Why Big Brother Government Doesn't Work

There are two stories doing the round at the moment that show why the sort of Big Brother Government which Gordon Brown loves just doesn't work.

The first is the story that the latest New Labour whim is a move towards Super-Surgeries to replace single GPs. In Whittlesey we have two similar surgeries and they work well. But then we are in a Town where, for the most, people don't have to go far. Any system that moves towards bigger solutions has to take transport and access into account. But you can guarantee that this Government (who simply don't do rural) will stagger on blindly.

The other story is that the Government are going to ease back on police targets so they can focus on violent crime. I don't have a problem (in the right sort of places) with focusing on violence, but the reason to cut back on targets is so that the police can focus on priorities that are right for local communities rather than to suit Jacqui Smith's desire for a positive Home Office story. The police need to be freed up to deal with whatever they need to, not just to kowtow to a New Labour agenda. My fear is that those smaller towns which are blighted by low level crime and Anti-Social-Behaviour will now have police officers withdrawn to work in the cities to deal with the latest whim.