Dramatic developments in the Spending Review: it appears that the Government is going to protect the schools budget, in real terms, and that Defence is probably only going to be cut by 10% rather than 25%. What does this mean? Continue reading “Curiouser and Curiouser – education and defence budgets” →

Next week at 12.30 GMT Chancellor George Osborne will rise in the House of Commons to present his Comprehensive Spending Review 2010.

This will set out Departmental Spending Limits (DEL) for the fiscal years 2011-12 to 2014-15, and probably a lot more besides.

What should we, and should we not, be looking for in CSR 2010? Well here’s a few ideas: Continue reading “Things to look for in CSR 2010” →

“Francis Maude’s much-trailed announcement of his quango cull generated plenty of large numbers: 192 quangos are to be axed and a further 118 are to be reduced to 57 by mergers. Another 171 face “substantial” reform. In total, 648 of the existing 901 bodies will remain – but almost none have been left untouched.” Nick Timmins, FT, 15 October 2010.

The Great Quango Cull has turned out to be rather less dramatic than advertised, and the reasons given have shifted from being about saving money to increasing “accountability”. But as the above figures show, even this Government’s determination to thin out the ranks of quangos seems to have stalled. Continue reading “In Defence of Quangos” →

I heard, yet again, David Cameron say this morning (on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme) that the new Coalition government had “done away with sofa government” and was making decisions properly around the table – they had “restored proper Cabinet government”. That might not be as good as it sounds…. Continue reading “Sofa versus Cabinet – lessons of the Child Benefit fiasco” →

The dilemma which still confronts the Liberal Democratic party is, do they want to be in coalition or do they want to be in government? Continue reading “Do the Lib Dems Want to be in Coalition or in Government?” →

There have been more ‘friendly fire’ or ‘blue-on-blue’ in incidents as Coalition Forces marshall for the offensive in October. Continue reading “Blue-on-Blue Incidents Increase Amongst Coalition Forces” →

Evan Davis’s new BBC Radio 4 series on tax is an excellent listen. one of the most memorable quotes from the first programme was the Revenue and Customs investigator who said that taxation was the price we pay to live a civilised society. Continue reading “Taxation is the Price of Civilisation” →

The current “dash to slash” consensus is deeply troubling. The mantra has been repeated so often now, by so many people, that all critical thought about the subject seems to have been set aside. Continue reading “Is the ‘Dash to Slash’ Really Necessary – Alternatives to Austerity” →

I was struck by the following statement in a summary of recent discussions at the Institute for Government on the “Big Society”:

“Most people solve most of their problems most of the time without reverting to the state.” The summary of the argument for the Big Society, goes on, “families, friends, communities and the marketplace can all help individuals to solve problems with minimal involvement from government.” Continue reading “Big Society and the Big State” →

Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister, claims in today’s Financial Times that the Coalitions policies are “fair” and we shouldn’t get hung up on “the numbers”. Nice try Nick, but no prize I’m afraid. Continue reading “Fairness is about Outcomes, not just Opportunity, Nick” →