Public Sector workers will always be paid well

It is being said that the Brown government is maintaining public sector pay rises because it is frightened of the unions. That isn't really the point. In times of unrest and dissatisfaction any government, particularly one that has poor support and popularity, has to shore-up its power base by looking after Government workers. That's why public sector workers are getting their indefensible and deeply unpopular pay rises while the private sector continues to cut pay and shed workers.

This will continue to cause real resentment in society, particularly as more and more private sector workers and pensioners suffer further cuts. This Government policy, while perfectly traditional, is likely to cause the most resentment in the usually laid-back middle classes.