There are increasing signs that the UK economy is faltering, with real difficulties to find a sound path to growth. Debt levels are very high historically, leading many to observe that we are living well beyond our means (and have been doing so for some time). And yet there still ...
As the public debate deepens in the search for growth and the need to boost UK manufacturing, digital infrastructure is an area which is fundamental but is little understood. A number of contributions to this debate have been made recently which raises the valid question as to whether the UK ...
This week, we have seen huge emotion in Greece as its Parliament voted to accept the tough austerity measures required for a further EUR 12 billion EU-IMF bail out package. In the Sunday Telegraph, Jeff Randall predicted that "the essence of ancient Greek tragedy is that the audience knows it ...
Yesterday, I was honoured to be the main speaker at the launch of Oxfordshire Business First at Unipart House in Oxford. As has been nicely explained by Frank Nigriello, its incoming Chairman, "we recognise 2 outcomes which are critically important to Oxfordshire":
"First, we must hear from businesses about the changes ...
Earlier this week, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, presented the 2011 Budget to "reform the nation's economy so that we have enduring growth and jobs in the future". In presenting the Budget, he sets out four economic ambitions for Britain to:
Have the most competitive tax system ...
'To those who would bet against the euro, watch out for your money because we are fully determined to defend the euro,' said the French President Nicolas Sarkozy last Friday at the World Economic Forum. Fighting talk - but should we believe him?
Ahead of today's European Council meeting where discussion ...
Nov
05
Just before the summer break, I listed the three issues which I felt would be key priorities for the EU over the next 18 months: greater effectiveness, coherence and visibility in the EU’s external actions; implementation and revision of the legislative package on energy and climate; and most important of ...
In my last blog entry, I asked the question whether we had the necessary will to succeed and are we being too complacent in view of the economic challenges which lie ahead.
The following analysis which came across my desk recently illustrates the reasons for my concern. Out of the three ...
In the discussions on the financial and economic crises over the past few months, we have paid little attention to the central question of where our economic growth is likely to come from in the next two decades. Our growth has principally come in the past decade from retail consumption, ...
