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In praise of centralism By David Walker A Catalyst Working Paper. It has become fashionable to demonise the "centre", "centralisation", "command and control". Devolution and diversity are the way of the future. Right or left, government or opposition, we are all localists now. In this refreshing, provocative and elegantly written polemic, David Walker takes issue with received ideas about decentralisation that ignore the inevitable trade-off between differentiation and equity. He argues that progressive policies in the twentieth century largely flowed from central initiatives, while localism has more often than not been the homeground of reaction. "This pamphlet is written in the belief that arguments about central and local have become unbalanced, especially on the left. Since the 2001 election, there has been a spasm of anti-centralism, at the very moment the Blair government has recovered some sense of egalitarian purpose. To state a blindingly obvious but surprisingly rarely stated proposition: in a territory (England or the UK) with major differences in resources 'equalisation' is necessary not just for more efficient delivery of public services everywhere but in pursuit of the goal of equality of access. And equalisation requires a strong, self-confident centre." " ...Brown read this pamphlet with some interest when the row within
government over foundation hospitals was reaching its peak last autumn...
" David Walker writes for the Guardian. His work includes the audit of Blair's first term Did Things Get Better?, with Polly Toynbee, published by Penguin, and Living With Ambiguity, a study of the relationship of central and local government for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. He is a trustee of the National Centre for Social Research and an honorary member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
"The centre is a 'force for fairness'" - Public Finance, 22 November 2002 "Hold the centre" - The Guardian, 21 November 2002 "A lot of local difficulties" - Society Guardian, 18 November 2002 "Devolution can harm social justice" - Housing Today, 14 November 2002
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