Sham Democracy

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Anthony Barnett (London, OK): Iain Dale has just written a striking lament about the disgrace of sham consultations. Those who succeed in getting elected as MPs can feel like this too, and we know what it is like for the rest of us. It raises the question of who takes decisions and how they do so - leaving aside why. In part it is the hypocrisy of the process that is so galling. It would be much better with planning decisions if those in authority said: "We want to take this decision, for this reason, to achieve this objective, we know that these people will not like it, we are proposing this compensation and now we are having a consultation in which we will listen especially to those who can suggest a better way of achieving our aim by other means." Instead, we get the evasions, dishonesty, and distortions that drive people to direct action. See Katrina Forrester's post in OK about the Plane Stupid demo on the roof of the Commons after the "consultation" on the Heathrow third runway which did not allow members of the public to let it be known if they were against it. Which, as she puts it, shows, "the extent to which Government strives to keep people impotent".

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