England's northern towns need real power

[Denzil_DC]

3. In the UK, we call it devolution. Invoking Putin and calling it a "silly path" is, well, silly.

It's been in operation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for quite some time. We also have city mayoralties in some places in England with devolved powers, and part of what Mason's calling for is an increase in those powers to fulfil local needs to match the devolution in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It's sometimes called federalism.

Mason's right. The UK is too London/Westminster-centric, and areas far from that power base have fared badly, which is part of what fueled Brexit.

In the EU, the principle is known as subsidiarity. It's functioned well enough over the years. Certainly, the problems that beset European countries can't traced to devolving power away from centres of government.