Local democracy - Government Hypocrisy

The Gorse Fox has found and interesting article in the Daily Mail. It's all about local democracy.

First a little history:

1998	Ruth Kelly objects to attempts to sell off land intended for a car park for the railway station
1999	RK rejoices at the failure of a scheme to build 1100-home estate - "a victory for people power"; "We must savour this sweet victory over developers"
2000	RK praises campaigners for stopping a 600 home estate
2003	RK opposes new housing on hospital site, she's "particularly concerned abou the impact this proposal will have on traffic congestion"
2003	RK is praised by residents for help and support in defeating a plan for the building of a five story block of flats and two house in a conservation area
2004	RK supports residents in opposition to a plan to build 30 new flats - due to over-development
2004	RK supports the opposition to plans to build homes on the site of an aerospace factory; tells planners they "should enhance the green belt by replacing the old works with open space "

So, Ruth Kelly is a real champion of local democracy and fights for the local community against bad developments. Right?

Yeah, right!

In an act of breathtaking hypocrisy, she is now threatening to withold government money from councils who fail to build the houses she wants. This will push up council tax for the local residents. This is the government trying to blackmail and bully local councils in the south and ensure that local planning committees comply with the will of the soviet government. This is RK's attempt to root out objections to large scale development in an area that has too little water, transport, and space (and probably doesn't vote labour anyway, so won't cost them votes).

Interesting how this ignores the advice of the governments own (non-democratic) quango the South East Regional Assembly. the Gorse Fox cannot adequately articulate the contempt he holds for this self-serving, soviet regime that was placed in power by a minority of the deluded, intellectually challenged, or naive electorate of this country.

[File under: Ruth Kelly]