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Britain?s stuttering economy: Double-dip trouble

AN APPALLING month for David Cameron?s gaffe-prone government took a turn for the worse this week with the revelation that the economy has not, after all, clawed its way clear of recession. Preliminary figures released on April 25th showed that GDP shrank by 0.2% in the first three months of 2012 (at an annualised rate of 0.8%), following a drop of 0.3% in the last quarter of 2011. When Britain emerged in 2009 from the deep recession that followed the financial crisis, the hope was that the economy had enough momentum to maintain a modest recovery, even while the fiscal deficit was being dealt with. But growth, never robust, has stuttered since the fourth quarter of 2010 (see first chart). Now it has stalled, leaving output lower than it was in late 2010.

Nobody expected miracles, but the figures were surprisingly poor. On the basis of earlier surveys,...
The Leveson inquiry: Fatal attraction

Press regulation?s poster boys
THE problem with Rupert Murdoch and his clan, most critics would agree, is that they are too close to politicians. Ministers and opposition leaders have long cosied up to News International, his British newspaper company?and the attraction is mutual. But this week, at Lord Justice Leveson?s long-running inquiry into press misconduct, the intimacy gave way to bunny-boiling acrimony. Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, was the main victim.Mr Hunt?s misfortunes stem from the Murdochs? bid to acquire full control of BSkyB, a British satellite broadcaster, beginning in 2010. News Corporation already controlled the company through a 39% shareholding. But politicians and media rivals fearful of the firm?s heft (it owns four national British newspapers) fought hard against the purchase. Some wanted it blocked on the ground that it would erode media plurality. Others called for the bid to be referred to the Competition Commission?a slow, unpredictable process that the Murdochs were anxious to avoid.E-mails and text messages published on April 24th by Lord Justice...
Internship

The Britain section will soon be choosing an intern to work for several months this summer. Applicants should send a letter and an article of about 600 words that they think would be suitable for publication. A small stipend will be paid. Applications must reach britainintern@economist.com
by May 31st.
Bagehot: The pen is mightier

WHEN Britain?s biggest tabloid claimed credit for a Conservative general election victory with the front-page headline ?It?s the Sun wot won it?, its proprietor, Rupert Murdoch, was not pleased. Giving evidence on April 25th to a public inquiry on press ethics, Mr Murdoch explained that he had administered ?a terrible bollocking? to the Sun?s then editor, Kelvin MacKenzie. A ?tasteless? claim, he said. ?We don?t have that sort of power.?The inquiry?chaired by Lord Justice Leveson, a judge?this week shone a light on ties between the media and politicians. The most dangerous revelations were e-mails apparently detailing contacts between News Corporation, Mr Murdoch?s company, and David Cameron?s government during the firm?s abortive bid to buy BSkyB, a satellite-television outfit. The relationship was sometimes friendly, sometimes tense, but always close?and rarely craven on the part of the media firm.Another milestone in the Sun?s political coverage does not seem to have earned a proprietorial rebuke. It happened in 1992, on the night that...
Local elections: Day of dread

Look out behind you, Mr Johnson
SINCE the budget provoked a din of disapproval last month, Downing Street has been looking forward to May 3rd. The losses likely to be sustained in elections across 180 local authorities would be modest for a mid-term government, they calculated. And those losses would be sidelined by the re-election of the Conservative Boris Johnson (pictured, with Labour?s Ken Livingstone) as mayor of London.The government now dreads polling day. It is no longer afflicted by minor embarrassments over the taxation of hot snacks and charitable donations, but by grave questions over the future of Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, and its own economic credibility following Britain?s re-entry into recession. The Tories? plummeting national poll ratings?the party trails Labour by a double-digit margin in some surveys?is dragging down Mr Johnson. Polls tend to show him modestly ahead of Mr Livingstone, but they have become erratic. Defeat for the incumbent would heighten the impression of a government under siege.Moreover, the Tories are likely to be mauled in local...
Crowdfunding football: Buy this team

FOOTBALL fans are used to being squeezed by their beloved clubs through rising ticket prices, regular strip changes and stiff charges for food and programmes. They have rarely been asked to bail out the clubs directly. In Britain?unlike Germany, say?football clubs are generally limited-liability companies, the top ones often owned by rich foreigners. But fans of Portsmouth Football Club hope to change that tradition.Portsmouth was relegated from the Premier League in 2010, and will plunge to the third division next season. The club went into administration in February 2010 and again in February 2012. The Pompey Supporters Trust is now canvassing for interest in a takeover of the club by supporters. Fans are asked to put �100 ($160) into an escrow account. If enough do so, a community share scheme to buy the team will be created, with shares at �1,000.Until an arrangement has been reached with creditors, it is not clear how much a community buy-out will cost. But a quick survey outside the team?s ground before a recent game found fans in theoretically generous mood: ?�1,000? and ?as much as I have? were common...
Northern Ireland: Thin skins, thick bills

WELL-CELLARED bile is the mainstay of political memoirs and can attract lawsuits from those who recall events differently. But ?Outside In? by Peter Hain, Labour?s Northern Ireland secretary from 2005 to 2007, is making legal history.Mr Hain is being prosecuted in Belfast on the antique charge of ?scandalising the court?. The case concerns his account of an arcane twist of the peace process in 2006 when he appointed a policeman?s widow to report on the scope of a proposed new victims? commissioner. Aimed at assuaging people outraged at the release of paramilitaries, the move was contested in court?a common event in a system that long lacked its own political institutions.In his book Mr Hain skates over the details of the case, which he terms an ?irritating sideshow?. But he lets rip at the ?lucrative lawyers? industry? created by the local penchant for judicial review. And he attacks Lord Justice Girvan as ?off his rocker?, ?high-handed? and ?idiosyncratic? in asking the attorney-general to investigate whether Mr Hain perverted the course of justice. He recalls wondering if a new property-tax reform had annoyed the judge; and he briefly hesitated before confirming his promotion to the appeal court.Published in January, Mr Hain?s account made only a modest splash. But it did bring an incendiary response from the province?s most senior judge, Sir Declan Morgan. Far from being...
Urban design: Road warriors

You?ll never walk alone
FITTINGLY for a free-trading nation, Britain imports a lot of policy wheezes from overseas. One can now be seen in Exhibition Road, a west London street that contains the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. At a cost of almost �30m ($47m) and over three years, this 800-metre-long thoroughfare has been converted into the country?s largest ?shared space?. Road markings and kerbs have mostly gone, and it is no longer entirely clear what is pavement and what is road.The approach, which was pioneered by Hans Monderman in the Netherlands, is supposed to promote safety and ease congestion. Removing bossy signs, traffic lights and the distinction between road and pavement prompts drivers and pedestrians to pay more attention to each other, or so the theory goes. Towns and cities in Denmark, Germany and Sweden have abolished such distractions and reported fewer accidents.In some ways the British version is half-hearted. To reach the South Kensington museums, visitors must still cross a busy four-lane road using traffic lights....
The battle for Glasgow: Two left feet

IT IS not merely a party stronghold, but a place where history was made. Glasgow was one of the cities in which Labour began to take shape a century ago. The party has ruled the city council for the past 32 years. If Glasgow is seized by the Scottish National Party (SNP) in local elections on May 3rd it will be an acute humiliation for Ed Miliband, Labour?s leader?worse even than the party?s trouncing by George Galloway, an independent left-winger, in a parliamentary by-election in Bradford West last month.Labour?s local problems first emerged in 2007. The introduction of proportional representation on the single transferable vote system to Scottish council elections that year ended the tradition by which Labour won roughly nine-tenths of the council?s 79 seats. But Labour still managed to get 45 councillors elected, a comfortable enough majority. The SNP was in second place with 22 seats.Then things began to go seriously wrong. Faced with spending cuts, Labour accelerated a programme of devolving services, including housing and building work, to arm?s-length bodies that were meant to run things more commercially. But opponents and the media soon began questioning the contracts, and pointing out that Labour councillors were earning fat salaries on the boards of those bodies. The council leader resigned in 2010, citing exhaustion. In the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections...

The Economist: Britain Thu, 26 April 2012 15:02:44 GMT

Employees Pay - Employees Pay
...for a variety of reasons it could be for a new challenge or for better pay. Negotiations are often entered into when it comes to the employees pay and some people are better at negotiating than others. If you have been offered a new job recently and are weighing up the financial package that comes with it would you feel confident with any negotiations that were to take place? If not you can always receive help in this area to increase the value of your original package. Consultants can be brought in who can analyse your existing package and compare it to the new offer that is on the table. Once the analysis has taken place a negation guide can be provided to increase the value of the new package. The consultants have helped to increase employees pay many times and they work with clients in all industry sectors. The prospect of working at a new...
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Cheap Leaflets - Cheap Leaflets
...ou have a business, especially a new one it is very important to advertise products and services as much as possible. It is one of the best ways to let potential customers know what you can offer and where they can find you. The problem is that many businesses often have several costs and do not have much of a budget available for advertising. Many forms of advertising are very expensive, television and national newspaper adverts especially. One effective form of advertising that won`t break the bank is leaflets. Litho and digital printer services can often produce Cheap Leafletsthat can be delivered around the local area at a reasonable cost. Cheap Leafletscan look anything but cheap, they are printed in full colour on A4 or A5 paper and can even be printed on both sides. Cheap Leafletscan even be ordered on the internet and delivered to a business`s door for free. When ordering o...
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Coasters - Coasters
...s and sizes and you will not find many that are not used for advertising purposes, they are a really fantastic way to promote a company. Using the web you can find many manufacturers and printers of promotional, advertising, products including fund-raising items. They specialise in full colour from small orders to very large ones. Using your logo and artwork from your business there design studio can produce all of the following: bookmarks, Coasters, place-mats, mouse-mats, key-fobs, , note-pads, pencil cases, passport holders, diaries, badges, tax disc holders, permit holders, car document wallets, to mention a few, Coasters being the most popular. Many suppliers of these will manufacture In-house from their own raw materials. To use them to promote, many are given as gifts or freebies, to customers, clients or possible future. They are uniquely d...
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Pop Up Banners - Pop Up Banners
... to advertise your business, special event or product. These banners will ensure maximum exposure of your brand, logo or important message with minimum fuss or effort. They are perfect for use outdoors, at sporting events like golf days, and just as useful indoors too at exhibitions for example. Pop up banners have many advantages over more traditional vinyl and PVC banners. The pop up design banners are much quicker and simpler to put up and have the advantage of being lightweight, durable and even weatherproof. Once you have ordered your custom made banner there is no further thought needed apart from where you are going to use it. They are easy to store as well as use and will last you a long time if looked after. You can find Pop up banners easily on line and you can have total control over the design or if you need a little assistance jus...
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Archive Boxes - Archive Boxes
...f moving house and we were looking for ways to pack up our belongings. Luckily, my boyfriend works for a large office firm in the city centre and they have lots of archive boxes which he was able to bring home. We have found that the archive boxes are ideal for packing up belongings as they are so sturdy and can contain quite a lot of things. We are absolutely shattered at the moment because every single evening we are spending packing the archive boxes to the top with as many things as we can. As you can imagine, the place looks really desolate and we are sitting on the floor eating takeaways every night feeling really miserable. However, my boyfriend said to me the other day that we should focus on the future and we are indeed moving to a really lovely property. I know that in a couple of weeks all of this misery will be behind us an...
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Chiller Trailers - Chiller Trailers
...ere isn`t a fridge to be seen for miles? The simple answer is to take a refrigerated trailer to the site and power it by mains or generated power sources. chiller trailerscan provide plenty of cool when perishables need it the most. Tow chiller trailersbehind your family car and you`ll soon have a means of keeping perishables at a suitable temperature. At outdoor events a refrigerated trailer can come in especially handy. Weddings that have marquees can have plenty of food on standby when chiller trailersare used. For butchers attending a local food market a refrigerated trailer is a must. They can keep sausages and bacon in the right kind of settings and provide pork with plenty of cooling properties. A refrigerated trailer comes in many size options so there`s sure to be the perfect model for your nee...
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Waterjet - Waterjet
...rjet machinery? Need a decent local supplier who can provide you with the parts that you need when you need them the most? There`s a supplier in Yorkshire who stocks a comprehensive stockpile of parts and these components are suitable for the leading waterjet cutting machinery. This supplier has been in business since 1987 and since its early foundations it has steadily developed into one of the UKs leading parts providers. At any given time they have a massive collection of parts in stock and customers in desperate need of consumables for their waterjet machines can soon be united with the essentials that they require. In particular this firm specialises in parts for WARDjet systems with components available for all of the machines that sit snugly within this range. This can include the J, R and Z-series of machines that customers have come to r...
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Passport Holders - Passport Holders
...s of Passport Holders are available in many colours with black or maroon being popular choices and plenty of other colours to choose from as well. Each and every one of the Passport Holders is made from top grade leather and this will help to keep their contents safe from harm. You can contact the retailers who provide the Passport Holders and they`ll be able to help you out with any specific design ideas you have in mind. As marketing aids Passport Holders can be highly effective and they can certainly help to promote your company and get it noticed by a range of customers. Used for promotional purposes the Passport Holders are ideal as they look great and will get plenty of use by your valued customers. ...
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Refrigerated Trailer - Refrigerated Trailer
...sages, therefore, why not invest in a refrigerated trailer and you`ll be able to keep your goods in cool environments? Stock up a refrigerated trailer with all types of perishable foods and drinks and you`ll be able to travel in comfort knowing your goods are suitably chilled. A refrigerated trailer is the ideal type of transport for foods that are likely to perish in warm environments....
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Cesspit - Cesspit
...k that is used to store sewage and waste water. They come in all different shapes and sizes and are usually stored underground. Traditionally, a cesspit was made out of brick and these are still prevalent in many older buildings or properties. However, more modern buildings or properties will have waste water tanks made from fibreglass. A cesspit will take all of a properties waste water including sewage, sink and bath water. Because of the nature of the waste that is inside the tank and because the tanks are completely sealed, they need to be emptied on a regular basis. However, this all depends on the size of tank, the size of the building, the number of people living in the property or if appliances such as dishwashers or washing machines are discharging waste water to the tank. A cesspit is usually installed instead of a septic tank because of the grou...
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