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The dash for devolution – Are changes to local government in England and Wales the latest examples of ‘too little and too late’ consultation
Ever since Gladstone was called an ‘old man in a hurry’, there has been scepticism of politicians moving too quickly and overlooking the benefits of consultation in their anxiety to change things quickly. Anyone who heard Professor Anthony King at our recent Conference would have heard him criticise our pattern of transient Ministers – and, hilariously, the ‘limited’ Parliamentary gene pool from which they are chosen. As co-author of The Blunders of our Governments, his point of course was that politicians often have short Ministerial lives and tend to be in too much of a hurry to get things done.
Spare a thought, therefore, for two politicians right now; one in Wales, and one in England. Try to cast aside any party political bias. Let us just consider the dilemmas they face as they pursue what they think are the right policies.
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