Readers of The MJ will, of course, be unsurprised at media stories this week suggesting PM David Cameron's much-trailed and much-delayed White Paper on opening up public services will be less privatising than originally suggested.

Back in February when the story of a ‘radical, privatising' paper was first floated in the Daily Telegraph, causing an inevitable union backlash, The MJ pointed out that the paper was actually much less dramatic than its interpretation (24 February). In March, The MJ quoted DCLG minister, Greg Clark – who is presenting a report on decentralisation to the prime minister in the summer – equally denying that the White Paper would mean full-scale privatisation.