Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
To London yesterday (25 Mar 09) to brief the sub-committee of the Treasury Select Committee which is carrying out an enquiry into efficiency of HM Treasury and its departments, including the mammoth HM Revenue and Customs. It was great session with most of the members giving up an hour of their valuable time and a […]
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
The most recent poll by Ipsos-MORI shows a slight narrowing of the gap between the Tories and Labour, but still gives the Tories a 10-point lead (see here). More worrying for the Tory opposition, and a bit more pleasing for Prime Minister Gordon Brown, should be the figures on people’s attitudes to the economy.
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
The shadow economy as an issue for public policy and public administration is something I have been banging on about for several years (see A False Economy, Public Finance, 2004). I recently tried to raise the issue at both the Treasury and Public Administration select committees. So I was pleased to see a fascinating paper by Sean […]
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
‘Light-touch regulation’ was very fashionable for the private sector until recently – after the banking debacle it is rapidly going out of fashion. Meanwhile the government maintains in the recent White Paper ‘Working Together‘ this is its’ policy aim for the public sector – is this situation viable? Not likely…. read the full article in Public […]
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
I wrote in the previous blog (Budgeting for Hard Choices – in 2011) “So far the Tories problem [about public finances and tax] has escaped serious media scrutiny – and maybe they will escape right up to the Election given how unpopular Labour is and the bias of our main newspapers. But come Budget 2011 the […]
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
Central government current receipts in February were 9.8% lower and current spending in February was 6.5% higher than in the same month last year, the IFS reported today (19 March 2009). What a surprise. As government income drops and spending increases all eyes will be on Chancellor Alistair Darling when he announces Budget 2009 on […]
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
I’ve been asked to post this important ‘think piece’ by a group of World Bank and OECD officials about the issues concerning the pay of private sector managers of banks and other institutions that have been effectively nationalised. There is also an on-line survey that the authors would like completed Link to on-line survey. Please pass […]
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
The Local Government Association (LGA) has published a list of 200 “jargon” words and their ‘plain English’ equivalents. But is this really jargon-busting, or patronising dumbing-down?
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
“On Tuesday, the Healthcare Commission report revealed that between 2005 and 2008 there were 400 excess deaths at [Stafford] hospital – although it was impossible to say whether these had all been caused by bad care. The report said there were deficiencies at “virtually every stage” of emergency care and managers pursued targets to the […]
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
A very useful new ‘concept paper‘ has just been published by the European Commission, authored mainly by UK professor Norman Flynn. Aimed at the development community, it will nevertheless be of interest to all scholars and practitioners of public management.