Toynbee now and, erm, now
Further to the ‘Toynbee then and now’ post, we present Toynbee for a Guardian, public sector loving audience (October 2009):
‘Neither Labour nor Tories have anything to say about unjust pay structures, but they can’t expect the public sector to take the hit alone. Where is the quid pro quo?………Once the true facts are out there, an aggressive Conservative government may find voters’ sympathy rapidly swings behind their public servants.’
And Toynbee for a public sector loathing, ‘outsourcing’ audience (October 2009 ):
‘There is no doubt that putting some services out to tender has vastly improved certain standards over the years, broken the power of vested interests and brought in competition that has sharpened up results.’
Well, she knows her audience.
I LOVE this:
“There is no doubt that putting some services out to tender has vastly improved certain standards over the years, broken the power of vested interests and brought in competition that has sharpened up results.”
Jesus H – if there was ever evidence that Poll hasn’t left the house for years, that’d have to be it. And ok, ok, she’s whoring around for different audiences, I get that, but really – this is what I’m talking about when I say she takes NO responsibility.
What services have been improved by being put out to tender and being provided by the private sector? How has one crass outsourcing project after another sharpened up results, pray?
Poll obviously isn’t talking about the care sector (Fremantle, CareUK in Islington, etc, etc, etc). She also doesn’t know too much about the realities of tendering in the public sector, either – companies put in loss leaders to win contracts, then sweat the assets (usually staff and staff salaries) and come after their councils for more money later (witness Catalyst Housing at Barnet, which has been after the council for more than £8m in recent times, having failed to bring care services in at the price at which it won tender).
Is Poll aware that Hillingdon council has just decided to bring its housing services back in house because their ALMO structure was such a shambles, or that Southwark council has just decided to bring revenue and benefits back in house because its external provider was shit? Does she know that Bedfordshire had to pay millions to get out of contracts for regional centres that were never delivered?
Someone stop her.
This is so peculiar. There is a dilemma! I agree with the former Toynbee not the latter, am I orthodox Toynbeeian as opposed to this neo-Toynbeeian sea change?