Douglas Carswell's Blog

Thought for the day

If government did your weekly shopping, they'd most likely run off with the change.

You'd then be made to stand in line to collect what you'd paid for. And when you did finally get to the front of the queue, you'd discover the officials had got not what you wanted, but what they thought best for you.

So if we're not willing to let government buy our groceries, why do we leave it to them to buy our kids education, or family health care or social care for our elderly relatives? Why can't we use our slice of taxpayer money to commission the services we need?

Too complicated? Government can't even run the West Coast rail franchise. The fact something is complicated is hardly a reason to leave it to officials.

Besides, letting folk do their own shopping is complicated. But guess what? We all pretty much end up with the stuff we want.

Unfair? Nonsense. Allowing everyone to self-commission more services will give all of us the sort of choices that today only rich people have.

Digital technology is going to allow a lot more self-commissioning because it will allow us as individuals to make complex choices simply.

The debt crisis will force government to think in such terms because only this kind of structural change is going to enable us to maintain the level of services people expect.

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