Peter Harrington
Communications Manager / Researcher
Peter joined Demos in January 2007.
Hats off to Greenpeace for exposing the government's nuclear consultation process as flawed and inadequate. Greenpeace initiated the legal challenge because they have an anti-nuclear agenda. But whatever one's view of the relative merits of different energy sources they have performed a useful service.
By directly challenging the process in court they have seen to it that the policy was dismembered in anatomical and public detail. The judge was unsparing in his criticism, not that it seemed to make a jot of difference to the Prime Minister, who said it wouldn't affect policy.
I can't understand why not. If the the process is proved to be rotten then the product is useless. If you start again from scratch but with a pre-determined policy the whole charade is a waste of time, and leaves people more angry and disaffected than if you had never asked. Consultation has the potential to be powerful tool to connect people to policy. In the hands of the government you get the feeling that people will be consulted until they agree. Like Henry Ford and his black cars...
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