Jobbery

Corrupt influence, which is itself the perennial spring of all prodigality, and of all disorder; which loads us, more than millions of debt; which takes away vigor from our arms, wisdom from our councils, and every shadow of authority and credit from the most venerable parts of our constitution. - Edmund Burke, 1780

Jobbery was the term Burke might have employed to describe the creation and awarding of often superfluous public appointments. It has fallen into desuetude, and to a degree has become obscured by the more encompassing term "rent seeking", which includes cosy government contracts with private business.

We really need to revive "jobbery" because it perfectly describes the legacy of, above all, the "New Labour Project", which was simply the old "progressive" dream of US President Woodrow Wilson to make the Democrats "the party of government" by creating so many public employees that it would remain in power for ever.

The legacy is plain to see in the well-paid sinecures created by the Labour fiefdom of Manchester City since 2008, illustrated here.

As the Daily Mail reports, eighteen public toilets are to be closed, lollipop patrols cut, two swimming pools and three leisure centres shut, five libraries sold off, charity funding reduced, and 340 independent living homes for the ­disabled closed.

All of these deeply - indeed deliberately - unpopular acts are being blamed on "savage Tory cuts", yet none of the vast number of non-jobs for Labourite parasites is to be axed.

My view is that if the electors of Manchester are too stupid to see what their Council is doing to them, then they deserve each other and should be permitted to go down the toilet together.