The Big Society vs The Small State

Rachel Sylvester’s Times column (£) today concentrates on the philosophical divide at the heart of the government:

[E]ven as ministers go to the wire in their negotiations over the “what” of the Comprehensive Spending Review that will be published in two weeks’ time, the Conservatives in the Cabinet are divided on the crucial issue of “why”. For some Tories, the recession has created the perfect opportunity to reduce the size and scope of the State. For others, the smaller State will be a by-product of the decision to hand power down from the centre to local people.

The overwhelming imperative to reduce the size of the deficit — which is agreed by all — has disguised the divide, but it is there and apparent in the disagreements over individual departmental budgets. “The ‘what’ may be the same but the ‘why’ is different,” says one minister. “There are those who think the purpose of all this is the smaller State and there those who think the aim is a better, more cohesive society.