Charles Moore – now I know what it is like to have been ‘savaged by a dead sheep’

My comments on the Tories efficiency claims have clearly hit a nerve. The Conservative fundamentalist commentator Charles Moore lashed out in the Daily Telegraph:

“The BBC quickly found a man called Professor Colin Talbot, represented as an impartial expert but, in fact, a critic of the Conservatives (study his own website attacks on free markets, if you don’t believe me), to pass judgment. Naturally, he didn’t like the “cut”.” Continue reading “Charles Moore – now I know what it is like to have been ‘savaged by a dead sheep’” →

How Big an “Ask” Are the Tories Efficiency Plans?

Today David Cameron has been saying all day that the Tories efficiency savings amount to asking the government to save ‘£1 in every £100 that it spends’ and this is obviously ‘do-able’.

On one level this is true, but only: Continue reading “How Big an “Ask” Are the Tories Efficiency Plans?” →

What Did You Do in the Efficiency Wars, Daddy?

The Election campaign was almost completely dominated by efficiency issues yesterday, as Labour tried to dis the Tories plans to pay for not raising NIC by even more “savings”. As a result, I ended up doing radio, TV, and several newspaper interviews. So what did I say? In short, don’t believe any government or opposition when they claim they’ll make efficiency savings as a painless way of squaring a public spending circle. Continue reading “What Did You Do in the Efficiency Wars, Daddy?” →

General election 2010: the battle over the paperclip vote

The Guardian – ‎5 hours ago‎

The trio have been joined by Professor Colin Talbot, the public services adviser to the Treasury select committee. It is probably tedious to get into the …

Major parties failing to spell out spending plans

Public Finance – Lucy Phillips – ‎4 hours ago‎

Colin Talbot, professor of public policy and management at Manchester Business School, told Public Finance that the public sector had been left ‘guessing’. …

The World at One (BBC)

The World at One (BBC) 8th April 2010

NHS Efficiency Puzzle Solved – well, sort of

With a little help from my friends (see below) I’ve finally got a handle on how the Government manages to claim “£15-£20bn” of annual efficiency savings for the NHS by 2013-14. Unfortunately, the answer seems just daft as the Tories latest efficiency claims. Continue reading “NHS Efficiency Puzzle Solved – well, sort of” →

What will politicians need to do to please public managers?‎

The Guardian

Last week Colin Talbot, professor of public policy and management at Manchester Business School, who gave evidence to the Commons’ Treasury select committee …