Meanwhile
down in the cellar
With election day fast approaching, there are still
plenty of people saying “I haven't decided which way to vote
yet”, so here are some thoughts. All parties spend a lot of
time telling us about details of their policies, just as people spend
a lot of time on the everyday parts of their homes: the curtains and
soft furnishings are what we all see. It's only rarely that someone
pops down to the bottom layer to check the foundations; but it's
important to know that what's there is strong enough to hold the
whole thing up. So – a quick look down at the foundations, for the
busy person in a hurry without delving into economic theory and
without insulting your intelligence by talking down.
The most basic question is “What is the State
for?”. Well I warned you it
was fundamental: I'm asking why
do we (the country, the
County, the parish Council)- do
public administration at all.
Conservatives (and some
other politicians of the “right”)
- will answer that the State exists only to do for people what
they cannot do for themselves.
For example it's neither desirable nor practical to have a private
group of citizens assemble their own army in defence of the land, but
private enterprise is always the most desirable way. Therefore the
State should do as little as possible and hold as little
wealth-resource as possible. Private is good because the possibility
of your efforts and money investments making you very rich should be
encouragement enough to make you work well.
Socialists (and the
more so the further to the political “left”
we look) - will answer to the contrary: that the State should do as
much as possible. State
ownership of industry is to be preferred over private. Public is
good because ultimate control of production and management is in the
hands of people who are looking after the Country's good as a whole.
An economy runs like an
engine: fuel goes in (investments, people doing work,
natural resources…) and useful
stuff comes out (profits made, students taught, roads &
houses built, people's health maintained, goods exported…).
An economy is strongest and runs best when it's well-tuned to the
best mix of public and private enterprise as appropriate, not one
extreme or the other. That
is the Liberal Democrats' starting point.
Whatever follows is the detail.
With a strong economy
we can have a fair society. That's why the Lib-Dem banner says
Stronger Economy
first, then Fairer Society.
