As the song goes “when will they ever learn.” In this context the not so great and not so good have decided that constitutional reform is necessary.
And what is driving this new found enthusiasm for change. Fear. They fear that their precious Union is going to split a thunder. Why? Scotland is searching for a better future than one tied to the existing Union and Northern Ireland has already one foot in another camp and every prospect that it will walk on to full union with the Republic of Ireland.
All this has brought our rulers and our once rulers in a cold sweat.
Their answer a Royal Commission. That is a group of “we know best” guys and maybe a statutory gal or two will spend months if not years producing a report that will tell the rest of us how we should be governed. I’m afraid that particular train has left the station far too late to reach their hoped for destination of keeping things together.
The days of our betters knowing best what’s a good way of governing us, are well and truly over.
We the people will decide for ourselves, thank you.
If lasting change is going to happen it must come from what ordinary citizens want. If there are any lessons from this horrid pandemic they are that people want to be treated fairly and equal and they in turn will go that extra mile to help their neighbours. It’s these values that must drive any change and its the people that must do the driving.
Citizen’s in their own areas have to decide what’s good for their communities and how best they can achieve their goals. If their communities can’t deliver on their aspirations what is the structure of governance that can provide.
It’s by building from the bottom up that real sustained change can happen. It will be built incrementally on what for want of a better word these “citizen forums’ decide. These forums must be the drivers of change.
London doesn’t know best so move aside and let the people speak.
