Somebody is saying it

Inevitably it is the Adam Smith Institute that is saying the obvious: cuts do not help until there is some discussion on what the government should or should not do.

Closing quangos or primary care trusts and transferring their work to departments and doctors’ practices respectively will achieve nothing unless the work itself is also eliminated. A dead giveaway is the phrase “working with”. The people being worked with may well be grateful not to be worked with. The Eastern Strategic Health Authority claims to “work with” 46 other NHS bodies.

Rolling back government should be about reducing what government does first and worrying about headcount and savings second.

However, the somewhat laboured metaphor of the three brown envelopes and new management in some private firm or other is too long and not entirely accurate. In fact, one cannot help wondering how much experience Tim Ambler has had in the business part of the private sector.

But I especially disagree with this fatuous comment:

The leaders of the Coalition are exceptionally bright and talented but, Ken Clark aside, have little relevant experience from commerce or government.

Just what evidence is there that they are exceptionally bright and talented if they have no experience in anything of any importance?