«Where all is but dream, reasoning and arguments are of no use, truth and knowledge nothing.” John Locke

Young Scots had a dream, but yesterday their elders decided that the upheaval of independence was not worth the risk, and “no” won the day. Now is the moment for a comprehensive, rational devolution for the whole country. It was Thatcher who centralized the government, reducing local control to nearly nothing. Where once the counties controlled education, now it is controlled by a single minister in London. This type of control freakery has to be reversed, but for everyone. The Central government should confine its attention to foreign policy, the overall economy and defence, and equitably sharing out remaining tax income to localities. The latter should be able to raise extra money by local property taxation (used to be called “rates”).

Why is an Epicurean blog concerning itself with politics of this sort? Because the current British government is a very radical, unconservative one. Cameron appoints ministers who are conducting a right-wing revolution by fiat, unsupervised by the Prime Minister. Rules change daily, usually to the advantage of big money. A small, but local government, where local people call the shots, with a period of quietitude and moderation, would be Epicurean, even if local control turned out to be inefficient in parts. At least an accessible, local democracy would be restored, responsive to local needs.