Not very nice work. But very getting very nice pay.

Here's a job title to strike fear into anyone who cares about... well... anything really: management consultant.

If my Mum used to be too ashamed to tell folk I worked in advertising and so claimed I worked as the piano player in a brothel, then these were the guys in the rooms upstairs. And billing it at £300+/hr, no result-all fee, for a further bunch of senior, experienced, 'can't do without the talent pool' numpties to pass on to the hapless bunch they claim to serve.

I was en route to a do just now and caught the Jeremy Vine show on BBC R2. Always good for a popped blood vessel or three.

The topic seems to have been inspired by the news that said hourly rate was going to a merry crew to advise the Royal Mail, and £65M had been set aside to cover per diems.

And in a classic twofer we had the lady boss of the Institute of bloodsucking makeweights and an ex-practioner. Both, amazingly, had written books, which by sheer coincidence were mentioned more than the story.

Now I can only presume the lady was a relative of Mr. Vine's, as he pretty much followed each one of her statements with 'well, that's nailed that one!'.

Her opponent was actually rather good on facts, but very poor on presentation. So you can see how this went down in one of our premier news debate shows.

I kind of gave up hoping for balance when this bloke quoted the lady from her own book as saying 'most management consultancy is a total waste'. And she was then allowed to adjust it to 'well, some might be less than...' and move on.

And then a series of utter disasters, mainly public service, costing us a fortune and doing diddly squat, was raised and then dismissed as exceptions. NHS, Tax Credit, Child Support... you name the triumph of sod all, management consultancy was at its core. And still got paid.

What amazed me was this cocky bird couldn't seem to quote a single case (I presume there must be many) where the consultants had actually made a positive difference. She even tried to claim they'd had the 'idea' of putting MOTs online or something... with the DVLA. That's it???? And as the bod pointed out, even that didn't quite work as well as claimed.

Next she'll be saying the got an award for the crinkly bits around Norway (you'll have to know your Hitch-hikers Guide)

And barely discussed was the role of the even more venal crew who hire these guys. If they can't manage, why are they hiring others in to mis-manage for them? I am being rhetorical. Layers confer prestige and/or offer protection come the 'review'.

Sickening. Enjoy the bubbly-bath, guys. There is a wall ready and wait when the revolution comes.

Indy - Are drug treatment programmes a waste of taxpayers' money? - Speaking of total wastes of money. I can't do the maths, but it seems that it's costing hundreds if not thousands per person, to reach fewer addicts.