The Tories see our public services as a target for privatisation and see the soft underbelly for spending cuts to finance their low-tax ideals. But does the public want this? It is clear that if the next government is a Tory government our public services will be slashed. Cameron will wield his axe mercilessly to be able to fund his natural urge to cut taxes. His nemesis, Boris the Bold, is curren...

Compass has been running an innovative ideas forum called 'How to live in the 21st century'. There are some really eyecatching policies in there: micro-loans through a universal bank for the poor, a land value tax, NHS democracy, credit freezes to replace ID Cards, fixing a maximum wage in public services to 10x the NMW, reforming care services by joining up the various agencies (health,...

KEY services across council boundaries in the north of Scotland could be merged to cut costs in the face of the expected financial squeeze in the public sector.

Over at Ctrl-Shift Ive tried to sketch out the impact of VRM (buyer-centric commerce, customer-managed relationships, user-driven identity) on public services:It seems to me the effects of VRM on public services will be of four sorts. It will improve public services. It will cut costs. It will de-tox the “database state”. And it is the perfect basis for co-creation of our public servic...

Two important reports came out this month on the future of public services. First is the 'Putting people into public services' report of the National Consumer Council. They look at the critical area of regulation, often not considered by commentators but crucial in ensuring services, whether publicly or privately provided, meet standards and expectations. Regulators are often remote, hidden and ha...

Nobody likes paying tax. But most of us accept the necessity of paying collectively for public services, and the moral obligation on those of us with good incomes to subsidise these services for those without. Most of us would also accept that, in times of serious budget deficit, any adjustments to the tax

Tax is gendered since men pay more tax than women because they earn more and since women receive more public services and benefits from the state because they contribute more unpaid care-work than men. Public services, such as health, are disproportionately used by women, employ women, and are politically supported by

Julian Ware-Lane, Labour's candidate for Castle Point, has added his voice to the Unison campaign to create a fairer society. "I believe we need public services to help our economy recover from the recession. Our services look after people in good times and in bad and are making our country a fairer place. Our public services need investment, not cuts and privatisation." "I have been a public...

This article says a lot about the class basis of the Conservative Party on the ground. When asked what they would rather do, spend less on public services and more on tax cuts, or spend the same on public services and opt out of the cost of tax cuts, presumably unlike Labour activists, they opt overwhelmingly for the former. In other words, they think that they can get a better deal, under their c...

The fact that the UK leads the world in outsourcing public services is nothing to celebrate, the Public and Commercial Services union says.