tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post1495817359482746517..comments2024-03-28T22:32:50.562+00:00Comments on Liberal England: Alan Johnson is neither Ed Balls nor married to himJonathan Calderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730157683743989696noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-26834589060366835592010-10-11T10:47:40.658+01:002010-10-11T10:47:40.658+01:00I don`t really care about the internal affairs of ...I don`t really care about the internal affairs of any party.<br /><br /> It does occur to me that Johnson has spent a lot of time lately, in partnership with Tory David Davies, trying to keep down job losses at BAE in Brough. All things being equal, I`d rather have someone as Shadow Chancellor with that sort of experience than the usual crop of Westminster insiders. <br /><br />Interesting that we hear little from either Cabinet or Shadow Cabinet about the 900 job losses at Boots in Notts, the closure of an Astra Zeneca plant in Leics - with the loss of 1200 jobs - or the redundancies at Toyota (Derbys), all of which have had dramatic effects on the lives of friends and neighbours of mine.<br /><br />Labour may well be out of touch - that`s why they lost the last election - but maybe they`re not the only ones.NIckohttp://bookshelvesandbrownale.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-82609106376085159252010-10-10T10:08:51.335+01:002010-10-10T10:08:51.335+01:00Had to look up EGT, I confess. "the enhanceme...Had to look up EGT, I confess. "the enhancement of a nation's human capital will lead to economic growth" (Investopedia). Same source re neoclassical economics and economic growth: "technological progression and other external factors".<br />Industry and commerce seems to operate on a mixture: expecting the training of UK people (but it takes a long time), renting people from abroad (available now from outside the EU if they can obtain visas; otherwise we just contract with them where they live). Vastly better communications blurs the distinction. So we need mixed mode politics...dreamingspirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00324207120279777521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-76899035775186896642010-10-09T09:28:32.837+01:002010-10-09T09:28:32.837+01:00There is, however, little sign that Mr Johnson bel...There is, however, little sign that Mr Johnson believes in endogenous growth theory, beloved of Brown & Balls.Frank Littlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12447989626809704972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-58249229964789040912010-10-09T07:22:38.415+01:002010-10-09T07:22:38.415+01:00Perhaps Ed M is trying to be touchy feely. Since t...Perhaps Ed M is trying to be touchy feely. Since the LibCon Coalition took over, I have recoiled from Ed Balls' crude attacks on them, and was scared that giving him the Treasury portfolio would simply turn the floor of the House into a bear pit whenever the economy is discussed. As for Mrs B, she does nothing for me. And of course both live in that cocoon wound round with money and privilege. Alan J has experience of both the real world and management of it - yes, it does sometimes make him seem blinkered, but we can live with that.<br />The commentators had of course spun their web of hints that not giving B and Mrs B spots such as Treasury would be signs of Ed M's weakness, but they did seem to come down to a binary position: either the Bs both get top spots or they both don't. Anything to do with Home Office is now something of a poisoned chalice, for it seems to be finally getting its come uppance. An alliance of Cabinet Office (Directgov), Dept of Health and outsiders (Business Link and an unknown group referred to as The Club) is trying to push forward much more online delivery of public services - which means a secure online eID method has to be found - but unfortunately they are doing it just for the public sector and not for all services, public or privately provided (USA federal govt is trying to work out a way to do it for all).dreamingspirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00324207120279777521noreply@blogger.com