Bullshit Detector
Most people these days have a in-built 'bullshit detector' - when it comes to claims about public spending.
Now some politicians - and almost all trade unions - will try and tell you that every public pound is being well spent - that disaster beckons if this or that budget is cut.
Baloney of course - from start to finish.
Take the latest example to come from Westminster - where the last Labour government set up a project to create nine regional control centres - for fire and rescue services in England.
Which was a "complete failure" according to a powerful committee of MPs - and poured £469 million of public money straight down the drain.
The public accounts committee said the scheme had not achieved any of its objectives - and that eight of the centres were empty "white elephants".
The plan was finally scrapped in December 2010 - under the new coalition government - yet MPs of all parties were scathing in their condemnation.
Including the Labour chair of the committee - Margaret Hodge - who said the project had been "flawed from the outset" and was one of the worst wastes of public money for years.
I'm sure there are plenty of other smaller examples - and on both sides of the border - the fiasco over Edinburgh City Council's 'trams project' springs to mind.
Now the best part of £500 million is a lot of money - and could have been spent on much better things - it almost goes without saying.
£500 milion would have cleared off Scotland's equal pay bill - for example - but the last Labour government clearly had other priorities - as did the trade unions.
While assuring everyone - of course - that every public pound was well being spent and delivering great value for money.
Bullshit!
Now some politicians - and almost all trade unions - will try and tell you that every public pound is being well spent - that disaster beckons if this or that budget is cut.
Baloney of course - from start to finish.
Take the latest example to come from Westminster - where the last Labour government set up a project to create nine regional control centres - for fire and rescue services in England.
Which was a "complete failure" according to a powerful committee of MPs - and poured £469 million of public money straight down the drain.
The public accounts committee said the scheme had not achieved any of its objectives - and that eight of the centres were empty "white elephants".
The plan was finally scrapped in December 2010 - under the new coalition government - yet MPs of all parties were scathing in their condemnation.
Including the Labour chair of the committee - Margaret Hodge - who said the project had been "flawed from the outset" and was one of the worst wastes of public money for years.
I'm sure there are plenty of other smaller examples - and on both sides of the border - the fiasco over Edinburgh City Council's 'trams project' springs to mind.
Now the best part of £500 million is a lot of money - and could have been spent on much better things - it almost goes without saying.
£500 milion would have cleared off Scotland's equal pay bill - for example - but the last Labour government clearly had other priorities - as did the trade unions.
While assuring everyone - of course - that every public pound was well being spent and delivering great value for money.
Bullshit!
