Book Review: "Failed State" by Sam Freedman - A Call to Fix Britain's Broken System
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Loading... - Mikhail Petrov
- 07 Aug 2024
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In his debut book, "Failed State", Sam Freedman takes a bold step away from the usual political commentary focused on personalities and ideologies. Instead, he delves into the often-overlooked world of governance and constitutional failure, arguing that it's the system, not just the individuals, that's broken.
Freedman, a former policy wonk and ministerial adviser, lucidly explains how the last half-century of changes in the apparatus of government has led to a toxic cycle of centralization, short-termism, and perverse incentives. He provides numerous examples of the absurd consequences of this broken system, from the wasteful outsourcing of state capacity to the Byzantine process of local councils competing for central funding.
The author's central argument is that the current system is unsustainable and that conventional politicians must learn to give away power to retain it. He proposes a range of solutions, including:
- Devolution and tax-raising powers: Give devolved authorities proper autonomy and the ability to raise their own taxes.
- Strengthening select committees: Beef up the status and pay of select committee chairs to counter executive overreach.
- Rebuilding state capacity: Rebuild the civil service and limit outsourcing to genuinely competitive markets with measurable outcomes.
- Civil service and Lords reform: Implement reforms to make the civil service more effective and accountable.
Freedman's analysis is refreshingly free of partisan bias, and he's not afraid to criticize politicians from all sides. His writing is engaging, and he injects humor into an otherwise dry topic with witty remarks about Steve Hilton's "big society" and Chris Grayling's competence.
While the task of fixing Britain's broken system may seem daunting, Freedman's book is a crucial step towards sparking a much-needed conversation about the need for reform. As he warns, unless politicians learn to give away power, something much nastier may be lurking around the corner.
