Yesterday’s speech in Parliament by Gordon Brown, his first as prime minister, is the most cheerful noise we’ve heard from government for years. Allowing that we have yet to see the substance of it, granting that it leaves one wondering “Where was Gordon?” when Iraq and SOCPA a-and all that was going down in the first place, what we have is the incoming prime minister announcing the turn of the tide of power that has been flooding in to Number Ten for the last two decades. Perhaps a first step towards the rebuilding of local democracy and the institutions of dissent? Perhaps we might inch towards the kind of local autonomy Simon enjoys in Fanas?
On Sunday we’re meeting our neighbours.