Sunday 8 July 2012

Ministry for Murdoch and library closures to be abolished?

Perkins the cat, no doubt tipped off by the Downing Street cat Larry reports that the DCMS is to close after the corporate circle jerk that is the Olympics finishes. Considering the conduct of the two ministers Hunt and Vaizey I personally feel this is no great loss. Since Hunt is clearly minister for Murdoch and Vaizey's refusal to enforce the 1964 act, which has caused great damage to the library network up and down the land. If Perkin's mole (cat) is correct then there must be a plan to put the responsibility for the act (it has to be a minister, its in the act) to another minister in another department. The main contenders appear to be the department for communities and local government or the department for education.


The DCLG seems the most natural fit but I think this option would be a disaster for libraries, the current localism push by government wants to give more power to local councils. I don't think the power will be exercised correctly, with proper consultation or with a democratic mandate by local councils. Councils seemingly go out of there way to ignore the wishes of taxpayers and until these little fiefdoms have been reformed properly then I don't want to see them given any extra power. 


I hope therefore the responsibility for the act passes to education and this is replicated down to the local councils in their budgets. This would mean the library budget would be part of the ring fenced schools budget and the councils cannot cut libraries in their ideological, short sighted and misguided cuts.


It leaves the question of how does the government best serve the interests of Murdoch since his department is being abolished?


The link to Perkin's blog:
http://www.goodlibraryguide.com/blog/


Local "democracy" in action over libraries decisions in Oxon: 


"I want all policy decisions to pass through the group before being made public, not as with the library fiasco where one person was making the decisions, talking to the press and then expecting the group to agree with what had been announced.
“This has happened several times over recent years."


http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/9643511.LEADERSHIP__County_candidates_step_forward/?/

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