Amy Selman is a former researcher to David Davis MP and was external relations co-ordinator at the Leadership Insititute in Washington between 2007 and 2008.
Working in Washington DC during the presidential primary campaigns, I was intrigued by the strong libertarian movement in American politics, and by their ability to shape the debate. In comparison, our acceptance of the strangling bureaucracy of the UK – imposed by local government, Whitehall and the Brussels – seemed spineless. Yet since returning, I’ve observed that the consensus in this country also seems to be that the individual can no longer have his voice ignored. The ‘grassroots’ are starting to fight back.
There is more than a grain of truth in the statement that people are increasingly noticing the heavy-handedness of this Government. The newspapers are full of stories of excessive interference – from councils inserting ‘spy cameras’ in their resident’s dustbins to the misuse of human rights legislation. To list the many attacks on our civil liberties – from detention without charge, ID cards and a DNA database containing innocent people - would not add anything new to the debate dominating this week.
The arrest of Damian Green MP has prompted simmering resentment to resurface. It is not only our politicians who are horrified by the way New Labour has run Whitehall, sidelined Parliament, and micro-managed local government. As the mass of coverage in the tabloid, broadsheet, and new media shows, this is a resentment shared by those in Wigan as well as Westminster.
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