A FOOL returns to his folly as does a dog to its vomit.Thus it was that George Osborne used the first speech of the new parliament yesterday to yet again – very sketchily – outline his plans for “radical devolution” for regions of England.
Plans under the Cities Devolution Bill will help to implement the so-called “northern powerhouse” – or should that be “poorhouse” – announcement he made last time round.
Cities would be given power over local transport, housing, planning, policing and public health – all the things the Tories have already wrecked.As usual with Osborne, the devil is in the detail, of which there was characteristically none.
Instead he chuntered: “The old model of trying to run everything in our country from the centre of London is broken.”
Translation: “We’ve had enough of you uppity bloody northerners.”And he continued: “It’s led to an unbalanced economy.
It’s made people feel remote from the decisions that affect their lives. It’s not good for our prosperity or our democracy.”
Translation: “We’ve tried hounding and starving you to death and frankly we’ve run out of ideas, so it’s your turn to mess things up.”