Category Archives: Britain

Britain, Government, Politics, Sport

Team GB offers a golden lesson in how to beat the world

TEAM GB

RIo Medal Table

Rio Medal Table

OVER THE PAST FORTNIGHT in Rio at the Olympic Games, Team GB exceeded the highest hopes, spreading euphoria and joy even among many who thought they were uninterested in sport.

Across a huge range and spectrum of disciplines, Team GB athletes have shown what this country can achieve at its best. It amassed a hoard of gold medals to outstrip even China with its population of 1.4billion.

Yet, the performances we have all witnessed have given us much more than an excuse to fly the flag or by raising a toast to Britain’s highest ranking in the medal tables for 108 years. Team GB has offered a daily lesson in human virtue, gruelling effort and its rewards.

See: A collection of moments from the 2016 Rio Olympic Games – Olympic Rio Gallery 2016

Interviewed after their victories, these supremely dedicated athletes, for the most part modest and unassuming, have attributed their success above all to sacrifice, determination and an unrelenting work ethic.

In the words of the immortal Mo Farah, winner of four Olympic golds: ‘If you dream of something, have ambitions and are willing to work hard, then you can get your dreams.’

These are true role models for Britain’s young, too often captivated by dreams of the effortless, vacuous celebrity of the tawdry stars of reality TV.

If our athletes’ performance spurs them to emulate the commitment of the likes of Andy Murray on the tennis court, cyclist Laura Trott, boxer Nicola Adams, taekwondo’s Jade Jones and gymnast Max Whitlock, what rich rewards this country would reap. The showjumping gold won by 58-year-old Nick Skelton and older Britons, too, also offers a lesson about the importance of refusing to give up.

 

BUT isn’t there also a lesson for politicians in our athletes’ phenomenal success?

As one victor after another has been quick to acknowledge, Team GB owes at least a measure of its triumph to the ruthlessly effective way in which the British Olympic Association and UK Sport channelled state aid and lottery money into the disciplines most likely to yield the richest crop of medals.

Wasn’t the Olympic investment strategy – focusing on fields in which Britain is strong, the competition vulnerable and the rewards enormous – a perfect model for government priorities after Brexit?

The fact is that in commerce, as in sport, Britain has huge strengths – as even the most ardent of Remainers are beginning to admit.

Indeed, US banking giant JP Morgan has become the latest promoter of Project Fear to reverse its prediction that the FTSE-100 would plummet after a Brexit vote. Now it tells investors that British shares are the safest bet in Europe.

Certainly, there are tough negotiations ahead – and the sooner they start, the sooner the cloud of uncertainty hanging over the economy will lift.

But with the right focus, there is every hope that wonderful opportunities will open up when we’re free from Brussels interference to develop industries and services of our own choosing.

In Rio, our athletes have shown what huge rewards can be achieved through self-belief and hard work, backed up by clear-thinking administrators with their minds fixed on results.

The ministers in charge of negotiating Brexit should learn from them. Instead of fighting turf wars among themselves, Boris Johnson, Liam Fox and David Davis need a clear strategy to help us take on the world and win.

Team GB has shown how it can be done. Now the politicians in Britain must get on with it.

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Britain, Economic, Government, Politics

UK Economy: Growth stagnation following Brexit?

UK ECONOMY

Intro: Whichever way we measure it, economic growth in the UK is not looking particularly good

It would not be unassuming to believe that the UK citizen has become confused or for admitting to bafflement at the array of economic data that has been released regarding the impact of the vote to leave the European Union.

The most recent came at the end of last week from the IHS Markit’s Purchasing Managers’ Index which indicates that Britain’s decision to leave the EU has led to a ‘dramatic deterioration’ in economic activity, not seen since the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

The data shows a fall in both manufacturing and service sectors and is described as the first significant set of data measuring business reaction to the referendum result. The figures displayed in PMI surveys are generally viewed as being reliable and an authoritative indicator of economic predictions.

This outlook came just after the IMF’s World Economic Outlook report slashed its growth forecasts, saying its prediction for the UK in 2017 was now a 1.3 per cent cut, down from the 2.2 per cent.

But there have been contradictory statements. The Bank of England admitted it saw ‘no evidence’ of a sharp economic slowdown and positive employment figures in the UK showed record numbers of people in work.

And perhaps in a desperate attempt to glimpse and portray a silver lining, it was reported that Britain was undergoing a staycation boom, with the tourism industry in particular set to reap the benefits of millions of people now choosing to holiday at home rather than travelling abroad thanks to the weakness of pound sterling.

The first point to consider is that predictions are just that, a prediction or an estimate on the economic outlook. And indicators only say how people think they might act; in these uncertain times such sets of data are more of a gamble than ever.

It is probably much better to concentrate on what has actually happened, although it is still very early to see all the consequences and implications coming through in the data.

In the first half of 2016, figures show that the global economy did better than expected, with stronger than forecasted growth in the Eurozone area and Japan, as well as a partial recovery in commodity prices.

The fall of the pound has already had an effect, making companies in the UK more attractive for takeover by foreign firms. ARM Holdings, one of the UK’s biggest technology companies, based in Cambridge, is to be bought by Japan’s Softbank in a £24 billion deal. Stirling-based Supaglass, the UK’s largest independent glass wool maker, is set to be purchased by one of Russia’s largest roofing and insulation groups in a deal reputedly worth around £8 million.

According to figures compiled by the chief statistician in Scotland, there was no growth in the Scottish economy in the first three months of this year. Overall, however, UK GDP grew by 0.4 per cent over the same period.

The expression ‘swings and roundabouts’ could have been coined to describe the economy. It undoubtedly varies and no-one can be certain of any set of predictions: many factors which will affect the British economy are beyond are control and not affected by Brexit at all.

Notwithstanding, though, any reasonable prudent or objective view would have to conclude that the prospects for UK growth are not looking particularly good either for the short or medium-term.

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Britain, Government, Politics

Theresa May: Paving the way ahead…

BRITAIN’S NEW BREXIT GOVERNMENT

Intro: One of Mrs May’s early priorities will be to bring together and unite a party which has witnessed brutal blood-letting over the past few months. Her ‘Brexit means Brexit’ statement is at least a clear and unequivocal approach

The appointment and inauguration of Theresa May as British Prime Minister will hopefully begin the long process of restoring some order and semblance after the post-Brexit turmoil which has marked the most tumultuous period in UK politics of the post-war period.

The former Home Secretary is widely perceived as a unifying figure, one that is surely needed to heal the wounds and divisions of a government, party and nation inflicted by one of the most ill-tempered political campaigns in modern history. That culminated in the UK’s decision to exit the European Union.

While Mrs May made an impressive start with her first speech outside Number 10 as Prime Minister, one in which she spoke out strongly in favour of the Union (of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland) and against social injustice, we should hope that she will do more than just speak about these subjects – and that her actions match her words (the vital missing element in the behaviour of her predecessor).

One of Mrs May’s early priorities will be to bring together and unite a party which has witnessed brutal blood-letting over the past few months. Her ‘Brexit means Brexit’ statement is at least a clear and unequivocal approach. Appointing David Davis – a Eurosceptic admired by his supporters for his views on issues such as civil liberties and taxation – as the new ‘Brexit Secretary’ suggests a safe pair of hands.

The new Prime Minister has also set her sights on operating a Government across the spectrum that approaches gender balance with more women in key roles providing a fresh approach. Many junior ministerial appointments are also likely to be filled by women. More importantly, though, is that Mrs May must also find a way to bring the country back together after the anger and hostility which has marked so much of the bitter exchanges of the EU referendum campaign. The most concerning aspect of the Brexit aftermath has been the rise in hate crime, which jumped by a massive 42 per cent in the two-week period surrounding the date of the vote. The new Government has a responsibility to ensure the transition to Brexit, while firm in approach, bypasses the rancour and intemperate approach which scarred much of the campaign and did collisional damage to Britain’s credibility on the international stage.

The Scotland question, too, is never likely to be far from Mrs May’s thoughts. Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, has rightly reminded the UK leader that Scots voted to stay in the EU, but to her credit Mrs May in a meeting with the First Minister in Edinburgh has said she will do all she can in accommodating Scottish requests and by exploring all options put to the UK Government. A new SNP mantra, of “If Brexit means Brexit, then Remain means Remain” seems likely to ignite renewed interest on a second vote for Scottish independence. This may be the only practical and legal route of keeping Scotland within the confines of the European Union. But the obstacle here will be whether Westminster will be so keen to allow such a vote, with it having the final say on the constitution.

But before Brexit, another independence referendum in Scotland or even national reconciliation, Mrs May has the future of the UK’s nuclear defences to sort out as MPs vote on the renewal of Trident on Monday (18 July). With the Labour Party in turmoil and in open revolt on the issue, Mrs May is herself facing the prospect of many Conservative MPs opposing the Government, as they feel the £30bn cost could be better allocated to conventional weapons. In less than seven days since taking office as Prime Minister, a backbench rebellion is already brewing.

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