A series of five programmes 4: Power to the People ...Presented by Jonathan Dimbleby ,
John Redwood , former head of Margaret Thatcher 's Policy Unit, and Ken Livingstone , former leader of the Greater London Council, argue for their distinct visions of political life - 'consumer democracy' or 'participatory democracy'.
John Redwood , MP welcomes the start of a counter-revolution in which the cumbersome bureaucracies of local government and other state agencies are being dismantled. People are becoming free to take control of their own lives within an efficient market system. Ken Livingstone , MP believes that it is only through politics that citizens can influence and control the state. It is the vote, not consumer demand, which makes power properly accountable.
Jonathan Dimbleby questions how their respective political philosophies will improve the delivery of services and enhance public life.