Can we believe anything we are told in the press?

[sasguru]

For years we have been told that "socialist" Europe is "sclerotic" as opposed to the dynamic Anglo-Saxon economies.
Yet the latest Newsweek(an American mag) tells us how much better Europe (not UK) is emerging from the recession.
And its a fact that Germany is a bigger exporter than the US (which is an amazing achievement seeing as US population is 350 million as opposed to Germany's 80 million).

So WTF? I think our lazy politicians (both left and right) have been justifying the fact that they had no industrial strategy for Britain. "Laissez Faire " was just a bankrupt philosophy to justify doing nothing.

And the chief economist of HSBC, one of the few to predict the downturn has just wriiten a book based on evidence from the data (not opinion) which suggests thats globalisation is bad for the UK, as service jobs are haemorraging to the East with very little benefit to the country as a whole, as opposed to short term gain for some corps.

So, how does it feel to live in a country committing economic suicide?
And one in which the politicians don't even understand the big picture?

[DimPrawn]

Can I get back to you on that one?

[suityou01]

Can I get back to you on that one?

You are Gricer and I claim my 5 free hand shandys.

[OwlHoot]

For years we have been told that "socialist" Europe is "sclerotic" as opposed to the dynamic Anglo-Saxon economies.
Yet the latest Newsweek(an American mag) tells us how much better Europe (not UK) is emerging from the recession. ...

Newsweek has a notoriously left-wing liberal socialist bias, and in this case they're talking utter bollox.

Germany may be doing OK, but what about Greece, Spain, Italy, and even France?

[DimPrawn]

You are Gricer and I claim my 5 free hand shandys.

Shhhhh.

[suityou01]

Newsweek has a notoriously left-wing liberal socialist bias, and in this case they're talking utter bollox.

Germany may be doing OK, but what about Greece, Spain, Italy, and even France?

[OwlHoot]

Well they were doing OK until recently

[minestrone]

Germany has a massive advantage with its location, the marshal plan gave mountains of money after the war to restoring their factories as they recognised that Europe relied upon a strong Germany in the middle coordinating the continent's manufacturing efforts. Although we got about 3 times as much money from the yanks we spent it all on the new NHS and social housing.

[original PM]

blah And the chief economist of HSBC, one of the few to predict the downturn has just wriiten a book based on evidence from the data (not opinion) which suggests thats globalisation is bad for the UK, as service jobs are haemorraging to the East with very little benefit to the country as a whole, as opposed to short term gain for some corps.Blah

really noo so you mean that CEO's of corps will look at short term financial gain over long term benefits to the country...

well nothing new here....

[scooterscot]

Of all the MP's currently in the British parliament only one is a scientist. No engineers. All are lawyers or holding degrees in politics. The scientific / engineering community is massively underrepresented and only highlights the floccinaucinihilipilification with which UK politicians regard this community. There is no interest in longterm planning.

Now Chancellor Merkel has a doctorate in physical chemistry, her closest advisers are physicists and engineers. One of my German clients has me working on a task who's sole aim is to ensure the reliability of product development over a 30 year period. My goodness, never have I had a client with such longterm thinking.