Around this time five years ago, just prior to the 2010 election, would-be ministers were writing their wish lists for Santa. History shows that at least for those who became ministers, these lists were largely full of anti-gifts - by which I mean that they were more lists of what they wanted rid of, rather than what they wanted to actually achieve. As a result, this parliamentary period has been dominated by the removal of the likes of the Audit Commission, Primary Care Trusts, Government Regional Offices, the Standards Board, Regional Development Agencies and so forth. I suppose it is a natural tendency when out of power for some time to build up a set of resentments against various institutions, agencies, and even individuals, but a mature politician sets these aside in favour of a more visionary approach, rather than the 'deficit model' of focusing on what they dislike.
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