The Role of Licensed Activists
Posted by janetmackinnon on February 20, 2008
Whilst my previous blog may have seemed critical of “licensed activists”, I also believe that these can have an important role in influencing government policy, at home and abroad, as well as the conduct of large corporations, including those in public ownership
Ken Livingstone is probably the politician most adept at deploying political and community activists to his own political ends, and against one another when its suits him. However, some good policies have resulted from the former approach, particularly in the latter days of the Greater London Council (abolished by the Conservative Thatcher Government in 1986 - for those too young to remember, or old enough to forget).
The GLC’s transport policies - ie support for public transport, walking and cycling, and restraints on private car use and polluting vehicles - are a case in point. Over 20 years on, and some urban authorities in the regions and shires are only just catching up. Licensing a few more transport and environmental activists may be the best - including most cost-effective - way forward. Not that I’m saying the Mayor of London’s policies are perfect !
