The second strand relates to streamlining and merging back-office functions of various public sector bodies to cut costs and create "one public sector" or organisation in an area – for example, higher and further education linking with local government and health. Other ideas in this vein include a "common database" on individuals that would prevent people being approached time and time again by "different arms of the stateAs I read this, Barnets Conservatives want a super-database, linking health, tax, police etc. Presumably this means that the Barnet parking warden issueing your parking ticket will be notified that you are overdue a dental appointment. Even more disturbing is the concept that you move to a bigger house, so the police and inland revenue can be tipped off to see if you've got the extra money legally. Given the governments record with implementing "super databases", you'd think Barnets Tories would give such schemes a wide berth. Do you really want your dustman or other Barnet Council employees to know every aspect of your life?
If this isn't big brother at it's worst, what about this?
A single point of contact is also envisaged for families with multiple needs, under the banner of "targeted intervention". The council, he says, has 300 families in its area that cost between them £16m a year, have many social issues, and are known not only to the council "but, guess what, they are known to the police or primary care trust as well".You read it right. Barnet Council want to appoint "busybodies" to run the lives of 300 families.It's the old Nanny State knows best philosophy. I'm not quite sure at what point the Conservative Party became Stalinists, wanting to run every aspect of our lives, but it is quite clear that this is there agenda. These 300 "Gatekeepers" will cost how much. Needless to say that once they've sorted out the 300 worst families, they'll move on to the next 300 and before you know it, we'll all have one.
Freer wants each of these families to have a personal adviser – voluntary or paid – to act as a "gatekeeper" who would say to those wanting to help that family, "Why, and what's the outcome?"
Can you imagine it. You get a knock on the door "Hi, I'm from Barnet Council and Computer says you are a problem family. I've come to run your life for you. Computer says you have a four bedroom house, but there's only two of you so we're going to sell it and invest the money in Iceland for you".
I look forward to David Cameron putting this on one of his big shiny posters. I'm sure Conservative Central office will be thrilled
This is very disturbing stuff.
ReplyDeleteMore so that Lynne Hillan is obsessed by databases. Her former business was in junk mail. What she spent her days doing was buying and putting together databases to target literature at people. The idea, therefore, of the database state won't be alien to her and, maybe, as it does to the former Leader, sound attractive.
The Conservative Party and Group better stamp on this very very fast otherwise there will be a grass roots revolution.
Does anyone know when Mike Freer is going to stop taking this precious gift of a parliamentary candidature for granted and start to use the media opportunities he gets to promote the Conservative Party and David Cameron rather than crackpot 'stalinist' local government ideas?
On a lighter note, congratulations to Mike Freer on his Civil Partnership.
ReplyDeleteCan't recall reading anything about that in Barnet newspapers, must have taken place recently in Gretna Green!