If the system doesn’t work why not change the system?

Of course there will be times when whatever system is in use fails to work. All systems are designed by humans, we hom sap are known to be fallible etc. What interests us is what should be done when that happens?

One obvious idea is to change the system. Seems logical. Unfortunately, all too often, we see people instead arguing that we should dodge the system. Carve out special exemptions to the system. This strikes us as less than optimal, illogical even.

From a list of things The PM should do to stamp his boot on the face of human politics forever:

It’s housing. Rents are ridiculous, as are house prices. But building numbers will never shift unless the government starts building again like it did in the 1970s, when councils such as Southwark in London built thousands of homes. Government land is there to build 500,000 homes over the rest of the parliament. Use development corporations and speed up the process, like Michael Heseltine did.

True, we disagree that it should be more council housing and so on. But look at that diagnosis there. By insisting that development corporations should be used the claim is that we must find a dodge in the system, carve out a special exemption. Current planning law would make it impossible for even the state, or local councils - which is absurd as they’re, the local councils, the people who grant planning permission - to gain permission to build houses. That’s why we need the development corporations who gain wholesale exemptions from such planning laws.

Well, OK. But look again at what the claim is. Current planning law makes housebuilding in volume impossible. So, rather than carving out an exemption, why not abolish, reform, change, clean the hell up, planning law?

Having agreed that the current system doesn’t work why not change the system? Or if an exemption is going to be given why not grant the exemption to everyone, everywhere? For, obviously, the initial analysis is that the current system is crocked.

True, true, good politics includes that if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. But along with that really does go that if it is broke then fix it. Not exempt favoured groups from it, not dodge it, but fix it.

Blow up the TCPA 1947 and successors, proper blow up - kablooie.

Tim Worstall