Decentalising Britain.

I've written before about how Britain is over centralised and run through quangos. So here are two posts elsewhere in the blogosphere on the democratic deficit in local government in the UK. First James at "What's That Smell" who is a duel US/UK voter compares what positions and propositions he gets to vote on in the UK compared to the USA:

UK: 1 MP, 1 MEP, 1 Local Councillor, 1 County Councillor.

USA: 1 US President, 1 US Senator, 2 State Public Service Commissioners, 1 US Representative, 1 State Senator, 1 State Representative, 1 District Attorney, 1 Probate Court Judge, 1 Superior Court Clerk, 1 Sheriff, 1 Tax Commissioner, 1 Chief Magistrate, 1 County Commission Chairman, 1 County Commissioner, 1 County Board of Education, 2 State Supreme Court Justices, 3 State Court of Appeals Judges, 5 County Superior Court Judges, 4 County State Court Judges, 2 County Soil and Water Conservation Supervisor, 3 State Constitutional Amendments, 1 County Sales Tax to fund development.

Now personally I don't agree with electing judges, but is there any reason why we couldn't have locally elected education boards over here?

Elsewhere Tony Sharp takes an anti-Tory blogger, the Tory Troll, to task for criticising Conservative proposals to devolve more power down to a local level. I am overjoyed, because I had assumed that Cameron was just spouting platitudes when it came to devolution of power. Let's face it some of his proposals have in the past suggested an urge to micro manage Britain (see denouncing the sale of Chocolate Oranges at WH Smiths) but if his opponents believe that he is really going to go through with decentralising the country then that is great.