Village beneath
The village beneath is an attempt to chronicle the civic pride that still exists in Britain today but feels kind of hidden.
We see examples of the village a lot, whether at a community safety meeting, a discussion about the history of the Greville Estate, a protest meeting to stop development on a treasured local street or turn a park into a town green.
But many civic events seem to be more reactions than they are ends in themselves.
Turnouts in local elections sometimes dip below a third here in London. In Germany and Sweden they stand at the 70 and 80 percent. Britain has become a country that looks to and increasingly defers to the centre.
Brown is just as media driven and lacking in vision as Blair and Major were. While the treasury micromanages, the quangos with their armies of unelected officials proliferate. The system dominates, confuses and smothers us.
It takes so long to work out how it works. And once one finally does, there's a realisation of just how heavily it is stacked against the citizen.
Local politics works because local councillors can get to know their neighbours. And I know the effect on a community that a good councillor can have. Residents appreciate being treated as if they are worth the effort.
We see examples of the village a lot, whether at a community safety meeting, a discussion about the history of the Greville Estate, a protest meeting to stop development on a treasured local street or turn a park into a town green.
But many civic events seem to be more reactions than they are ends in themselves.
Turnouts in local elections sometimes dip below a third here in London. In Germany and Sweden they stand at the 70 and 80 percent. Britain has become a country that looks to and increasingly defers to the centre.
Brown is just as media driven and lacking in vision as Blair and Major were. While the treasury micromanages, the quangos with their armies of unelected officials proliferate. The system dominates, confuses and smothers us.
It takes so long to work out how it works. And once one finally does, there's a realisation of just how heavily it is stacked against the citizen.
Local politics works because local councillors can get to know their neighbours. And I know the effect on a community that a good councillor can have. Residents appreciate being treated as if they are worth the effort.
