Incompetence and totalitarianism

A poisonous combination.

Bishop Hill gives an account of a government IT project:

So we have a set of procedures that are not needed and a bureaucracy that nobody wants, all supported by a computer system that doesn't work.

And the totalitarianism? You'll have read this elsewhere, I'm sure:

It looks as if we will have to again go through all the fuss and lobbying that we saw over the wretched Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006, the previous attempt by this Labour Government to neuter Parliament by Order of a Minister

I am unable to understand how anyone can fail to appreciate the urgency of our need for a formal constitution that limits the powers and scope of government while separating the executive from Parliament and setting in place effective checks and balances between the arms of the state - executive, Parliament and the courts. Oh, and enshrines absolutely no responsibilities whatsoever for the citizen.

Constitutions should limit governments, and that's all.

In the meantime, this is what we are faced with: incompetence and totalitarianism.