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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

Custom Clearance - Custom Clearance
...essed at the moment because you find yourself worrying about the consignment of rugs that are being shipped in from Cairo? Do you find the whole process of Custom Clearancea bit of a muddle and struggle to understand the formalities that take place at dockside. It sounds like you could do with some assistance from a freight firm that can handle Custom Clearanceon your behalf. They often arrange sea import customs formalities for customers that are bringing full or part loads into the country. Ask them to provide you with a quote for the work involved and you`ll find they are extremely competitively priced. There`s no need to stress about Custom Clearancein the future not when experienced freight companies can make the whole process extremely simple. Ask them to handle the clearance procedures on your behalf and you`ll find that your cargo is ready for delivery in next to ...
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Acrylic Cubes - Acrylic Cubes
...owcase objects. Many retailers and shops can use Acrylic Cubes to display the products they sell. Acrylic Cubes are assembled using acrylic panels, and these panels are connected to each other using metal conductors. The acrylic panels are crystal clear and of high quality. They are also long lasting. Acrylic Cubes are also available in various sizes for customer specifications. We ensure that our Acrylic Cubes are durable and display an object in great style. We ensure customer satisfaction, and welcome our customers to have a look around. If you like what we have out here for you, go ahead and order your Acrylic Cubes today. ...
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Plant Hire Software - Plant Hire Software
... it at all times. If you are a site manager and are responsible for the movement of hire equipment from one site to another, I`m guessing that it can prove to be quite a balancing act most days. If you had some form of Plant hire software wouldn`t this make life a little easier as you could control the movement of the plant from the site office? A new software system is available for the construction industry and it makes hiring plant a much simpler process. Instead of keeping manual records and trying to work out what needs to be off hired you could be told this information by the software. Any plant that was due to go back to the hire company would be brought to your attention so that you don`t have to pay any additional costs. You`d be able to monitor the plant locations so that at the touch of a...
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Cd Duplication - Cd Duplication
..., it`s finally ready to send out. But you need tons of copies in a hurry. No need to worry. Cd duplication is now easily accessible over the net. There are some fabulous companies out there who offer you a professional, reliable service for a reasonable price. They will ensure that not only will they give you the highest quality copies of your disk ? they will even ensure your disks are protectively shrink wrapped to make sure there is no possible damage on despatch. When a company performs your Cd duplication for you they will give you a choice in the style of disks you can have ? which in turn will give you a choice in the colours of printing on your disk. These companies can also print your disks with any design you want for an extra charge to give your cd the ultimate professional look. Cd duplication can be carried out in three to five days, b...
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Coffee Shop Menu Printers - Coffee Shop Menu Printers
...ing when I go into coffee shops because I always tend to order the same thing. I might peruse the menu but I always order a Latte in the end. This has nothing to do with the way that the menu is laid out it`s just me preferring a certain type of coffee over others. I`m sure plenty of people are like me but there are also more adventurous types. They`ll pick up a menu and select something different every time they visit the establishment. Menus vary from one coffee shop to the other but one thing they have in common is they begin life at Coffee Shop Menu Printers. Artwork might have been sent through to the printers from the coffee shop and they will have produced top quality menus for the business in question. The look of the menus will no doubt sway certain customers into selecting a particular type of beverage. Quality counts and that`s why every menu produced by ...
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Structured Products - Structured Products
...isors take their time to research the latest structured productsthat are on the market? Do they compare and contrast, analyse and evaluate the products that will be suitable for their clients? If they take their role seriously they will and they`ll use all of the information that is readily available to them at the present time. It`s not as if it`s hard to find structured productswithin the marketplace and IFAs should make it their business to recognise the ones that will best suit their client`s needs. A service is available online to assist IFAs and the aim of the site is to promote the sector making it easier to understand. With this in mind the site is sponsored by product providers and they are open for financial service professionals. Registration is free and no commitment is required and a wealth of useful services can be found. IFAs will find...
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Plant Management - Plant Management
...relies heavily on the plant that it uses and at any one time there can be many items of plant on sites around the country. For some companies this can prove to be quite a headache as they try to keep on top of the location of certain items and manage the hire costs of specific machines. What these companies need is an efficient Plant Management software package that would enable them to keep up to date with all their plant equipment. An office based software package could be used to manage all types of machinery effectively. This Plant Management software package has been specifically designed with the construction industry in mind. It`s a complete solution for companies that constantly use plant and machinery on site. Once their software is installed they`ll know exactly how much they are a spending on hire costs. They can check where all of their plant i...
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Sales Techniques - Sales Techniques
...t from another? Confidence will play a part and an ability to build an immediate bond with the potential buyer will be a huge help. Yet sales folk can`t always rely on their natural abilities. Sometimes they need to be given sales techniques that can help them to clinch a deal. Sure, your staff might have the gift of the gab but are they being provided with a full array of tools that could enhance their sales techniques in the future? Possibly not and many companies make this mistake. The problem can be addressed by providing sales staff with essential training and courses can be conducted within organisations which cover a broad spectrum of areas. Some of the techniques will be in relation to customer handling skills whilst others will focus primarily on telephone selling. Key account m...
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Exhibition Stands - Exhibition Stands
...ibited. An exhibition is more effective with Exhibition stands than without them. These stands come in all kinds of varieties with different designs, sizes, shapes and styles suitable for any size, kind and style of exhibition on any scale. It is utterly important for a client to understand, recognize and explain with clarity the exhibition stand requirements. According to these, service providers or product sellers are able to deliver the best suitable Exhibition stands. Since educational systems are also becoming more and more practical, and students need to exhibit their works of arts and sciences just like any other exhibition, many companies now are designing stands and supports for such requirements also, which mostly are smaller in sizes are also cheaper in price. Day by day people are getting busier and do not find time ...
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A4 Presentation Binders - A4 Presentation Binders
...ly and believe in its credibility then I would also use A4 presentation binders . Obviously if I was going to send my work to a publisher if I used A4 presentation binders , they would be more likely to take my work seriously and therefore bother to read it. If the pages were screwed up in the post because they had nothing to protect them, then no doubt my work would simply end up in the bin! I remember that not only did our A4 presentation binders provide us with a handy tool to keep our maps folded correctly but they were also made a very handy waterproof seat as well! Unfortunately now that I am an adult living in the city the only associations with clipboards I have now are the ones being waved in my face by annoying street sales reps trying to persuade me to purchase a time share or t...
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