And the bad news stories they are burying today are

[BrilloPad]

Balance of trade - should get very interesting as north sea oil production drops off (i.e. happening now)

it depends if you include invisibles or not. Seems like all of New York moving to London - so on average the country will be better off. That is a few rich morons in London while the rest of us are worse off. Isn't statistics wonderful?

[bobhope]

Balance of trade - should get very interesting as north sea oil production drops off (i.e. happening now)

[wendigo100]

I didn't realise the UK actually made anything anymore.

Friend of mine who runs her own fabric business tells me there are loads of government grants available for companies that actually make things.

[lilelvis2000]

I didn't realise the UK actually made anything anymore.

[zathras]

A thread for all the bad news stories they are burying today...

I'll start with one just spotted:

ID card bill has jumped £400 million in the last few weeks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6641971.stm

UK trade deficit widens to £4.5bn

The UK trade gap widened once again in March, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show.
The shortfall in trades and services grew to £4.5bn in March, from £4.3bn a month earlier.

A deteriorating goods gap - which grew to £7bn - was a key factor in the fall, with the figure at its highest level since May last year.

But, output from UK factories rebounded in March, rising 0.6% - its highest rate since May 2006.

Meanwhile, the output figures are likely to allay fears for the UK manufacturing industry, suggesting that a tentative recovery that began last year is back on track.

The UK's trade gap with the enlarged European Union (EU) widened to £3.1bn during the month from £2.8bn in February, as car imports increased.

On the upside, the deficit with non-EU countries narrowed slightly to £4bn from £4.1bn during the period.

[lilelvis2000]

A thread for all the bad news stories they are burying today...

I'll start with one just spotted:

ID card bill has jumped £400 million in the last few weeks.

Gaurdian says its more like £840m!

[realityhack]

6 month prison term for govt comms specialist

"LONDON (Reuters) - A civil servant was jailed for six months on Thursday for breaching the Official Secrets Act by leaking a memo of a top-secret meeting between Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. President George W. Bush.

The judge ruled that no details of the document could be reported by the media, apart from those referred to in open court, fuelling speculation that the conversation between Bush and Blair may have been candid to the point of damaging.

Keogh, who opposed the war in Iraq, said during the trial the memo alarmed him because it suggested Bush was a "madman" and he felt it should be disclosed to parliament."

Move along, nothing to see here...

[chicane]

Sally Anne getting married.

So this is bad news for you?

Elaborate.

[Kyajae]

Sally Anne getting married.

sasguru is still alive

[ChimpMaster]

Sally Anne getting married.

[Diestl]

Gordon Brown will be the next PM.

[threaded]

A thread for all the bad news stories they are burying today...

I'll start with one just spotted:

ID card bill has jumped £400 million in the last few weeks.