Colin Talbot

Colin Talbot is a professor at the University of Manchester Business School, adviser to the Treasury Committee and writes and comments widely on public management reform. He’s worked in over two dozen countries, and with numerous public sector organisations, as an adviser, consultant and researcher. He blogs on the Whitehall Village and Public Management at Whitehall Watch.

‘Dash to slash’ fallacies, by Colin Talbot

The current ‘dash to slash’ consensus is deeply troubling. The mantra has been repeated so often now, by so many people, that all critical thought about the subject seems to have been set aside. Read more...

8 September 2010 | Colin Talbot

Clegg & the IFS: opportunity knocked, by Colin Talbot

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg claims in today’s Financial Times that the Coalition’s policies are ‘fair’ and we shouldn’t get hung up on ‘the numbers’. Nice try Nick, but no prize, I’m afraid. Read more...

26 August 2010 | Colin Talbot

It’s all Greek to George Osborne, by Colin Talbot

One of the most disingenuous refrains coming from the coalition is the attempt to compare the UK with Greece, and suggest that unless brutal action is taken we will see interest rates soar as ‘the markets’ lose confidence in the British government’s ability to pay its debts. Read more...

17 August 2010 | Colin Talbot

From M&S to BHS, by Colin Talbot

Sir Philip Green has long wanted to run Marks & Spencer. Now he has the consolation prize – he gets to follow in the footsteps of a real M&S boss, Sir Derek Rayner, by becoming a government efficiency adviser. Read more...

13 August 2010 | Colin Talbot

I predict a riot, by Colin Talbot

No, not the irritating Kaiser Chiefs song, a real riot. The revelations that up to 15,000 jobs, and 22% of the budget, are probably going to be slashed from the Ministry of Justice – which runs prisons in England and Wales – started that little ditty running around my head again. Read more...

12 August 2010 | Colin Talbot

Monster cuts and Alien reforms, by Colin Talbot

All pretence that the coalition government is merely trying to sort out the country’s public finances is long gone. It is a Liberal Conservative government, in the 19th century sense of wanting a small, liberal state with the minimum of compassion for the ‘deserving poor’ and as little socialised provision as possible. It is setting out to achieve what Margaret Thatcher tried and only half succeeded in – reversing much of the great liberal-social democratic reforms of the 20th century. Read more...

3 August 2010 | Colin Talbot

In denial over Labour’s failings, by Colin Talbot

Is it just me, or does the mood music from Labour’s potential leaders sound rather like ‘it weren’t me, guv’? Read more...

14 July 2010 | Colin Talbot

OBR on the brink after Budd bids farewell, by Colin Talbot

Read more...

7 July 2010 | Colin Talbot

Lessons for Labour, by Colin Talbot

My advice to the Labour leadership contenders is to admit that the party will never win a General Election again. Read more...

30 June 2010 | Colin Talbot

The Budget: yes, it’s worse than we thought, by Colin Talbot

Spending on public services is set to reduce by 25% in real terms by 2014-15 (apart from Health and International Development). One quarter of all other public services could go – that is the equivalent of around a fifth of all public sector staff or well over a million jobs. Read more...

22 June 2010 | Colin Talbot

Two-armed economist at OBR, by Colin Talbot

It was US President Harry Truman who reportedly said that he was fed-up with economists who told him ‘on the one hand Mr President…’ , followed by ‘but on the other hand….’. Truman said he wanted a one-armed economist. Read more...

14 June 2010 | Colin Talbot

The generation game, by Colin Talbot

One of the new commandments is ‘thou shalt not accumulate public debts that have to paid off by future generations’. To which I answer, why not? Like most such axioms, any serious analysis soon shows that the commandment isn’t quite as absolute, or a useful guide to action, as it first appears. Read more...

11 June 2010 | Colin Talbot

The limits of choice, by Colin Talbot

The current debates about so-called ‘free’ schools remind me of an incident more than a decade ago that has been seared into my memory. Read more...

3 June 2010 | Colin Talbot

Fooled again? By Colin Talbot

I’ll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around me
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
And I’ll get on my knees and pray
We don’t get fooled again
Don’t get fooled again Read more...

14 May 2010 | Colin Talbot

They all lost, but we could all win, by Colin Talbot

Labour has clearly lost, but the Tories also clearly did not win either, however much they want to pretend otherwise. The verdict of the electors is that they do not want one-party rule anymore. The issue is not whether we have a smash and grab Tory government or a clinging on Labour one, but what coalition government will form? Read more...

7 May 2010 | Colin Talbot

pfjobs is the official public sector finance and management jobsite of the Public Finance magazine and CIPFA, the UK's leading professional accountancy body specialising in the public sector.

Search public sector accountancy jobs


Latest jobs by sector:

Latest jobs by region:

Advertise public sector accountancy vacancies

pfjobs.co.uk is the jobsite for workers in public sector finance, accountancy and management.

Setting up a recruiter account takes just a few minutes. We'll call you back and sort out payment. Then you can post your job. It's that simple.

Find out more about recruiter accounts on pfjobs