The recent announcement by RCT Council that they are
considering cutting a number of front line services including libraries, day
centres, meals on wheels, youth provision and full time nursery education has,
it is fair to say, caused a bit of a stir.
On the plus side it has acted as a wake up call for many who
for the first time are taking some sort of interest in what is it that their
local Council actually does. What this
in turn has done is show up the shocking lack of knowledge the majority of
people have about the system of government in this country and just who is responsible
for what. It is not their fault, after
all politics is a bit of a turn off for many, and the institution doesn’t make
it very easy for the average person in the street to get to grips with it. In Wales devolution muddies the waters even
more.
I have said for some time that politics should be taught in
schools. Not party politics of course
but the way it all operates. Who runs our schools, who is responsible for the
health service, who pays out benefits, how does it all knit together?
People cannot hope to get fully involved and make real
change unless they understand where changes need to be made. There is a very well meaning debate going on
via a Facebook group about what alternatives can be put forward to the cuts
being proposed by the Labour administration, and there are some very good
thoughts there. However, it is also
being taken off track in a number of instances by people talking about merging
wards and cutting the number of Councillors, cutting MPS allowances, not sending
money abroad, stopping free bus passes and free prescriptions for all. All worthy debates to be had but nothing that
is within the control of the Council and nothing that can help them make the
savings they need to.
Knowledge is power so they say, and we should be providing
the knowledge so that everyone can have an informed input into who holds the
reins of power.
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