Private sector
No playing fields of Eton for Arthur Cameron
The Prime Minister chose his words carefully earlier today when asked if he would be sending his children to private school. Sky News’ eagle-eyed Sophy Ridge reports that Cameron was… Continue reading
7 Comments
Employment returns to pre-crash levels
Employment has almost entirely recovered to its pre-recession peak, according to today’s new figures. Total employment for May to July stood at 29.56 million — up 236,000 on the previous… Continue reading
21 Comments
Cameron should be proud of jobs rise
David Cameron said in Prime Minister’s Questions today that there have been 800,000 more private sector jobs under his government. This is almost true, and — I thought — worthy… Continue reading
36 Comments
How not to create jobs
The Keynes vs Hayek debate is at its sharpest on the issue of employment. Can government create jobs (as Balls says)? Or does large public sector employment simply displace economic… Continue reading
64 Comments
The plot against public schools
Matthew Parris has launched a critique on the charitable status of public schools in this morning’s Times. Matthew is not opposed to private education, just to the arrogance of the… Continue reading
105 Comments
The doctors’ strike
No public sector strike is easy to sell to the public. I recently did a stint of jury service and witnessed the chaos caused by court staff, members of the… Continue reading
66 Comments
Unemployment’s high, but at least it’s stopped rising
So, new jobs figures out today. Which do you want first: the bad news, or the kind-of-alright news? The bad news is that employment’s showing no signs of growth: the… Continue reading
11 Comments
Private policing is nothing new
‘Revealed: hidden government plans to privatise the police’, proclaims the Guardian headline this morning. The story is that, in an attempt to protect frontline services in the face of a… Continue reading
41 Comments
The dark side of the Big Society
The A4e scandal is getting worse. Emma Harrison has quit as David Cameron’s back-to-work tsar, the police are still investigating a case discovered last year and there’s a suggestion their… Continue reading
31 CommentsWho’s right on public v private employment?
If you listened to PMQs yesterday, then you’ll have heard two very different accounts of what’s happening in the labour market right now. Had Ed Miliband been able to get… Continue reading
30 CommentsImproving the health of the nation
Britain’s future prosperity, we are frequently told, lies in scientific discovery, so it’s odd that David Cameron has not given a major speech on it as prime minister until now. He… Continue reading
15 CommentsExplaining Cameron’s debt u-turn
“Millionaire David Cameron wants you to pay off your credit card – are you going to obey the Prime Minister?” asked one local BBC radio station phone-in this morning. This… Continue reading
33 CommentsWith an eye on 2015, Osborne is ramping up the growth agenda
30,000 new jobs by 2015: that is the glittering prediction made by the government as it announces the creation of more enterprise zones this morning. 11 zones* have been identified… Continue reading
31 CommentsSchooling the judges
The judges are judging the judges, or at least judging by the cover of this morning’s Times (£) they are. "Radical reform of the selection of judges," some leading figures… Continue reading
19 CommentsMoving towards more efficient public sector pay
Data issued yesterday by the Incomes Data Services indicated that average pay settlements over the first quarter of 2011 in the public sector were close to 0 per cent. However,… Continue reading
15 CommentsOsborne is on track to rebalance the economy
It may look diminutive in between Easter and the Royal Wedding, but tomorrow is still a big day in the political calendar. It is, after all, the day when we… Continue reading
28 CommentsCuts are inspiring innovation
The Big Society’s health is recovering. Despite the fevered clamour about library closures, some councils and communities are being positive about re-organising their services. After wide consultation with schools and… Continue reading
14 CommentsDavid Cameron’s dreams and nightmares are written into today’s employment figures
It is almost a cliche to describe jobs figures as a "mixed picture" — and yet that’s exactly what today’s are. Beneath the headline finding that the number of unemployed… Continue reading
25 CommentsA 6 point guide to Hutton’s proposals
The future of the public sector has become a tale of two Huttons. Last week, John Hutton disclosed his pension plans and today Will Hutton’s submitted his final recommendations on… Continue reading
13 CommentsA model council
Councils from Liverpool to Bromley have cut voluntary sector funding; but Reading Borough Council is defying the trend. It will increase its voluntary sector funding by more than £200,000 in… Continue reading
8 Comments