<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Public Finance Opinion &#187; PF blog</title>
	<atom:link href="http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/category/pf-blog/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk</link>
	<description>Just another WordPress weblog</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:57:40 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2</generator>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
			<item>
		<title>Export gloom, by Tony Dolphin</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/export-gloom-by-tony-dolphin/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/export-gloom-by-tony-dolphin/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:32:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tony Dolphin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Private and third sector]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unemployment]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3236</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[TONY DOLPHIN &#124; The latest UK trade figures were awaited more eagerly than usual. Exports are seen as crucial to the UK’s economic recovery and the main political parties are all eager to present t]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/export-gloom-by-tony-dolphin/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>In defence of tick boxes, by Colin Talbot</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/in-defence-of-tick-boxes-by-colin-talbot/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/in-defence-of-tick-boxes-by-colin-talbot/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:41:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Colin Talbot</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[governance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Regulation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3231</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[COLIN TALBOT &#124; The Conservatives shadow Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, was yesterday widely quoted as condemning the government's health "targets" regime for forcing staff to “focus on ticking boxes not patients.”  We’ll l]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/in-defence-of-tick-boxes-by-colin-talbot/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Gove in a muddle, by Conor Ryan</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/gove-in-a-muddle-by-conor-ryan/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/gove-in-a-muddle-by-conor-ryan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:55:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Conor Ryan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Regulation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3217</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[CONOR RYAN &#124; The Conservatives' shadow schools secretary is finding himself in an increasing muddle as he starts to put flesh on his schools' policy. One day Michael Gove is extolling the virtues of free schools, liberated from the shackles of Whitehall, with ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/gove-in-a-muddle-by-conor-ryan/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Costing a council tax freeze, by the Institute for Fiscal Studies</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/costing-a-council-tax-freeze-by-the-institute-for-fiscal-studies/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/costing-a-council-tax-freeze-by-the-institute-for-fiscal-studies/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:03:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Institute for Fiscal Studies</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[council tax]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Local government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public spending]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3199</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The institute for Fiscal Studies calculates the cost of the Conservatives' pledge to freeze council tax should the party be elected later this year.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/costing-a-council-tax-freeze-by-the-institute-for-fiscal-studies/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Follow the money, by Judy Hirst</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/follow-the-money-by-judy-hirst/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/follow-the-money-by-judy-hirst/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Mar 2010 02:00:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Judy Hirst</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Central government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3206</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[JUDY HIRST &#124; The markets, we are told, do not like uncertainty. Neither do public sector finance directors. That’s why, as the pound plunged this week, in response to speculation over a hung Parliament, those in charge of public service budgets were still preparing for the worst.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/follow-the-money-by-judy-hirst/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Chelsea pensioners, by Heather Wakefield</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/chelsea-pensioners-by-heather-wakefield/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/chelsea-pensioners-by-heather-wakefield/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:19:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heather Wakefield</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Local government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pay and pensions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public spending]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3197</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Tory Party, the Taxpayers’ Alliance, some Liberal Democrats and many others are doing their best to ensure that Local Government Pension Scheme members are deprived of a ‘gold-plated’, final salary retirement. But the LGPS is not overly generous and many of the criticisms of it are ill-founded.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/chelsea-pensioners-by-heather-wakefield/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What about the workers? By John Tizard</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/what-about-the-workers-by-john-tizard/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/what-about-the-workers-by-john-tizard/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:28:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Tizard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Local government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Total Place]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3195</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[At a time when local authorities and other public sector bodies are reported to be planning dramatic reductions in their workforces and as claims are made that Total Place could save the public purse over £20bn, it is time to consider the workers.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/03/what-about-the-workers-by-john-tizard/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tough call on care costs, by Richard Humphries</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/tough-call-on-care-costs-by-richard-humphries/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/tough-call-on-care-costs-by-richard-humphries/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:43:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>richard humphries</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Care]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parliament]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public spending]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3191</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[RICHARD HUMPHRIES l This year’s general election could be the first in which social care is a key campaign issue. Everyone agrees that sorting out the wicked issue of paying ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/tough-call-on-care-costs-by-richard-humphries/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Unitary disunity, by Jim Brooks</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/unitary-disunity-by-jim-brooks/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/unitary-disunity-by-jim-brooks/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:07:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jim Brooks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Central government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Local government]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3189</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The recent announcement of a unitary authority for both Norwich and Exeter is another twist in a long story of indecision and failure by government to provide national leadership in the structure of local government in England.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/unitary-disunity-by-jim-brooks/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tougher than Thatcher? By the Institute for Fiscal Studies</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/tougher-than-thatcher-by-the-institute-for-fiscal-studies/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/tougher-than-thatcher-by-the-institute-for-fiscal-studies/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:28:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Institute for Fiscal Studies</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Central government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3185</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[INSTITUTE FOR FISCAL STUDIES  &#124;  'Whoever wins the election, Labour or Conservative, is going to have to cut spending. That is not something that Margaret Thatcher actually did. So tougher than Margaret Thatcher." So said George Osborne on the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme this morning – and the numbers by and large bear him out]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/tougher-than-thatcher-by-the-institute-for-fiscal-studies/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Non-executive nightmare, by Malcolm Prowle</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/non-executive-nightmare-by-malcolm-prowle/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/non-executive-nightmare-by-malcolm-prowle/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:03:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Malcolm Prowle</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[governance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Quangos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Regulation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3183</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The report into the appalling failings of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust brings the issue of organisational governance back into the spotlight. What is needed are non-executive directors with sufficient ‘nous’ and courage to ask difficult question and not be fobbed off by unsatisfactory replies or professional mystique.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/non-executive-nightmare-by-malcolm-prowle/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Reset the retirement timetable, by Jon Sibson</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/reset-the-retirement-timetable-by-jon-sibson/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/reset-the-retirement-timetable-by-jon-sibson/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:13:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jon Sibson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pay and pensions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Welfare]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3149</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[JON SIBSON &#124; This generation is enjoying longer lives and longer periods of retirement than any of its predecessors.  This is a result of improved standards of living, medical advances and other factors and is clearly very good news in many ways.  But these ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/reset-the-retirement-timetable-by-jon-sibson/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tax-break tension, by Mike Thatcher</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/tax-break-tension-by-mike-thatcher/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/tax-break-tension-by-mike-thatcher/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:30:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mike Thatcher</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Central government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Local government]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3154</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[MIKE THATCHER &#124; Councils, it seems, are back in favour. After years of being viewed with distrust by Whitehall, they are now ministers’ new best friends.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/tax-break-tension-by-mike-thatcher/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Parent power battles, by Conor Ryan</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/parent-power-battles-by-conor-ryan/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/parent-power-battles-by-conor-ryan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:19:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Conor Ryan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gordon Brown]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[schools]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3144</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[CONOR RYAN &#124; Today's announcement by Gordon Brown that the Government is accrediting the best academy providers, plus some excellent secondary schools, as schools providers, with parents having the power to demand change, is a significant step ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/parent-power-battles-by-conor-ryan/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Do cuts spell doomsday for higher education? By Stephen Court</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/do-cuts-spell-doomsday-for-higher-education/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/do-cuts-spell-doomsday-for-higher-education/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:13:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Stephen Court</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Central government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3139</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[STEPHEN COURT &#124; Some commentators are presenting a doomsday scenario for higher education. Thirty institutions may not survive, suggests one. Recently announced cuts will bring the sector to its knees in six months, says another]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/do-cuts-spell-doomsday-for-higher-education/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Unpicking pay levels, by Duncan Brown</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/unpicking-pay-levels-by-duncan-brown/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/unpicking-pay-levels-by-duncan-brown/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:27:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Duncan Brown</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Editor's choice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pay and pensions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Professional issues]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3133</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[DUNCAN BROWN &#124; Disgraceful isn’t it, what those public sector managers are paying themselves these days? Who would believe that we have a record public sector deficit forecast to reach almost £200 billion, yet those nice people at the Taxpayers Alliance tell us that t]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/unpicking-pay-levels-by-duncan-brown/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Power struggles, by Graeme Cooke</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/power-struggles-by-graeme/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/power-struggles-by-graeme/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:01:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Graeme Cooke</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Central government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Welfare]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3101</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[GRAEME COOKE &#124; All the main political parties say they want to give people power. But they often don’t start with a clear understanding about the causes of powerlessness]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/power-struggles-by-graeme/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Our mutual friend? By Judy Hirst</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/our-mutual-friend-by-judy-hirst/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/our-mutual-friend-by-judy-hirst/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:06:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Judy Hirst</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Central government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Local government]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3118</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[JUDY HIRST &#124; Become your own boss. It sounds like one of those ads promising vast wealth from telemarketing. But this week the Conservatives gave an old catch phrase a fresh twist, with their souped-up version of workers’ co-operatives]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/our-mutual-friend-by-judy-hirst/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Red vs blue mutualism, by Jonathan Carr-West</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/red-vs-blue-mutualism-by-jonathan-carr-west/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/red-vs-blue-mutualism-by-jonathan-carr-west/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:55:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jonathan Carr-West</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Local government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Total Place]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3113</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[JONATHAN CARR-WEST  &#124;  Lambeth council's plans to establish a John Lewis style mutual has been contrasted with Barnet's 'Easy Council' model. However, the real picture is more complicated, with both Labour and Conservative versions of mutualism.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/red-vs-blue-mutualism-by-jonathan-carr-west/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Fair and healthy society, by Tammy Boyce</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/fair-and-healthy-society/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/fair-and-healthy-society/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:20:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tammy Boyce</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Central government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Welfare]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3106</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[TAMMY BOYCE &#124; Many of the recommendations in Fair society, healthy lives have been made in previous reports on health inequalities]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/fair-and-healthy-society/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Carbon conundrum, by Malcolm Prowle</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/carbon-conundrum-by-malcolm-prowle/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/carbon-conundrum-by-malcolm-prowle/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:07:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Malcolm Prowle</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3094</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[MALCOLM PROWLE &#124; Climate change has become a controversial area, but there are no doubts that our natural resources are finite and will run out eventually. Plans to restructure our economies and alter the ways we live should be based more on this inevitable outcome.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/carbon-conundrum-by-malcolm-prowle/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>When Gove met Goldie, by Melissa Benn</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/when-gove-met-goldie-by-melissa-benn/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/when-gove-met-goldie-by-melissa-benn/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:14:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Melissa Benn</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Children]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3092</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[MELISSA BENN &#124; It’s been another frantic week of debate on the future of our education. Private school head and Blair biographer Anthony Seldon has argued that our children are not learning to think independently. The writer Toby Young continues to attract ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/when-gove-met-goldie-by-melissa-benn/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Labour pains, by Alan Downey</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/labour-pains-by-alan-downey/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/labour-pains-by-alan-downey/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:04:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alan Downey</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Defence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unemployment]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3086</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ALAN DOWNEY  &#124;  The starting gun for a public sector recession has been fired. It is now only a matter of time before we are faced with the deepest and most prolonged cuts in public expenditure that anyone can remember.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/labour-pains-by-alan-downey/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Open and shut case, by John Tizard</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/open-and-shut-case-by-john-tizard/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/open-and-shut-case-by-john-tizard/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:43:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John Tizard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Central government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Local government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Private and third sector]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3083</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[JOHN TIZARD  &#124;  Opposition leader David Cameron and shadow chancellor George Osborne are right to demand that public sector contracts with the business and third sectors should be transparent, but they could go even further.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/open-and-shut-case-by-john-tizard/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Saving our bacon, by Mike Thatcher</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/saving-our-bacon-by-mike-thatcher/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/saving-our-bacon-by-mike-thatcher/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:00:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mike Thatcher</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Central government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3056</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[MIKE THATCHER &#124; It’s unlikely that we have seen the last of the public sector strikes that afflicted Greece this week, as the troubled country attempts rapidly to reduce its budget deficit.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/saving-our-bacon-by-mike-thatcher/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The cult of council tax cuts, by Heather Wakefield</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/the-cult-of-council-tax-cuts-by-heather-wakefield/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/the-cult-of-council-tax-cuts-by-heather-wakefield/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:58:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heather Wakefield</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Local government]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3051</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[All over the country, councils are seeking to freeze or even cut council tax. This will have devastating effects on local services, while saving council taxpayers very little indeed.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/the-cult-of-council-tax-cuts-by-heather-wakefield/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Monitoring the quangos, by James Close</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/monitoring-the-quangos-by-james-close/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/monitoring-the-quangos-by-james-close/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:23:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>James Close</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Central government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3045</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[JAMES CLOSE &#124; A pledge to scrap a number of education quangos underpinned Nick Clegg’s recent announcement to give every child from a poor home a £2,500 funding boost]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/monitoring-the-quangos-by-james-close/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Get real on redundancy pay, by Mark Serwotka</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/get-real-on-redundancy-pay-by-mark-serwotka/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/get-real-on-redundancy-pay-by-mark-serwotka/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:22:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark Serwotka</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3022</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The PCS union is balloting its members on industrial action over cuts to redundancy payments for civil servants. Five other unions have accepted the changes, but the PCS represents almost three times their combined membership.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/get-real-on-redundancy-pay-by-mark-serwotka/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Getting personal, by Jenny Owen</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/getting-personal-by-jenny-owen/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/getting-personal-by-jenny-owen/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:07:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jenny Owen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3000</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The drives toward passing the Personal Care at Home Bill, the green paper/white paper ideas and the social care transformation agenda are not convincingly synchronised. They need to be - there’s a lot at stake.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/getting-personal-by-jenny-owen/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Another fine mess, by Judy Hirst</title>
		<link>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/another-fine-mess-by-judy-hirst-2/</link>
		<comments>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/another-fine-mess-by-judy-hirst-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Feb 2010 02:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Judy Hirst</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[PF blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Central government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/?p=3040</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[JUDY HIRST &#124; Who are the good guys? For the protagonists in The Road – the movie based on Cormac McCarthy’s dystopian novel – it’s a life and death question. ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2010/02/another-fine-mess-by-judy-hirst-2/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
