Mar
Accountability and small government
Michael Duffy: Is that one of the reasons you’re a conservative or why you support smaller government?
Mark Steyn: Yes, I think big government is a national security issue. I live in the great state of New Hampshire in the United States which has…basically money is raised and spent at town level, so if you’ve got a budgetary overspend, it’s generally your neighbour that’s overspending, he’s listed in the phone book so you can call him up at home and shout at him. And I think there’s a lot to be said for small government precisely for that reason; it’s accountable. And the minute you get this big, bloated government…I mean, I love the way progressive people talk about ‘world government’ as if it would be a good thing, and if the UN were an embryo world government that would be a great thing. Well, is it more likely that you’re going to have New Hampshire or Swedish or Australian style government, or are you going to get Nigerian style government? The oil for food scandal tells you what the answer will be on that one.
