The most difficult reforms to carry out are always those that ought to be change the very people responsible for creating them. For this reason, the government's reforms are not going well. Pronouncements are made often, interim measures are being taken (up until now they have mostly affected government employees), but missing are the structural changes that can make the public administrations more modern. That is, smaller in size, more or less decentralized and nimble, and without dualities and with adequate and transparent compensation for upper-level workers.
This formula should also apply to lower-level civil servants, too, because there are still too many jobs in this realm. Transparency means more than just an annual report in the BOE, Spain's yearly report on the state of the nation. Transparency means creating a clear salary scale where the Prime Minister is at the top and clearing outlining what employees receive in salary and benefits.
For example, does it makes sense that ministers, presidents and regional counselors and mayors, who are elected, get paid relocation bonuses from Congress when they already receive state-fundedcars and traveling expenses' It's also hard to fathom how the regions already have more than 2,000 employees when they have cut back by 25%.
These situations are mentioned because in lieu of carrying out structural changees, the government is making cutbacks that help to contain the town council deficit but don't address the root of the problem nor a structural deficit. Politicians should provide a good example and conduct reforms to the public sector although doing this runs counter to their own interest. Patches won't work, nor are they convincing.
