So, our dear would be leaders are trying to score cheap 'reduce your tax' points by claiming they can find some GBP30bn in savings on non-frontline services.

Now I've not read the James report (177 pages of PDF? I've got better things to do with my time, and I'd wager that a good percentage of Tory PPCs have too), but I would guess that you won't find the following in the list:

• Killing all internal markets and associated paperwork
• While we're at it, killing most of the double-double-double checking to make sure that a single benefits claimant doesn't get overpaid a penny (and never mind if some get underpaid)
• Killing the ID Card scheme and whizz-bang-machine-that-goes-ping immigration high tech schemes designed soley to increase fear in the population.

On the other hand, I would take a hard look at government communications departments that don't bother use standard Direct Marketing testing methods (and indeed, deny that statistical sampling actually works at all) to increase the effectiveness of their communications, rather than assuming that their own experience in designing mailings is guaranteed to deliver the most effective results possible.