Engineering contributes a third to our overseas revenues

The message on Labour's serial failures is starting to get through to trade journals, as the editorial (extract below) by Les Hunt for DPA magazine shows. Remember these are the hard headed people who only pay attention to measurable reality and bottom lines, and are immune to Labour spin and announcements.

In my view its particularly significant that Gordon Brown's relationship with his "Banker friends" is so clearly identified. We have enslaved ourselves in debt to save the bankers, but the engineers offer a large contribution to our economy. How do we get repaid - with a dumbed down and disastrous education system ( see GCSE Physics and weep ), no credit to small companies (despite the announcements ), and large helpings of bullshit about the green economy whilst not even taking the measures to keep the lights on over the next few years.

The political class in general needs to wake up to reality, as dealt with on a 24hr basis by UK Advanced Engineering plc.

Buddy, can you spare a dime?

12 March 2009

Engineering – to be more precise, advanced engineering - was in the news last week as trade & investment minister, Lord Davies of Abersoch reminded us that our advanced engineering exports accounted for a whopping third of the UK’s total annual overseas revenues – some one hundred and nine billion pounds, in fact, according to 2007 figures.

Speaking to an invited audience gathered at the great hall of the Institution of Civil Engineers in London, the recently ennobled Lord Davies (a labour peer and a member of Gordon Brown’s coterie of ex-banker friends) was launching yet another government initiative to promote British engineering prowess overseas.

So, was this yet another plate of sops proffered to our floundering engineering sector and a lot of expenses-paid trips for company executives to exotic climes (apparently including Brazil, Russia, India and China, this time around)? It is clearly important that we undertake these trade missions and one hopes for positive outcomes, but it is difficult not to be cynical about their promotion, particularly at a time when manufacturing infrastructure remains in such a precarious state back home.

Lord Davies mentioned companies like Rolls-Royce and Jaguar Land Rover as leading the drive overseas. He also said that many companies in the UK sector are small and medium sized businesses that form a vital part of the global supply chains for firms such as Boeing and Airbus. Quite so, but aren’t these businesses also currently those that are now crying out for help, simply to keep afloat?

Perhaps Lord Davies would be better off going back to his masters to persuade them that charity, first of all, begins at home, and that unless the government is minded to put some fiscal measures into effect now to shore up the Jaguar Landrovers of this world, not to mention their many suppliers, that is the erstwhile viable, hi-tech companies that have simply become victims of circumstance, then we’ll have little advanced engineering to peddle at home, let alone overseas.....

Les Hunt [ The rest is avialble at DPA Magazine "Buddy can you spae a dime" here ]

The Prime Minister refuses to even answer the question let alone resign !

I have to admit I was surprised the e-petition below managed to get published on the No 10 web site. In essence the petition accuses Brown of being responsible for the mess were in and demands his resignation.

As is the standard parallel universe operating mode of Labour politicians these days the response from No10 just ignores the how we got into the current mess and whom was responsible for it - ie the point of the petition and hits you between the eyes with the Kirkcaldy telephone directory of Gordon's mini me initiatives.

Frankly I for one am fed up with Labour minister refusal to answer questions by address the question.

Make sure you have something soft in front of you before reading as you'll be needing to bang your head a lot to dull the pain.

---

Fianance - epetition response

We received a petition asking:

“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to resign due to gross financial incompetence in running the British economy.”

· Read the petition
· Petitions homepage

Read the Government’s response

The success of the Government’s macroeconomic framework, introduced in 1997, means that the UK is facing the international financial crisis and the recession it has caused around the world from a solid foundation. Credible medium term objectives and mechanisms for short-term flexibility mean that the Bank of England and the Government can deliver the necessary support to the economy without compromising their commitments to low inflation and sound public finances.

The Government’s priorities to get Britain through the recession fairly are to prevent the collapse of the banking system, so that people’s savings are secure and the banks can do their job; to get the financial system lending responsibly again so as to support businesses, jobs and growth; to support the economy and jobs through direct government action, including tax cuts and important investment projects; and to help people through these tough times, from homeowners with difficulties paying their mortgages, or people seeking employment or training, to small businesses with cashflow problems and larger businesses needing working capital.

Action has also been taken to boost our economy by putting money in people’s pockets and bringing investment plans forward. This includes:

· income tax cuts of £145 for every basic rate taxpayer;
· £60 extra for every pensioner in January 2009;
· a VAT cut worth on average over £200 to every family this year; and
· an extra £3 billion investment in projects that will protect and create jobs.

Further details of the measures the Government has put in place to provide real help now so that homeowners, families and businesses can get through the downturn fairly are available online at http://www.realhelpnow.gov.uk/

In addition to discretionary fiscal policy to support the economy through these difficult times the 2008 Pre-Budget Report announced a sustained fiscal consolidation from 2010-11 when the economy is expected to be recovering and able to support a reduction in borrowing:

· restricting the income tax personal allowance for those with incomes over £100,000 from April 2010, and introducing a new additional higher rate of income tax of 45 per cent for those with incomes above £150,000 from April 2011;

· increasing the employee, employer and self-employed rates of national insurance contributions by 0.5 per cent from April 2011;

· to offset the effects of the temporary reduction in VAT, increasing alcohol and tobacco duties, maintaining these increases after December 2009 to support fiscal consolidation; and following a fall in pump prices of over 20 pence per litre from their summer peaks, a two pence per litre increase in fuel duty from 1 December 2008; and

· an additional £5 billion value for money target for 2010-11 and setting assumptions for spending growth from 2011-12 onwards.

We will continue to do everything we can in the current difficult times to give real help now to families and businesses, and help our economy to come through this recession as quickly as possible, and we will take the tough decisions in the medium-term to maintain low inflation and sound public finances. This will ensure the UK is well-placed to prosper in the new global economy which will follow the current global recession.

Real tax payers money being spent campaigning for Labour

Just look at this web site ( screen shot below ) and tell me tax payers money isn't being used to provide political campaigning for the Labour party.

Surely Sir Gus O'Donnell should have something to say about this ? This is clearly a misuse of government resources for political campaigning.

PS If you want to read Brown's pathetic attempts at misdirection and dishonest and shameful omission of his own culpability go here.

See also:

Dizzy wasn't impressed earlier this morning.

The "Real Help Now" sound bite is clearly a Labour party campaigning slogan as can be seen by looking at Liam Byrne blog here, Jaqui Smith ( who certainly knows how to help herself) here , and some Labour MPs site here.

The problem with Labour is they think their parasitical existence and expense accounts and the national interest are the same thing.

A commentator at Guido's web site ( who posts off subject) has out it all well here.

Alice isn't impressed with the propoganda element or the content here.