While we're in the business of announcing what laws we would shred given half a chance, I want to make a plea for every other Lib Dem shadow cabinet member to take a long hard look at the laws which govern their respective portfolios and choose a few to shred. We could even make it a new "target" - ten pieces of legislation each to be added to the bonfire in the next six months (and so too in the manifesto) could be our spokespeople's primary "Key Performance Indicator".

For me, there would be nowhere better to start than the oxymoronic Department of Communities and Local Government. In fact, for preference I'd like us to propose doing much the same to that as we do the DTI - abolish the thing completely. It's simple, snappy and at a stroke would massively increase the quality of our democracy in the UK. Westminster and Whitehall have, in my opinion, absolutely no business overseeing local government, let alone tying it up in tight knots that our local representatives cannot escape. Why on earth do we have to persuade the member for Bolton West about aspects of running our own localities when we have elected another fifty local people to do just that? If government is by the consent of the people, my consent to be governed on local issues is clearly given to local councillors, not MPs.

If there are things that absolutely every locality in England has to do the same way, then make it a national function - Housing Benefit could be directly administered by the same Department for Work and Pensions systems as other benefits, for example. Though as an aside one might prefer pensions and other benefits to be devolved to local authorities as they were when they ran the poor houses and the parish rate paid for the upkeep of those no longer able to work and when city corporations could borrow to provide affordable housing, all based on local needs and local costs of living.

So, come to think of it, there's an idea for Mr Laws - let's do away with the DWP too - there were a whole raft of local ballot measures passed this week accompanying the US mid-term elections that set state based minimum wage levels. What possible fairness is there in insisting that someone can live on the same level of dole or pension in London as they can in Yeovil, say?

C'mon, if we want to be a liberal party root and branch, let our wonderful local representatives do what we elect them to do. Our democracy would be far saner and far more interesting if we did.