Comments on: Cutting public spending could be so easy

By: Howard

Howard — Thu, 07 May 2009 06:54:48 +0000

Systems Thinkers know that by focusing on cost cutting, costs increase and quality goes down.

In the public sector systems thinkers have evidence from many different systems

Shared services are already ramping up costs and reducing quality, but the statistics are being stifled.

See The Systems Thinking Review.co.uk

By: Stan francis(Bromsgrove independent)

Stan francis(Bromsgrove independent) — Wed, 06 May 2009 06:59:22 +0000

Love your description ‘EUROPA’…yes completely frozen over!!

By: Stan francis(Bromsgrove independent)

Stan francis(Bromsgrove independent) — Wed, 06 May 2009 06:53:06 +0000

……I would like to know why so many people have views, strong views, but no real names applied, what happened to the STAND UP AND BE COUNTED?..this country is the way it is because of people that will not go the extra mile and do something, type it out on a keyboard and that’s your lot-I am very glad that many are now saying, I can change it and I will chnage it, I will no longer follow somone that’s lost the map!

By: Stan francis(Bromsgrove independent)

Stan francis(Bromsgrove independent) — Wed, 06 May 2009 06:47:25 +0000

But like I said, what about these secretive places that take £Millions of our money we never see on the balance sheet rthat’s about to give us 45% tax?…..also what happended to job description in the interview and being paid for that and not later trying to rewrite the contract?..Job and Finish?…another misnomer?…called really idle, plain idle and forgot what it’s like to be out of work….Decided to add the web site to show many of US that will do more than write to MP’s..Here in Bromsgrove there have been many more Election nomination applications going out than in the past, I hope this means that coalitions(proportional representation) will be the norm for ALL our futures, for surely as night follows day the present system of all one KIND does not work and that apathy and brainwashing is also a thing of the past, that people take stock and vote for themselves and not a party, that we get rid of District and Parish Council’s that cost us triple costs and form Unitary’s…won’t go down well here with our John, but independents still believe in FREE SPEECH, a fair wage for a days toil and cost effective services to th public-if this country is looking for REVOLT, let it continue in the same vein and we’ll see it VERY SOON…I SAY DON’T WAIT AROUND AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS, make it happen yourself?! …This will no doubt be termed as RANT by John?

By: gyges

gyges — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:21:13 +0000

@Dennis Cooper – thanks for your note. This is the sort of thing that I am asking about. And thanks for your comment re: the metric martyrs.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:50:24 +0000

Mr Redwood. Over at the Spectator Coffee House there are some pretty horrific graphs on our finances from the EU Commission’s report -under the item Fiscal collapse.

Could you please do a resume of just what this has been spent on since 2007. And indeed if any of it at all has been ‘invested’.

By: Dr Dan H.

Dr Dan H. — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:20:27 +0000

A good many years ago, I worked on the DSS Year 2000 programme. As a result I got a very good look at the dire and appallingly shoddy nature of Civil Service computer systems and practices. A good example of this was how the Civil Service deals with printers in offices.

An office printer is a strange beast; it is mechanical, physically moves things and has a finite lifespan. As such a printer can be expected to need consumables and to break down regularly. The DSS solved these problems by using a large number of small office printers dotted about, which works but means you have a lot of money tied up in depreciating assets and need to keep a lot of printer consumables in stock, plus you need people going about fixing and/or swapping out printers.

Commercial organisations know that this approach is expensive bunkum. Commercial organisations rent in large, high-capacity printers from external companies which specialise in keeping these machines running and operate under strict service level agreements to replace the printers at regular intervals and keep them running come what may.

The commercial system is cheaper, more efficient and works better than the Civil Service option. Why don’t we implement this instead?

By: UK Voter

UK Voter — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:15:55 +0000

Government departments genuinely need more skills from the private sector. Your experience with the new CEO is a prime example. However, you only have to look at any government advertisement and you will find that they use the ‘key skills’ are to exclude the majority of potential applicants, making it something of a close shop. This is simply wrong.

By: Sir Graphus

Sir Graphus — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:02:04 +0000

Yes; that was the most striking feature of this budget. We all believe that the state spends too much, and that the state is too endebted, and we used to imagine that, in some way, the govt understood this, and that at least some of the silliest schemes for spending public money would have to be ditched. Then Darling stood up and made it fundamentally, breathtakingly expensively clear, that they did not indeed understand it at all.

By: John Moss

John Moss — Tue, 05 May 2009 10:52:20 +0000

5.With colleagues announce that no new recruit – if any are allowed – will be able to join the existing generous pension scheme.They will be offered a money pruchase scheme instead with a defined employer contribution.

John, to have the moral authority to do this, do you not think that all MPs elected at th enext election should accept the same?

Reply: Yes, the Conservatives have already proposed that