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Samizdata quote of the day I need to say this – you shouldn’t trust any government, actually including this one. You should not trust government – full stop. The natural inclination of government is to hoard power and information; to accrue power to itself in the name of the public good.
– Nick Clegg, interviewed by Henry Porter It is quite remarkable for a serving British minister to say this on the record. Public protestation of belief in the benignity and good intentions of the state is the normal standard.
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I am less sanguine than Henry about the Protection of Freedoms Bill, the occasion of this interview, as a landmark in rolling back the state, however.
It is hard to read and digest, but as far as I can see so far, it consolidates much of the loss of liberty under New Labour, chipping off only a few eminent peaks of state intrusion.
So, Nicky, when can I have a fag in a pub?
You utter cunt.
It hardly changes anything. True, ID cards have been – mostly -scrapped and some of the nuttier stuff has been cut a bit, but this is far, far removed from the sort of wholesale cutback of Labour’s huge collection of oppressive rules over the previous 13 years.
What we needed was a General Repeal Bill, in which every single piece of Labour legislation was scrapped, in one go. If MPs want to retain any aspects, they should do so on a case by case basis, with each bill containing a 12-month sunset clause provision.
For starters, let’s get rid of the atrocious civil contingencies act.
Clegg may look like a nice boy, and he’s been quite solid on public spending, but remember, we are in the early months of this government, and imagine what it is going to be like in three or four years’ time.
Quite, Jonathan,
However, I am still astonished that any British politician dare say this. The vituperation from lefties under Henry Porter’s piece where it appears on the Observer’s site, leaves NickM standing.
The government is not going to last three or four years. Minority governments don’t. People have got it into their minds that the current situation is somehow normal, but in truth it is extremely unstable, and at some point there will be a crisis and it will be immediately and suddenly gone.
What depresses me is the complete lack of anything to replace it with that is not worse.
Hmmm…maybe why SOME of those “new” colonies “statesmen” proclaimed it in writing, and signed it, from the get go?
Of course, I could be wrong
Guy,
I went to the Observer site to read the comments. Now I feel quite ill.
Lord knows how that mob are going to react when I abolish state education and the NHS in my first budget.
This is one of those logical paradoxes! It’s as though he’s saying ‘Every statement I make is a lie, including this one.’ If no government can be trusted, and he is in the government, then his statement about being untrustworthy can’t be trusted! Therefore you can trust governments! So if a government member tells you not to trust governments, that is a trustworthy statement! AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!
Strangely enough, I think you have a point there, Nuke:-)
I’m reading Booker and North’s “Scared to Death”. There you will find the real stories behind the food scares, asbestos, second hand smoke etc. Amazing stuff which may leave you with despair for the human race.
If no government can be trusted, and he is in the government, then his statement about being untrustworthy can’t be trusted! Therefore you can trust governments! So if a government member tells you not to trust governments, that is a trustworthy statement! AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!
Error…error…error.
Seems like you can’t even trust the government to make logically coherent comments about not trusting the government… 😉
Rolling back crazy legislation can’t be done in one go (not that this government is even trying). It would be great to have one big repeals bill, but what would be better was a mechanism whereby juries can automatically give a verdict of “unjust law” that would force a review of that particular law.
MP’s should have the means of making a parliamentary review of a law if one of his constituants is being tried under a law that the MP thinks is unjust/too blunt in it’s application (e.g. the ex-soldier who found a gun, picked it up and took it to a police station and was arrested for having a gun).
There should be a standing committee constantly looking at laws to repeal, with easy parliamentary procedures to do so.
Finally, so stop the accumulation of new laws, every law which contains a penalty attatched to it should be passed by referendum.
Only then might we begin to gain some freedoms.
Lord Harris of Highcross set up a cross party “repeal” group in the House of Lords. But it did not get enough support.
It is the way to go – repeal existing laws, do not add new ones. If possible repeal existing laws AS A GROUP (say “all those passed on this subject since such and such a date”) not individual regulations (each of which have a group of supporters).
That way one gets round the “Public Choice” problem of concentrated benefits and spread wildly costs.
Mr Clegg is no good, but what he says here is true (people who are no good can still say things that are true – a stopped clock…..).
So Guy Herbert is right to draw attention to the quote.