Public sector monster needs to be tamed

Generali

MyLastFiver wrote: »

Yet again, people on this thread concentrate on the job titles and call these posts "non-jobs" without giving any thought to what the job actually involves.

Bouncy Castle Assistant
How are bouncy castles to be erected and dismantled without someone being paid to do it? And yes, the hiring out of bouncy castles actually produces revenue for local authorities.

Toothbrush Assistant and Fruit Preparation Assistant
These jobs are both part of public health campaigns to promote, respectively, oral hygiene and healthy eating. Are you suggesting that councils should not promote oral hygiene and healthy eating?

DonaldTramp, I'm very sorry that you have a sh!te pension but how long are you going to keep this thread going? You've made your point over and over and over again. We get you. Some people agree with you, and some people don't. I think you imagine that if you keep posting, eventually the whole world will say "My god, DonaldTramp, you're so right. I'm going to go out right now and hang a civil servant from a lamp-post."

Calm down, man, before you blow a heart valve, and find yourself in a hospital staffed by hard-working and professional public sector employees.

I'll say the unsayable.

These are non-jobs that should not be funded by British taxpayers.

Everyone knows that you should eat fruit and veg. Some people do, others don't and that is their free choice. Having some idiot come to your kids' school and tell you how to peel an orange isn't going to acheive a thing. And I say some idiot because if you are paying twelve grand you aren't going to get the cream of the crop!

A._Badger

It is not a local council's job to 'promote, respectively,oral hygiene and healthy eating' - that is precisely the point. There are other agencies doing this sort of work and this insane duplication of nannying and busybodying is burying us with unaffordable salaries today and unsupportable pensions tomorrow.

Clearly the words 'we cannot afford this' have a different meaning in Town Hall fantasy land.

StevieJ

Generali wrote: »

I'll say the unsayable.

These are non-jobs that should not be funded by British taxpayers.

Everyone knows that you should eat fruit and veg. Some people do, others don't and that is their free choice. Having some idiot come to your kids' school and tell you how to peel an orange isn't going to acheive a thing. And I say some idiot because if you are paying twelve grand you aren't going to get the cream of the crop!

Hi Gen, I have noticed some people mentioning your blog, is it open to everyone?

MyLastFiver

Generali, the reason "everyone knows" that you should eat fruit and veg is because of public health campaigns which promote the message. You may have had good parents who gave you good dietary habits, but I certainly didn't and an awful lot of people don't. And they get their info from, as I say, public health campaigns.

As a society we either promote public health, or we don't. I'd rather live in a society that does.

How about the bouncy castle guy? Should we ban bouncy castles from the village fete rather than pay a guy to deliver, erect and secure them? How can you say it's a "non-job"?

chewmylegoff

Generali wrote: »

I'll say the unsayable.

These are non-jobs that should not be funded by British taxpayers.

Everyone knows that you should eat fruit and veg. Some people do, others don't and that is their free choice. Having some idiot come to your kids' school and tell you how to peel an orange isn't going to acheive a thing. And I say some idiot because if you are paying twelve grand you aren't going to get the cream of the crop!

pay them £12k to get orange juice in some kid's eye, or pay them £12k benefits, who cares, what's the difference.

if anything needs to be targeted, it is the pay at the top end of the public sector. the number of posts paying over £100k is ridiculous. if they were bringing in business leaders with private sector experience to slash expenditure and increase efficiency, and therefore cut the tax burden, that would be one thing.

but they aren't. they're just paying career civil servants more money to do the same thing. people who don't have the skills and experience to earn those sort of salaries in the private sector are the rip off, not people earning £12k a year to tell children to eat apples instead of deep friend pizza.

Generali

StevieJ wrote: »

Hi Gen, I have noticed some people mentioning your blog, is it open to everyone?

Yup.

http://anothereconomicblog.blogspot.com

I'm a bit tardy about updating it but all are welcome if they have something to add to the debate. I try to post longer pieces than the forum style is friendly to.

You're very welcome to read it, respond to it or say horrid things about me if that's what you want to do. I'm the moderator as well as the writer however so don't be too horrid!

StevieJ

Generali wrote: »

Yup.

http://anothereconomicblog.blogspot.com

I'm a bit tardy about updating it but all are welcome if they have something to add to the debate. I try to post longer pieces than the forum style is friendly to.

You're very welcome to read it, respond to it or say horrid things about me if that's what you want to do. I'm the moderator as well as the writer however so don't be too horrid!

Thanks Gen I will pop in every now and again, I may even leave a comment or two How is the job hunting going ? does it get shuffled back behind the sunbathing?

donaldtramp

DonaldTramp, I'm very sorry that you have a sh!te pension but how long are you going to keep this thread going? You've made your point over and over and over again. We get you. Some people agree with you, and some people don't. I think you imagine that if you keep posting, eventually the whole world will say "My god, DonaldTramp, you're so right. I'm going to go out right now and hang a civil servant from a lamp-post."

I don't have a poor pension. I'm well off,
7500 views, so there is some interest in it! You don't have to read the thread, go elsewhere if you wish, there are plenty of other folk viewing. Eventually there will be a re-adjustment and there is going to be some pain (rightly so) felt by the public sector I'm just making folk aware of it. It is related to our current financial climate.
I am drawing attention to today's stories in the press. Why not? Does it annoy you that people are starting to catch on to the fact that the public sector are getting more than the taxpayer that pays your wages? Worried that "entitlements" are going to start to be taken off you?

Calm down, man, before you blow a heart valve, and find yourself in a hospital staffed by hard-working and professional public sector employees.

I'm very calm;) and as for the hard working public sector employees comment, I think beingjdc was kind enough to post up a study that shows just how poorly that sector's performing. Lucky I've got private medical cover then eh?

Generali

StevieJ wrote: »

Thanks Gen I will pop in every now and again, I may even leave a comment or two How is the job hunting going ? does it get shuffled back behind the sunbathing?

Sunbathing! Not over here. One thing I've noticed with old banger cars is that while they don't rust, the plastic bits rot due to the intensity of the sun. Actually I got sunburned yesterday (Saturday) for the first time in years at Jamberoo.

That place is tons of fun.

Job hunting is a disaster. My experience is that I'm too senior for junior jobs but there are no senior jobs around except stuff that is out of my league (someone suggested I try for MD(?) of JPMorgan Australia for example - I wouldn't know where to start!)

I'm thinking of becoming a train driver and doing a new degree as it goes. Perhaps law as an undergrad or maybe a postgrad. I'm starting to get very bored with just drifting.

donaldtramp

Even the Guardian of all sources is getting in on the act...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/mar/22/treasury-politics-public-sector

The public sector of the future must be much more impressive at demonstrating that it is spending cleverly and effectively. Apart from being a virtue in itself, there will be heightened voter intolerance for the squandering of public money when so many of those providing it are experiencing the squeeze of their lives.

Suppose I must be one of the intolerant then!

Generali,
It does look tough out there!!