Anglotopia

We’re in the “silly season” in Britain now, the period when Parliament is in recess and little happens politically until the party conferences in September. But nowadays, politics happens even in August – though the Prime Minister probably wishes it didn’t. First, in America last month, he said Britain had been the “junior partner” to the US in 1940, which didn’t so much wound anyone’s national pride as reveal a dodgy grasp of history – most British people are happy to accept we were the junior partner in war from the end of 1941. His outspoken remarks about Pakistan, during his visit to India, were surely no mistake but agreed with the US beforehand so as to send a signal to Pakistan’s government. Cameron’s batting technique was more suspect, though he still hit a 51-year-old Kapil Dev through mid-wicket. The fact that he used a tennis ball may have helped. But since coming back to this country, the PM has had a series of media appearances and public meetings – and has got into a bit of trouble.

The Prime Minister's Office | CreativeCommons

Most recently he said Iran already has a nuclear weapon, which is either a silly mistake, or else a silly leaking of white-hot intelligence. Before that, he suggested in response to a member of the public that social housing should not be “for life”.    Obviously people can buy houses or flats in the UK, or else rent in the private sector. But it’s also possible to apply to be housed by local government – or more usually these days, to be housed on behalf of your local council by a “housing association” – and to pay rent to them indefinitely. Cameron’s idea is a radical one: it would not just end the arguably socialist idea that social housing is an alternative and permanent lifestyle choice, but also Margaret Thatcher’s conception of a council house as “your home” – something you should be entitled to buy from the government and then own. The immediate problem was, though, that the idea hadn’t been agreed by the coalition, as was immediately pointed out in no uncertain terms by the Liberal Democrat deputy leader, Simon Hughes.

Simon Hughes | Liberal Democrats | CreativeCommons

Hughes is an interesting figure. Clearly on the left of his party, he’s long wanted to lead it, but never succeeded. He was elected to his post, but in truth practically handed it on a plate in a shrewd move by the real leader, Nick Clegg. Shrewd, because having Hughes as a sort of leader of the Liberal Democrats outside the coalition reassures members that the party’s identity has not been abandoned; shrewd because it means a powerful figure is able, as in this instance on social housing, to exert pressure on David Cameron from outside government, and publicly, as Clegg himself does privately on the inside; and shrewd because it means Hughes cannot actually plot to bring him down except by openly splitting the party. It gives Hughes a powerful role, but making it an official party one ties him into exercising it responsibly.

Apart from that, the Conservative right-winger’s right-winger, the disastrous former leader Iain Duncan Smith, set out some ideas for reforming welfare – a big part of public spending, on which the coalition really must make big savings. Duncan Smith has been devoting himself to social exclusion and poverty since he was ousted as leader in 2005 and has made a decent reputation as a radical and a reformer. But his brief is a tough one to deliver. In truth, making work pay in the way he wants to – by allowing those who find jobs to keep more of their welfare benefits for a transitional period – is likely to cost money rather than saving it. The most radical and immediately implementable idea that would unite two big Conservative themes – the “big society” of active citizens and welfare reform – would be to make receipt of unemployment benefits conditional on providing full-time public service, for instance as a charity volunteer. It’s so obvious that I think the government must already have decided not to dare.

Michael Keen | CreativeCommons

In London, the mayor Boris Johnson finally has a concrete, visible achievement: “Boris’s bikes”. At various places in central London you can now find a rack of sturdy bikes, any of which you can use for half an hour, free, or else pay to ride for longer. This is an idea that deserves to be popular, and which is stolen from Paris. It was even apparently first conceived by the previous mayor in fact, so isn’t Boris’s idea at all. But it’s a good one, and I can’t wait to have my first ride. A pity we don’t have proper bicycle lanes in London to spare the risk of life and limb.

The Merlin's Cave

I’ve spent most of the summer in London, but last weekend involved a brief respite from the big city: Francesca and I spent an afternoon in Chalfont St. Giles, a village in Buckinghamshire that can fairly be called “just outside” the modern megopolis. Unfortunately we found Milton’s cottage closed. But the Norman Parish Church of St. Giles is really worth a visit, with a quite magnificent turnstyle of a lychgate, plus a 15th century mural and 15th century pews. Of course we ended our outing with a pint, at the Merlin’s Cave. Not a marvellous pub, this, at least on the inside – it’s too focused on TV screens and the pool table. But the beer and scrumpy are fine, and its real glory is the huge beer garden stretching down behind the church towards the river and a fine weeping willow. The couple of hours we spent there reading and talking were some of the best of the summer – and it’s places and times like that that make you want to live in England. Big society? Let’s make England one big pub garden instead.