Elected Mayor? Don't be taken for granted!

The 'Yes' campaign for an elected mayor in Birmingham has always struck me as being a bit elitist. A good example of this are organisations that see themselves as promoting business interests. I was disappointed recently to see that an annual event in Birmingham for business awards and networking was in reality 90% devoted to a 'Yes' rally. There was no discussion, just top down (attempted) brainwashing of a captive audience of business executives.

One element of realism in this was the admission that most of the £100 a head diners would not have a vote since they didn't live in Birmingham. Nevertheless I'm sure they would of course have Birmingham's interests at heart and put this way above their own private profits.

But nil desperandum old boy you can send emails to all your employees telling them how they should vote! Thank heavens for secret ballots. This deeply patronising approach will certainly backfire as people in all walks of life who do have a vote make up their own minds.

Not that there is much to go on in the way of facts of course. Take these supposed new powers for elected mayors. What are they? 'Er, don't know', we were told. But don't worry, you don't expect government departments to 'surrender' the powers they've pulled in from local government without a fight do you? So the Mayor would go down to London and 'bang tables'.

I've never been a great one for a table-banging ideology and in any case the table-banging approach is more likely to work in mayoralties that include marginal constituencies rather than the political monoculture we would be likely to have in Birmingham for many years with mayor, council and nearly all MPs from the same party. Just great.

And what happened to central government in all this? Legislation could be passed to the effect that the powers to be (re)devolved will be this, this and this. If regional variation was desired then the powers in particular cases could be made up of some that are common to all and others to be selected from a schedule declared in advance so we know what we're voting for.

And power is better than wishful thinking such as the Mayor, drawn from a party list and underpinned by perhaps the first preferences of 20% of those entitled to vote, will be able, no doubt through their enormous personal charisma, to exert mysterious influence over other bodies, agencies and neighbouring regions. Very likely.

Clearly the people dreaming up this half baked stuff have very limited local experience (though they may have a hidden agenda) and should not expect people like you and me to vote for the proverbial pig in a poke. So if you'd like to send them a little message of your own, be sure to vote 'No' on May 3rd.