It’s all interesting stuff. The LSE full devolution for London one particularly makes an awful lot of sense.
Whatever your political leanings, it’s just a fact that London is now an independent city state in all but name, squatting in the centre of a stratified two tier economy. And the present way both are governed suits neither particularly well.
London should be governed as an independent state. And power (such as it is) devolved to the regions, as in economic policy terms, the power of the city dictates policy set for the entire country. Which suits London just fine, but can have devastating consequences elsewhere, which then barely register in the capital.
That’s the rub. If done properly then devolution could be as beneficial for London as anywhere. There’s just no point pretending any more that you can knit these two disparate economies together. It’s ridiculous. And delivers the worst of both worlds.
But do you think we’ve got politicians possessing the imagination to make them capable of even contemplating such radical options? Never mind delivering them. It’s ironic that there’s more creativity in economic policy going on in places like burnley than there is in Westminster or Threadneedle Street, as they’re not shackled to a totally discredited neo-liberal concensus, which failed so spectacularly, yet is still being held up as the only option
We are all being held hostage to the dearth of imagination in government, and the timid mediocrity of those involved. Surely it’s worth devolution to truly release some genuine entrepaneurial spirit, and the willingness to try something different?