Today’s UK Column News Extra is a special edition as we head towards our 20th Anniversary event. People-power at its finest and a triumph for grass roots activism.
This 18 minute conversation with Madeleine Hunt, general secretary of The Heritage Party and Rachel Mathews, creator of Council Watch, focuses on the pause of the UK’s Local Government Reorganisation programme.
The hard work of Madeleine, Rachel and dozens of other members of the public has forced the project to stall. It turns out that the government did not have a legal mandate for devolution. They had completely deceived the UK public.
Madeleine, Rachel, and others consistently asked government policy makers, ‘Where is the law that says you can do this?’ and ‘Who asked for this plan?’ Those pertinent questions, asked time and time again by many, many people, were enough to stop the arrogant proposals.
The pair talk about how important the use of the law is when we challenge local and national authorities. Reason and logic do not work. The pair also say that work to stop the government from riding roughshod over its people is painstaking and consumes a lot of time, but it works.
Rachel and Madeleine point out that the plans have not gone away; they are now stalled at a red light. At least they are stalled.
After the interview, Ben and Brian reflect on how more and more people wake up and challenge the system. What a success this outcome is. This is a true victory for people power and proof that you can stand up, challenge, and change things,