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A good contribution, although a little bit partisan which risks obscuring the real debate.

Local government seems to me in England to be entirely performative, which is why I've never stood as a councillor.

Voting is effectively cosmetic because they have no real power to change anything other than trying to square the impossible.

You have influence, but no real power nowadays. But then you could say the same about the job of the backbench MP. Indeed, in terms of decision-making, the average council cabinet member or committee chair probably has more individual influence on the world than does the average backbench MP.

I really wouldn't want to be a local councillor, beyond trying to get your local roads repaired (overriding the desires of your neighbouring councillor) the only thing you may get to do is decide on some planning applications.

Meanwhile things will continue to fall apart and workers get made redundant as social care costs continue to eat all the none social care budgets..

Yes, the financial side is a never ending source of frustration, and when you compare the powers and freedoms that similar bodies have in European countries, one can only weep at the desperate state of British local governance.

Nevertheless, as a humble parish councillor, I bumped into a fellow dog owner on Wednesday who pointed out something that needed attention, and I've just had an email from the county council's contractor confirming that they inspected it yesterday and will hopefully get it sorted today. Happiness is a series of small victories...

A good contribution, although a little bit partisan which risks obscuring the real debate.

Local government seems to me in England to be entirely performative, which is why I've never stood as a councillor.

Voting is effectively cosmetic because they have no real power to change anything other than trying to square the impossible.

You have influence, but no real power nowadays. But then you could say the same about the job of the backbench MP. Indeed, in terms of decision-making, the average council cabinet member or committee chair probably has more individual influence on the world than does the average backbench MP.

I really wouldn't want to be a local councillor, beyond trying to get your local roads repaired (overriding the desires of your neighbouring councillor) the only thing you may get to do is decide on some planning applications.

Meanwhile things will continue to fall apart and workers get made redundant as social care costs continue to eat all the none social care budgets..

You still get some say on planning, social care, heritage, local transportation and culture. Plus lots of MPs and even the likes of May, Attlee, Corbyn and Major began as local councillors

It seems to me that the local government election/funding problem illustrates a fairly diagnosable democracy problem along with a concept problem as well.

Firstly in any notionally democratic hierarchy a general rule applies, arising out of human nature: the higher level of the democratic hierarchy will always want to maximise its power and minimise its responsibility.

The conceptual problem in local democracy is that it is rational to want two incompatible things: local decision and accountability but also an absence of 'postcode lottery' about any local service we happen to want at any particular moment.

In respect of Westminster v local government this is fairly obvious. But because total state managed expenditure is a vast proportion of all activity from building nuclear submarines to park benches and playground swings it goes right down to the level of the village primary school and beyond.

Result: blame transference is one of the great creative industries of the democratic world. It is a social blight. Result: good well intentioned school governors (volunteers) and management etc spend long winter evenings exercising responsibility without power, while a thousand miles away well paid politicians exercise power without responsibility.

And if you look at countries where local government is functional, they have localised control of taxation.

It seems to me that the local government election/funding problem illustrates a fairly diagnosable democracy problem along with a concept problem as well.

Firstly in any notionally democratic hierarchy a general rule applies, arising out of human nature: the higher level of the democratic hierarchy will always want to maximise its power and minimise its responsibility.

The conceptual problem in local democracy is that it is rational to want two incompatible things: local decision and accountability but also an absence of 'postcode lottery' about any local service we happen to want at any particular moment.

In respect of Westminster v local government this is fairly obvious. But because total state managed expenditure is a vast proportion of all activity from building nuclear submarines to park benches and playground swings it goes right down to the level of the village primary school and beyond.

Result: blame transference is one of the great creative industries of the democratic world. It is a social blight. Result: good well intentioned school governors (volunteers) and management etc spend long winter evenings exercising responsibility without power, while a thousand miles away well paid politicians exercise power without responsibility.

Trump says dangerous for the UK and Canada to be doing business with China, as Starmer heads to Shanghai and after Carney's recent trip

"Donald Trump says 'very dangerous' for UK to do business with China as Starmer lands in Shanghai - BBC News" https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0keyyeyr41o

Burner phones and ‘safe’ charging cables. Nothing to see here.

Starmer, and the British Establishment generally, still believe in international order and free trade as taught in GCSE economics and PPE 101. We got ripped off by the Americans and we will get ripped off by the Chinese. Heck, we even got ripped off by the French. They think China will play by the rules because they think everyone plays by the rules.

And in doing so they'll piss off the Americans because they want to piss off Trump but have not thought about what happens after Trump pisses off when his term ends in three years or less. They've forgotten about not burning your bridges on the way out.

In the words of one of the greatest spy chiefs in history, 'always burn your bridges behind you. You never know who might be trying to follow.'