The Plan: 12 Months to Renew Britain

Douglas Carswell MP and Daniel Hannan MEP are comrades-in-arms. I had the pleasure of sitting with both in the heady days of the now defunct National Association of Conservative Graduates. Those seeking to discover the existence of a vast right-wing conspiracy ought to turn their attention to the NACG - no wonder CCO merged the Gradudates together with the YCs and Conservative Students..!Carswell and Hannan have recently published the step-by-step proposals for the revitalisation of democratic governance in Britain entitled The Plan: Twelve Months to Renew Britain (available online here). Ingeniously the book even goes so far as to outline the wording to be used in various parliamentary motions and legislative enactments that would give effect to their proposals (a tactic that I suggest our think-tanks might want to replicate: after all, what is the point in producing a worthy tome that doesn't have any practical application whatsoever).Based on Newt Gingrich's inspirational and successful Contract With America in 1994 (which is set out as an appendix to The Plan), Carswell and Hannan's eminently readable manifesto contains a number of radical and less radical proposals such as:Cleaning up Westminster - who but the corrupt could object to the need for MPs to be subject to the same laws as the rest of us? And The Plan also advocates Senate-style confirmation hearings, the superb concept of QUANGO chiefs having to come before MPs each year to get their accounts signed off and their budgets approved and the adoption of open primaries so as to reduce the number of bedblocker MPs who have been in situ since before the Great Reform Act (or so it seems with some, anyway).Directly Accountable Policing - instead of politically correct posturing by our police chiefs, Hannan and Carswell propose directly elected police chiefs who are also responsible for prosecuting cases. This would, they rightly observe, allow for particular offences to be treated more (or less) harshly in differing parts of the country where certain crimes are a particular blight.Independent State Schools - the proposals here are the most likely to be adopted as Michael Gove's proposed education reforms will truly move towards empowering parents, and not before time. The concept of money following the child is a worthy aspiration indeed. A Singapore-style healthcare system is also advocated.True Localism - The Plan envisages the same powers exercisable by the Scottish Parliament being exercisable by English counties and cities, a very radical shift of power from Westminster but one that would answer the West Lothian Question. The proposal to abolish VAT and to replace it with a local sales tax would encourage tax competition between counties too, as well as ensuring that local councils were truly accountable to voters for the money they spend and raise.Neighbourhood Welfare - returning the provision of welfare back down to these newly empowered counties and cities would also mean those in genuine need would more readily be helped and those who are malingering could be forced back to work.Repealing Legislation - the introduction of sunset clauses would be very welcome indeed, while repealing the excessive burden of legislation is surely de rigeur for Tories? Helpfully Hannan and Carswell list a series of laws they want to repeal in a Great Repeal Bill (including the European Communities Act, arguing instead that we should adopt a Swiss arrangement with the EU). Whether the proposals for Swiss-style referenda will be embraced is another matter, although the practice of locally generated ballot initiatives in the United States has helped invigorate voter engagement.The Plan is radical and yet achievable. No doubt those who delight in "playing it safe" and who are historically illiterate will condemn Hannan and Carswell for being too radical, but every movement needs its pioneers. Some of these ideas may not work (although I've yet to hear a rational argument against any of them that is remotely persuasive). Most would if the Tories had the courage to adopt them. Many of the proposals they and others made in 2005 have been embraced. Perhaps by 2011 we will say the same for much of The Plan too?