tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post3495870616052979253..comments2024-03-27T16:39:43.522+00:00Comments on Liberal England: That Policy Exchange report: Is Tim Leunig a closet Marxist?Jonathan Calderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730157683743989696noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-89329133565218063992008-08-15T07:21:00.000+01:002008-08-15T07:21:00.000+01:00London 30 years ago: I accompanied my then boss th...London 30 years ago: I accompanied my then boss there to meet a dealer in secondhand mainframe computer systems and peripherals. The dealer was an Irishman who told us that he found the buzz of London irresistible. He took us to the Playboy Club for lunch, explaining that it was the best value for money place for an excellent lunch. The girls were certainly very welcoming.dreamingspirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00324207120279777521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-6940614102820167782008-08-14T11:33:00.000+01:002008-08-14T11:33:00.000+01:00London: Scruffy, Overcrowded, Overpriced, Full of ...<I>London: Scruffy, Overcrowded, Overpriced, Full of murderers, Thieves, Daily Stabbings and shootings , Armed robberies, Drugs, Homlessness starving people roaming the damp streets.</I><BR/><BR/>Feel free to believe that nonsense and leave those of us who like it here unmolested...John Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17024263999778310292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-46409118789690360992008-08-14T06:47:00.000+01:002008-08-14T06:47:00.000+01:00One of the recent changes (i.e. last 30 years) has...One of the recent changes (i.e. last 30 years) has been the unwillingness of people to move to another area, but still they take jobs there - long distance commuting is the result. And it seems that the higher the pay (until you get to the level that can afford 2 homes) the further they commute. Nevertheless, I was in Oxford recently on a Friday afternoon and its much more crowded than it used to be.<BR/>Another item from Ch4 News last night: the abysmal report on the risks to London's Oyster and the even worse Snowmail advance notice. Oyster is most definitely NOT being rolled out across the country, and the national spec for electronic transport ticketing mandates the ability of ticketing equipment to handle several types of smart media, some a lot more secure than Mifare. Silly season indeed, but resources correctly deployed to stories like Georgia as well as on the Olympics and China in general.dreamingspirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00324207120279777521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-56900583190496576292008-08-14T00:24:00.000+01:002008-08-14T00:24:00.000+01:00"...it is not possible for government or anyone el..."...it is not possible for government or anyone else to know such things in advance."<BR/><BR/>Now, you're not just talking about regeneration, are you?<BR/><BR/>An excellent post, Jonathan. However, you've overlooked the point that regeneration budgets are part of the problem: when 70% of employment in the North East is public sector, 57% of its GDP is government spending and yet businesses are expected to pay the same wages and follow the same regulations that apply in the thriving South East, there is no chance for native growth or inward investment.<BR/><BR/>The solution is not, as Policy Exchange argues, to encouage the skilled to move South. It is to encourage them to work and invest in the North. This isn't achieved by chucking money at the problem, but it might be achieved by reducing regulations and taxes on businesses so that they have a reason to take advantage of the huge opportunities (not least, a massivly under-employed workforce) that exist there.Liberal Polemichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05002372579024659424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-32796957039176156722008-08-13T22:35:00.000+01:002008-08-13T22:35:00.000+01:00LondonScruffy, Overcrowded, Overpriced, Full of mu...London<BR/>Scruffy, Overcrowded, Overpriced, Full of murderers, Thieves, Daily Stabbings and shootings , Armed robberies, Drugs, Homlessness starving people roaming the damp streets.<BR/>Tim wants to put down the library books and come into the real world.<BR/>Has he realised that we live on a very small island with good means of transport all around the Country<BR/>He is a good reason the Liberal Democrats will never get into power.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com