Today’s strong contender for the coveted WhyDontYou Cup for Extraordinary Governmental Effort in the Service of Irony*<\/strong> has been spotted by the Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n

Government’s ‘bonfire of the quangos’ plan will cost as much as it saves<\/strong>
\nExclusive: Private papers reveal multi-billion pound bill to close up to 180 quangos \u2013 and savings might not be felt for 10 year<\/em>
\n….. private papers reveal that in several cases the liabilities from pensions, redundancies and rental contracts could outweigh any of the savings being claimed for up to 10 years.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This would be funny if it wasn’t also tragic. Don’t they teach Remedial Maths at Eton?<\/p>\n

The quango bonfire is just the overture before the main cuts action.<\/p>\n

The statement came as more details of the job cuts within Whitehall emerged, with departments told to make up to a third of their employees redundant. The education department is understood to be looking for a 30% reduction in staff.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The same mathematics will apply. Massive cuts and no net savings. <\/p>\n

There is a little ironic satisfaction in that the Tories’ natural supporters are going to get hammered. And not only in a “we’re all in this together so we’ve got to accept a few minor inconveniences like the loss of our child benefit” way. <\/p>\n

What is closer to Middle England’s heart than the belief there is somehow a natural right to get ever richer through the ever-increasing value of houses? <\/p>\n

But even the threat of public sector is already having an impact on the housing market<\/a>. The headlines are:<\/p>\n

Housing market crash feared after average house prices take record plunge<\/strong>
\nHalifax tries to allay fears that prices are poised to nosedive amid impending cuts to public sector jobs<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Reality check for Mail readers: The more people are unemployed – whether ex-nurses or ex-teachers or even ex-estate agents – the more tax anyone who still has a wage will have to pay. Where is the money going to come from for the next round of big bank bailouts?<\/p>\n

“And so it begins….”, as they used to say on Babylon 5.
\n—————————
\n* A new award that we’re working on.
\nIt’s going to be hard to choose a winner, in such a strong field. The smart money would normally be on Boris except that he’s only in local government. A tough act to follow but his crowning ironic achievement** seems amateurish in comparison to the efforts of his Bullingdon Club chums.<\/p>\n

** (Londoners elected a man on the basis that they recognised him from his appearances as a rightwing buffoon on a Have I got News for You,) <\/p>\n

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    Today’s strong contender for the coveted WhyDontYou Cup for Extraordinary Governmental Effort in the Service of Irony* has been spotted by the Guardian Government’s ‘bonfire of the quangos’ plan will cost as much as it saves Exclusive: Private papers reveal … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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