The TUC’s attack on a leading public sector reformer, reported today, was designed
to embarrass him and discredit the idea of reforming the public sector. In fact, it has shown that they will oppose any change to the public sector workforce, even if it results in a better
service for the public.
According to reports (here and here), TUC staff yesterday handed out copies of
the transcript to Reform’s conference on public sector productivity. They highlighted a quote from the presentation by Tony McGuirk, the chief fire officer of the Merseyside Fire and
Rescue Service (FRS), that, “we’ve got some bone idle people in the public sector”. Tony McGuirk apologised for the tone of his remarks this morning.
But he did not apologise for what he has achieved on Merseyside, which is the real story. Ten years ago there were 2,140 fires in the Merseyside FRS area and 15 deaths from fires.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in