So what are we going to see less of?

It seems that every major political party is in agreement that the economic crisis will have to result in public sector cuts of some sort.

Thus we hear on a daily basis various different ideas about how this will be done, including a freeze on public sector pay and other suggestions too.

Whenever these points are raised and people from the public sector oppose them it's also met with the response that they just don't understand financial reality, unlike their private sector equivalents.

In fact it is simply an example of people protecting their jobs and conditions, which is hardly a surprise (and something which could be true of private staff too). However what about looking at this another way?

If a private company decides a particular department or business is no longer cost effective then they will shut that down. And that means they just won't provide that particular service any longer, or at least it will be vastly reduced.

But what about the public sector? In all the talk of cuts and 'reality checks' from politicians no-one is explaining what the public can expect to see less of now that cuts are being made. Instead talk about "cuts" seems to exist in a vacuum with no-one explaining in practical terms what this is going to involve.

So we hear talk of pay freezes or job cuts or even the fact that many essential workers have already seen their numbers plummet (2000 teaching jobs in Scotland gone in the past two years, for example) without explaining why the public should also lower their expectations.

When you spend less, something has to give. So if there are less teachers and money in schools there's no point in talking about fancy new curriculums without the staff or resources to properly deliver them. Or improving anything else for that matter.

In these economic times what everyone - and not just public sector workers - needs is a genuine reality check. It's hardly rocket science: the public sector is paid for by the public. If the public has less money because of the recession then obviously the public sector has less too.

But then again we also all know that you get what you pay for. If you go into a supermarket and pay less for a product you know that you are either going to get less or an inferior product. That's just the way of it and no-one is surprised by that.

This same logic goes for everything, including essential services. So if politicians and anyone else wants to keep espousing the need for freezes, cuts and job losses then they have the right to do so.

But they also have to tell everyone - not least those working in the public sector - just what they expect to see less of in return.

Welcome sentiments

My self-imposed blogging break isn't changing but this just begged to be highlighted.

It's often said that the worst situations bring out the best in people. What's happening in Haiti may prove that.

The reverse is sadly also true as some comments from some across the Atlantic in recent days have proven, with some essentially celebrating the Haitian tragedy.

For those however who wonder whether the US media can stand up to such nonsense (not least as evidenced during presidential elections) this response to these repugnant sentiments is quite brilliant.