Saturday 27 October 2012

Hardly a surprise I know but George Eustice doesn't get it

Today the MP for Camborne, Redruth and Hayle George Eustice has a piece in the Packet, calling for reform of Cornwall Council. Despite the fact the ex-leader Conservative Alec Robertson lost a vote of no confidence for acting in a unilateral way withholding all decision making to the 10 strong cabinet. George Eustice thinks that the decision making at Cornwall Council should be made by even less people. Calling for a mayor to replace the current cabinet system, leaving the 'day to day' running to the council. So despite the Leader and cabinet acting all by themselves with the Joint Venture, against the wishes of the full chamber and the public doesn't seem to get why this was bad for democracy! Suggesting that the cabinet system and leader system should be replaced with one person a mayor for Cornwall to make all of the decisions to hell with what everyone else thinks.

Eustice's dream of single all powerful Cornish leader

The real lesson for the Joint Venture for Shared Services was that a minority can not make all the decisions, that the full council needs to have a say in the decision making, so that every councillors gets to express the view of their electorate to the council. In effect with Eustice's reforms a mayor such as Alec Robertson would have been able to push through the failed Shared Services scheme on his own with no councillor able to hold him to account. Perhaps this is what the MP would have liked? is this really a question of institutions and arrangements and what is best for democracy. Or is George Eustice lamenting a system that did not privatise all and sundry? Is this about a new system of rule by a select elite whereby the Thatcherite dream of outsourcing to the benefit of private profit would be more easily realised?




5 comments:

  1. By extension perhaps we should dispense with MPs and let a monarch get on with it? Mr Eustice seemingly struggles with the concept of representational democracy.

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  2. George Eustice not fit to be an Mp - If he will not support democracy

    Tories answer to everything

    If they oppose - take their powers away or abolish them

    This is the Party that left London without any Government and would leave Cornwall without any democratic accountability


    Tory party just wants to give its big business backers contracts at tax payers expense

    Truly the Conservative Party are the Nasty Party

    More Tea Party than One Nation Conservatives

    Lets make him pay and his Party role on May 2013

    Mike

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  3. George Eustice just lost his seat and so did lots of Conservative Councillors

    If he wont stand up for democracy in Cornawall

    then we know people who will !!

    George Eustice putting his big business friends before Cornwall

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  4. Shortest suicide note ever written by a Cornish MP - should be in every election leaflet

    Sian

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  5. The original article ends in this paragraph:

    "He added his own favoured model is one pioneered by Kent County Council who have adopted a "cross between a cabinet and a committee system which gives them the best of both worlds".

    I agree with him and believe Cornwall should look into this option.

    http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/news/cornwall_news/10010124.MP_s_call_to_reform_structure_of_Cornwall_Council/?ref=rss&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

    ReplyDelete