What do you propose we do? Continue throwing money at the public sector so that unemployment is artificailly reduced while pushing up the wages bill and pension deficit?

70% of new jobs between 1998 and 2007 were in the public sector; one in four jobs in urban areas in in the public sector. Witness what has happened in the HNS. Massive spending, but on the wrong things - more managers (who get 7.2% pay rises despite a Government pay freeze) and more waste.

What we need to do is get the private sector expanding again by providing the right climate for investment - then you can shunt people from the bloated public sector into jobs that provide real returns for the country and provide a better environment for the future.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but it isn't going to happen overnight. It needs to be done at a pace that keeps people in work, paying tax and spending money. Making 6000 civil servants unemployed overnight is just going to lengthen the dole queue, reduce customers and market confidence.

The public sector needs to have a pay freeze this year except for the lowest paid who get £400 as proposed by one of the parties. Then use the time between now and the end of the year to get rid of surplus non jobs like "No Smoking Coordinators" that I have seen advertised. These would be painless overall, as well as identify any possible cuts that do not lower the service. After that the government could decide what level of cuts to make.

I know for a fact the lower rungs of the civil service often have to fight for back pay that is rightfully theirs, not to mention the discrepancies (spelling?) in grades and gender, though this is gradually being sorted after decades

The problems with grades will inevitably be settled in court. If the councils have the money to settle is another matter.