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And as a Member of this body, I believe firmly that States do have rights, and I believe that local communities have rights, and they have made decisions to allow these businesses to prosper as they are a big part of their economy.

I believe that eventually, one of the next big issues that will have to be addressed globally is the role of state-owned enterprises. Because there is a disadvantage that's built in.

Communities need to feel that they can accommodate people. Rather than feeling that it's not possible to integrate and that the stress and strain on housing and public services is too great.

I think overall it is better for businesses to stay private because you have more latitude, more freedom.

We are a coalition government, and that limits our options in some ways. Privatization happens to be one such area.

If people support independently owned small businesses in their community, they can make a difference.

We have in this country a federal government that increasingly is engaged in trying to determine which business, which regions, which industries will succeed, which will not through a whole range of economic development, regional development corporate subsidization programs.

The importance of local governance may not be obvious to an America accustomed to treating city and state downfalls with doses of federal comeuppance. Sometimes there's a reason for that - the Civil War. More often, all reasoning seems absent - No Child Left Behind.

That's what I think regions are about, making central government more accountable and fairer.