RIP Public Sector

I have been busy at my desk to day, talking to clients looking at new work, new proposals and even some new prospects, it's safe to say I was feeling good until i was unfortunate enough to switch on the radio and catch the the Yah Boo Brigade that is our parliament shouting at each other like a room full of 3 years olds smacked out on panda pops (do they still exist?). I was amazed by the sheer volume and aggression that was being exhibited until I realised that this was the much hyped spending review - or the big slash and burn as it has become known in our office.

I'm not going to comment of specific cuts here as this isn't the place to do so but i would like to say something about the demise of the public sector and the completely barmy notion that the private sector can in anyway in-fill for the hundreds of thousands of people that will be looking at a very bleak Christmas. There seems to be none or very scant plans to help businesses grow, tighter regulation, tougher tax regimes, increased employer pensions contributions, none of these things say "take on new staff, it's boom time"!

None of our private sector clients are currently doing a tap dance in anticipation at having another 500,000 people applying for there Junior Account Executive role either! It really is time that we saw some balance in the austerity measures -

Last year we completed some stunning work for the public sector - work for the National probation service which was seen as radical and innovative - a department that will likely be halved by todays announcements. We also developed a series of films for Worcestershire PCT midwives which have already been used to support nearly 10,000 births across the region and they re in the process of launching the films in 4 languages nationally. Now some people might see these things as a waste of money but they all have proverb results and in the case of the birthing film can even save lives.

One of the first things that will be cut from any public sector spending is the communications budget - but my question to everyone in the public sector is simple.

"If you stop communicating what you are doing, what is the point in doing it in the first place"?

In a recession (Lets not kid ourselves about being out of that yet, the numbers may say different but everything else looks and feels like a recession still) the key to development and growth is not reducing your spend but increasing it, in a focused targeted way. The age of the generalist is gone and it is time for the specialists to takeover. Small perfectly formed and focused we can move quickly upscale and downsize as we need but retain a core knowledge which is both unique and sellable. But none of these things will help ease the pain from the demise of the public sector - the public sector is the biggest generalist of them all, all things to all people, the absolute opposite of a specialist because ether have to cater for the lowest common denominator.