152 shades of localism

摘要

It was interesting to hear the leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband, trying, with some measure of success, to steal the 'one-nation' clothes of the Conservatives at his party conference. The Tories, it would appear, have sent their Big Society outfits to the charity shop. Unfortunately, it seems that both suits had been supplied by the same two tailors as that emperor whose sartorial errors were made famous by Danish fairy tale writer, Hans Christian Anderson. As we enter another winter which looks like being leaner than the last two, a new term is entering the children's services lexicon - 'localism lottery'.