The Land of Quangos

Down on our little allotment in South Gloucestershire in the good old Dis-United Kingdom, one might be forgiven if occasionally the outside world seemed not to exist.
This is a little haven of peace, with plants and wildlife co-existing in harmony, and the odd (sometimes very odd) human wandering about doing strange things to those special plants that provide humans with food or enjoyment or both.
But all is not quite what it seems.
At lunchtime Nosher was sitting in his deckchair on the small patch of grass outside his shed, enjoying the warm sun and cool breeze.
When I sat in my deckchair next to him he turned a quizzical eye in my direction.
'Did you know that the Infrastructure Planning Commission Bill is being voted on in the House of Commons today?'
'Yet another quango in the making' I replied 'this truly is the land of quangos. They are the preferred device of big government seeking to reduce political accountability, and at the same time provide jobs for yet more civil servants, many of whom have extensive powers to over-ride the basic rights of the private citizen, with no automatic right of appeal.'
Nosher nodded and pursed his lips.
'The quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation has become the instrument of devious governments to avoid having to take responsibility for eroding our rights' declared Nosher 'there are many dozens of them now, administering everything from TV licences to regional development. Their members are unelected, they report to government, and although they are claimed to be independent of government, they do the government's bidding because it is the government which specifies their remit and powers, and imposes rules and regulations for them to follow. It's a simple way for politicians to operate at arms-length, whilst whittling away the foundations of democracy.'
'Have you been reading the Daily Mail again, Nosh?'
'As it happens, yes - but the Daily Mail doesn't dictate my opinions' he replied 'I'd feel this way anyway.'
'Well, the Infrastructure Planning Commission Bill will get through Parliament' I said 'which means that all of us will be vulnerable to an unelected quango suddenly deciding that we must move out to make way for a wind-turbine or airport runway, with no right of appeal, except to the High Court, and you know how expensive that is.'
Nosher sighed.
'England is no longer the land of the little people' he said 'it is the land of big government.'