Tony McGuirk, chief fire officer of Merseyside has just had the courage to voice what has been painfully true for far too long; that a lot of the public sector workers are an utter waste of space.

I think West Berks Council is a classic example of this from the figures and lack of responses I have seen.

Tony McGuirk for Prime Minister I say!


"The public services are riddled with ‘bone idle people’ who have damaged the productivity of the state sector, a leading fire chief has claimed.

In a withering attack on the malaise gripping the public sector, Tony McGuirk has warned that unless bosses are prepared to sack lazy workers, they will never make the kind of savings necessary to put the economy back on course.

Mr McGuirk, chief fire officer of Merseyside, sparked outrage at the TUC conference yesterday by saying that he has been able to slash staff numbers by 40 per cent and actually provide a better service.

He advised other public sector bosses to show ‘muscle, sack some people’. "

Bone idle people in Merseyside, unbelievable

It may well have been the case for his remit, but I don't see how he can back up such a sweeping statement about the rest of the civil service as a whole.

Maybe he's after early retirement!!!

The trouble is organisations like the BBC will drum up people to protest on the streets. They have already indicated that they are going to Strike and would like a Winter of discontent so they can get there Labour cronies back in. Civil disobediance? We in the private sector should have a protest about how people in the Public sector think they should get over inflation pay rises why our salaries stagnate / fall back.

The BBC?? Was that a typo for something else?

I take it that Mr Magoo is including his bone-fekin idle firemen in his sweeping statement? Paid top dollar to play cards, watch telly and sleep all night so they're not too tired for their second day job......

Granted, they do have to polish the fire truck and slide down a pole every now and then.... and they also get to stand around a brazier asking passing motorists to "Honk if you Support Us!" when Mr Magoo and his chums think his workers are in need of an even greater wage packet........

But the proportion of their working life that is spent putting out fires/rescuing people from car crashes and being thoroughly UN-bone idle is EXTREMELY low....

Easy to criticsise but what is your solution then? Not have a fire service or cause more fatal crashes or maybe we should all become arsonists so the fire service has something to do?

This 'aiming a kick at public services' is just an easy target for those who are too bone idle to argue a case more fully...

Perhaps Blake would like to provide solution? He started the thread after all and obviously has a low opinion of his local authority.

Perhaps he could also explain what he meant by 'figures' and 'lack of responses' in his statement "West Berks Council is a classic example of this from the figures and lack of responses" while he's at it....?

I too thought it an ironic statement....

No JayJay the solution is not that we become arsonist so that they have something to do however I do tend to agree with spartacus and perhaps his point was McGuirk should get his own house in order before raining down on everyone elses????

Yes the fire service do do a valuable job and are much needed but when compared to the work load of other public services in doesnt compare. I can say that I have one in the family, I know what he does and how much he does it for!!!

Ossy probably knows this....

Blakey.... Ever been to a tri-service integrated control room with Police, FRS and ambulance services? "Integrated" is the most inappropriately used word in that context I have ever come across... The FRS boys and girls have to be behind closed doors, so they can indulge in kipping etc, without being disturbed by those noisy policemen and ambulance types.


Now, as to the changes/solutions that JayJay was after.... It's been considered before and the relevant Unions, especially the Firepersons one were ferociously opposed to the concept. There is no valid case for seperate fire and ambulance services, each with their own private fiefdoms and stations and shift patterns that have little to do with providing an efficient service and much to do with permitting the running of second jobs like painting & decorating, car repair and gardening services..

They both usually go to the same place, vast savings are to be had, but it would mean that instead of spending large amounts of time watching telly and reading, the people at many local fire station would actually have to pop their heads out of the station from time to time.

In the states, all firemen are paramedics as well.

Perhaps all Firemen should be retained, it works very well in smaller towns. Maybe not an option in large cities though.

They're called "firefighters" these days.
Musn't be sexist!

I prefer -arsonists.

No.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11281410

Coinciding with the Conservative Conference? Not political eh?

Also this is interesting

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/foi/classes/dis...y_0708_0910.pdf

Total workers 20605 - Average Salary £46042.92 (this may be skewed by some high earning presenters but I can't think of too many other organisations apart from investment banks that have an average salary as high as this).

And they want to strike over their GOLD plated pensions?
These people don't live in the real world.

Ah! The BBC unions makes more sense. "Organisations like the BBC drumming up people to protest on the streets" is what confused me.

The point is they will sensatialise any such protest and get reporters talking to people like Bob Crow who appears to want to take Britain back to the good old days of the 1970s... Poll Tax riots anyone?

I'm sure they only interview Bob Crow for a bit of light relief! He is a larf, innit?

Vive La Revolution!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/andr...how/8992051.stm