Douglas Carswell's Blog

This state of incompetence must be changed

The British State now spends over half our national income.  For the past few days, however, it has seemed unable to adequately protect businesses and taxpayers who fork out for it all.  

Something is profoundly wrong. 

"Official Britain" – the world of mandarins, officials, and quangocrats - is failing in its most elemental responsibilities to "striving Britain" – those millions of taxpayers, shop keepers and home-owners.

For too long, the governed have been expected to fall into line with the priorities of the governing. That must now change. Official Britain now needs to be brought into line with the concerns and priorities of those who pay taxes in order to be governed. 

Directly elected police chiefs. Public prosecutors who are as concerned about private property as those who own it. Probation officials whose priority are the lawful, not the offenders with whom they work.   This is just a start.

Any debate about "broken Britain" must look not only at social breakdown, but at the broken levers of control that allow official Britain to set its own priorities without full regard to the concerns of striving Britain. 

The elected branch of government – MPs and ministers - needs to ensure that the unelected parts of government has the same sense of priorities as the rest of our country.

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