the absurdity of how little is spent on preventative
healthcare in comparison to treating illness, a situation that may only change through
redesigning the system so “local places and local people take a bigger role in
healthcare”.
Taking Power Back is
not merely a rage against the political machine, however, & moving beyond
critique of the past and present, Parker illustrates his alternative view with
some exemplars of the radical approaches witnessed in recent years – some of
which may be well known or even fashionable: the story of Greater Manchester’s
Combined Authority; Occupy Sandy in New York; citizen-led projects in
Bologna. But alongside these examples
are equally compelling vignettes from less heralded sources: healthcare
innovation in Greenwich; renewable energy in Woking; libraries in Colchester. These may be less glamorous or publicised,
but author’s knowledge & passion for these projects is evident, &
alongside generation change & the parallel crises in trust with government
and business, informs Parker’s idea of “the commons”:
“Localities are the engine rooms of prosperity and well-being, something that we all have a stake in but that none of us owns. That means that we all, as citizens and as businesses, have a role to play in looking after them.”
The commons includes community assets & cooperatives,
but goes beyond the vagaries of the Big Society to a philosophy characterised
by mutual relationships & is defined as “the combination of a resource, the
social community that manages that resource & the rules & practices
they use to do so”. Taking Power Back argues that channelling these communal approaches
& harnessing the opportunities for more local decision making offers the
possibility of a new kind of society.
It’s important to state this is not an exercise in
woolly-minded idealism, & many potential pitfalls are identified. Centralists may be reluctant to let go of
power; local leaders may succumb to parochialism; such a participatory
democracy & society requires a rare level of engagement &
leadership. However, perhaps as a result
of the current appetite for urban Mayors & the spotlight on the trailblazing example
of Greater Manchester, there is little examination of how devolution might be
adapted to suit the often complex social geography of more rural areas beyond
the major conurbations. The big regional cities may be in the current vanguard
of devolution, but non-urban areas are equally hungry for a greater say in
their futures.
But Taking Power Back is
not a manifesto for devolution or a political shopping list, & thus should
not be criticised for failing to provide a blueprint for the future. As the author points out, “we do not know how we get
from peak state to peak commonism, or we would be doing it already.” Rather, what his book does do is set out is a
robust analysis of how we got to the current position, & more importantly a
set of ideas for how change may be brought about. & whilst there are plenty of big ideas in
this text it is also a book with a big heart: its focus is on people &
communities, not theory. As Parker says,
“change will not come from grand theoretical narratives”: it will come from the
actions & commitment of ordinary people. Self-help & mutual aid are as vital to commonism,
& thus to devolution, as any legislation or policy change from above. The key, Parker concludes, “is not to draw
more lines between ‘them’ and ‘us’, but to radically expand our sense of what
‘us’ means, and then to rediscover what we can achieve together.” If the
reality of devolution does reflect this pluralism & inclusivity then we may hope it's a style (& not a fashion) that’s here to stay.
Taking Power Back is published on 1st October.
An interview with the author will be on this blog soon.
Taking Power Back is published on 1st October.
An interview with the author will be on this blog soon.
