Cut spending before there is a financial disaster
John Redwood MP writes in the Sunday Telegraph about cutting public spending:
The good news is cutting public spending is technically easy when you look at just how much needless and wasteful spending there is.
Anyone saying you can cut without sacking a single nurse, doctor, teacher or uniformed person is usually ridiculed, but it is true.
Out of the 6 million state employees, only around 1 million are these essential front line workers.
Over the last few years public sector efficiency has failed to rise, whilst private sector efficiency regularly rises by 2.5% a year or more.
It is possible to do more for less in the public sector, by applying some of the disciplines of the well run office, shop or factory.
So what should we be cutting? We could begin with the marginal, wasteful or undesirable programmes.
There is no need to buy compulsory ID cards and the big identity computer.
The large and expensive NHS centralised computer schemes can be put on ice whilst we look for cheaper and better local options.
