By George, that’s a cracker idea for trimming the state sector wage bill

George (left) has a Christmas surprise for British public servants.

Alf is making a pitch for the state services portfolio with an idea passed on to him by a Pommy mate, George Osborne.

He hopes to stake his claim to the job and the ministerial baubles that go with it during a chat with The Boss today.

He knows – of course – that a few weeks ago John Key was outlining his post-election priorities to the Dom-Post.

Key mentioned how the Government plans to immediately implement the new lower public service staffing cap.

The cap was signalled in the Budget when Finance Minister Bill English announced the public sector would need to cut almost $1b.

That’s where Alf reckons he has a great idea (or rather, that’s where Alf thinks he can impress The Boss by promoting George Osborne’s idea).

Berl, the booze bill and a backdown

Because boozing is among his favourite activities (he prefers to call it networking), Alf has been interested in the brouhaha over a study by Berl.

The NBR kicked it off, at least in terms of news media coverage, and Business Roundtable executive director Roger Kerr today gets in on the act in the NZ Herald.

Focussing on fiscal fillip and folly

A big hurrah went up from right-leaning quarters of the blogosphere after the Business Roundtable’s Roger Kerr sounded out on the shortcomings of fiscal stimulus in the NZ Herald.

Kerr is particularly bothered by the pressure on the government in these recessionary times to increase its spending to give the economy a fiscal lift and likens increased spending to throwing petrol on a fire.