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  • The economy: Squeezed

     

    THERE was never any doubt that Britain?s economy was destined for a stormy close to 2011. Its proximity to the tempest engulfing Europe guaranteed that. All told, the economy?s fourth-quarter performance?a contraction of 0.2%?is a bit worse than expected, but hardly surprising. Is worse to come?The answer depends overwhelmingly on whether Europe?s crisis deepens or is resolved. A sharp decline in European industrial production from September hit both demand and confidence among British businesses. In the fourth quarter British industrial output sank by 1.2%. Yet the euro-zone economy seemed to be stabilising by the end of the year. Industry on both sides of the English Channel fared somewhat better in December, and in January the euro zone posted a surprise increase in manufacturing activity.Things are somewhat cheerier at home, too. Consumer-price inflation fell from 4.8% to 4.2% from November to December alone. That should reduce pressure on real household incomes, buoying demand. The hangover from December?s gyrations could leave Britain in recession through the first quarter, but growth is expected to return thereafter. The IMF now forecasts growth of 0.6% in 2012, a bit better than the average economists? projection of 0.2%. Those figures hinge on continued progress towards a resolution of Europe?s crisis.

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  • Professional and business services: Unsung heroes

     

    THE court battle between Roman Abramovich and Boris Berezovsky, which centres on years-ago dealings in a Russian oil company, has kept London?s high court busy for the past three months. It has provided amusement to Russian journalists, who are keen to peek inside the lives of two rich men. And it has plumped British lawyers? pockets by an unknown, but surely considerable, sum. Law seems to be defying wider economic trends: according to the latest official figures, turnover has grown by about 10% in the past five years. Two of the world?s top five firms are based in London, and last year alone the number of solicitors swelled by 3.5%. Law is a thriving export industry, with foreign earnings accounting for about 25% of the total.Talk of rebalancing the economy away from harmful, ethereal financial services and back to honest manufacturing tends to overlook a large, thriving business sector that falls roughly between the two. Taken together, professional services (lawyers, accountants, architects and so on) and business services (anything from IT and call centres to security, training and catering) are worth 17% of...

  • The mortgage market: Home truths

     

    SOMETIMES it takes the interaction of powerful forces for things just to stand still. So it is with Britain?s housing market, which lenders expect to remain characterised this year by low levels of transactions and stable prices. But, quietly, the property market is being transformed.The forces bearing down on housing are obvious enough. Home sales have fallen sharply since the start of the financial crisis, to around half their 2007 levels. That reflects greater conservatism on the part of lenders??We don?t assume that home prices will go up, a mistake everyone made in the past,? says one?and of borrowers worried by an uncertain economic outlook at home and endless euro-crisis headlines. Household demand for secured credit fell in the last quarter of 2011, according to the Bank of England.A slump in volumes has not led to a slide in prices, however. House prices are down by less than 10% from their peak, still well above The Economist?s definition of ?fair value?, which is the long-run average ratio of house prices to rents. Prices in America, by contrast, have fallen back to fair value. A shortage of housing supply has helped sustain prices, as have low interest rates: two-thirds of British mortgage-holders are on variable-rate loans. A big rise in unemployment would unsettle this equilibrium, but only if joblessness bites among homeowners rather...

  • Unlikely cities: In name only

     

    The Michael Bloomberg of Tower Hamlets
    LONDONERS like to think they live in one of the world?s great cities. London may be great, but, formally, it is no city. Lacking a royal charter, it is merely an administrative division composed of 33 local authorities and controlled by the Greater London Authority. But if London cannot be a city, perhaps bits of it can. One new city will be created in Britain this year to mark the queen?s diamond jubilee. Among the 25 places that have submitted bids are two London boroughs, Croydon and Tower Hamlets.Until 1889 city status was given only to towns with an Anglican cathedral. That changed when Birmingham was awarded a royal charter despite lacking a diocese. The government has periodically handed out the honour since, often in conjunction with a royal celebration. But there are no fixed criteria and no clear rewards. City status affords no new rights, privileges or duties; the biggest change is in the signage and stationery.Most towns make economic arguments, seeing city status as a draw for investors. There is no evidence for this, says...

  • Bagehot: Global Britain, SOS

     

    WITH your back to the open sea, an island can feel encircled, even claustrophobic. Turn to face the waves and an island feels like a starting point, a place surrounded by a variety of bracing possibilities, both good and bad.Britain has the politics of an island. At worst, its political debate can be parochial, even tin-eared about the world outside. Yet Britain is an outrider for openness, standing out among large European nations for its faith in free trade, liberalised markets and undistorted competition. In many neighbouring countries, calls to reject free trade and embrace protectionism attract a quarter or more of the vote. Not in Britain. Yet in island politics, the temptation to gaze inward is never far away.Debates about capitalism dominate British politics. The Conservative prime minister, David Cameron, his Liberal Democrat deputy Nick Clegg, and the leader of the opposition Labour Party, Ed Miliband, have repeatedly spoken about building a fairer economy. Responding to voter anger, they talk of reining in bankers? bonuses and pay packages for company bosses. All three agree that there is a need to...

  • Scottish independence: More than just words

     

    But who will call the tune?
    ?DO YOU agree that Scotland should be an independent country?? If Alex Salmond gets his way, that will be the main question confronting his compatriots in the autumn of 2014. Scotland?s Nationalist first minister set the timing of the referendum on the nation?s independence earlier this month. But its wording, which was announced in a consultation document on January 25th, will be more important to the eventual result.Unionists want Scots to be asked simply whether they wish to stay in the United Kingdom or to leave it. Mr Salmond?s main question does that, albeit in a rather leading way. But his consultation keeps open the option of an additional question: whether Scotland should be given more powers of self-government. Mr Salmond?s critics say that he wants to include this option of ?devolution max? on the ballot because he cannot persuade enough Scots to leave the union: polls suggest only one-third support a break. He retorts that it would be undemocratic to exclude an option that commands a lot of support.Mr Salmond?s announcement is merely the latest...

  • Demography: The changing face of London

     

    LONDON imports the young and exports the old, the theory goes?or went. For decades people have come to the capital to go to university or work, moving out again when their children require more space or education or when they retire. But a startling demographic change has drastically slowed the conveyor belt.Births in the capital each year have soared by 25% since 2002, as British women who delayed childbearing finally got down to it and London?s many immigrants produced in Stakhanovite quantities. London contributed fully 37% of England?s natural population increase (the surplus of births over deaths) between 2009 and 2010. Many parents are now staying put, thanks to a sticky mortgage market that makes it hard for buyers to get a loan and a sticky labour market that makes it hard for anyone to be sure of a job. Half as many London properties were sold in 2010 as in 2004. Grandparents, too, are less keen on leaving than they were. Black and Asian immigrants who settled in London in the 1960s and 1970s are disinclined to move away from their families in London for the pleasures of, say, Margate.So London is...

  • Health reform: This will hurt a bit

     

    WHAT education was to Tony Blair in his first term, health is to David Cameron. The National Health Service is not just a target for reform and a recipient of comparatively generous tax funding. It is the public service to which the prime minister has made the strongest personal commitment, and the one on which he wants to be judged. But, as the coalition?s health bill heads for the statute books, problems are multiplying.Reform plans launched a year ago seek to do two things at once, both onerous. The first is to save £20 billion ($31 billion) by the fiscal year 2014-15, requiring productivity to rise by 4% annually. The second is to place more responsibility for commissioning patients? care in the hands of local doctors, who are expected to group together to buy services from hospitals or other providers?a process ministers believe will bear down on costs. At the same time, private health providers will be allowed greater leeway to operate in NHS hospitals.It has been a hard road. Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, has been forced to delay the introduction of consortia and make them more accountable to local scrutiny. Instead of encouraging new ways of delivering care, austerity has prompted rationing: the number of patients waiting longer than the 18-week target for hospital appointments has jumped by over 40%. This week a parliamentary committee criticised the...

  • Bagehot: Alex Salmond, Little Englander

     

    ALEX SALMOND, leader of Scotland?s pro-independence party and first minister of the Scottish government, has a revelation to share. Over the years, he confides, there has been a tendency among some people in Scotland to blame things that go wrong on the English. He adopts a sorrowful air, as if pondering?for the very first time?man?s capacity for grievance.Happily, Mr Salmond has a plan. He intends to hold a referendum on Scottish independence in the autumn of 2014. Grant his homeland its independence from the United Kingdom, he says, and the honest folk of Scotland will be friends with the ?plain people of England?. Flanked by a pair of large Scottish Saltire flags, he quotes the homespun wisdom of a childhood family friend, predicting that, after independence, England will lose a ?surly lodger? and gain a ?good neighbour?.Mr Salmond calls himself the most Anglophile figure in Scottish politics. He has ?great faith? that the English people can craft a modern new identity without the ?appendage? of Britain. In a public lecture in London on January 24th, he plans to argue that the example of an independent...

The Economist: Britain Thu, 26 January 2012 16:02:59 GMT

Case Sealer - Case Sealer
...you were worried that your packing cases wouldn`t reach customers in one piece. They contain expensive goods and you were worried that they might come undone whilst they were in transit. As a manufacturer that produces a vast amount of products you couldn`t expect your team members to seal each and every carton by hand. It`d take staff ages and a backlog of boxes would be littered throughout your warehouse, as staff struggled to keep up with your output levels. This why you bought a case sealer a year or so ago and this mighty machine can cope with boxes of varying sizes. It has fully-automatic adjustable capabilities to deal with a variety of box heights and widths. The case sealer works on the top and the bottom of the box sealing perfectly with adhesive tape. This process is carried out in a smooth and accurate manner to ensure uniformity with every action. Bui...
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Column Casings - Column Casings
...ic and commercial properties to offer protection to boilers, pipes and other fittings. The column casingsare easily fitted and can be easily maintained. There many variations in colour and design so the casings and panels provide style and longevity at the same time. The column casingscan save the expenditure of expensive tiles and plastering. So it is cost effective too. The wide variety of wall protection and column casingsthat are available means that you will be able to find casings to fit your requirements. You can chose from a wide range of quality and colours. The protections are ideal for bathrooms, kitchens and living rooms. In a commercial property the casings are commonly used in car show rooms, schools, cafeterias and retail outlets. The installation process is very easy and it is a wonderful alternative to tilin...
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Print West London - Print West London
...cil is trying to organise a ?walking bus` to her local school. She is very keen on protecting the environment and believes that if more people walked their children to their local schools, that less damage would be done to the ozone layer. As she had canvassed some mothers outside the school gates and received a positive response to her walking bus project, she decided to publicise it further and try to get the event into Print west London. She phoned the local newspapers up and had interviews with them to explain what the project was about. She also decided to get some flyers printed and looked around for suitable companies who Print west London. She really got the local school behind the campaign as well and they kindly offered to donate some money to help with the cost of the Print west Lo...
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Thermography Printing - Thermography Printing
...ompetitors? Why not take advantage of the recent advances in technology and have your stationary printed using the new thermography printing techniques. The principles of thermography printing are extremely simple. Thermographic powder is applied to the surface of a printed sheet and the surplus is removed by suction, vibrating or shaking, with the powder adhering only to the wet ink. The method of excess powder removal is dependant on the model that your stationary is printed on. The printed and powdered sheet is placed face upwards on to a conveyor belt which carries it under the heater. thermography printing powder has the characteristic, when heated of swelling slightly and fusing to form a raised glossy surface very similar to that produced by embossing. The powder is itself colourless so the em...
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Wall Protection - Wall Protection
...ial places. The Wall Protection is used for different reasons. It is easily washable and does not catch the fire. So it`s a protective cover which can be maintained easily. Moreover the sophisticated and stylish Wall Protection panels can change the face of your house. The variation in colour scheme & texture, durability have made it unparallel. So Wall Protection panels provide style and longevity at the same time. The Wall Protection panels can save the expenditure of expensive tiles and plastering. So it is cost effective too. n-Case Styla range Wall Protection welcomes with an entire new range of high quality plastics wall panels which are really world class. The Wall Protection available here are recyclable and eco-friendly. It is non-porous, non-toxic and can protect against chemicals. It promotes the environme...
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Corporate Sailing - Corporate Sailing
...s and you can cater for your clients and keep them happy at a number of events. You might have heard a whisper that a few of your corporate chums like to take part in sailing events throughout the year. How pleased would they be if you provided them with corporate sailing for a day onboard a magnificent vessel? Motor yachts can be chartered to cater for corporate gatherings and short term rentals prove to be popular. Life onboard a 72ft yacht will be anything but boring as you and eleven other delegates soak up the sun and feel the salty spray upon your faces. Onboard these prime vessels there`s a host of luxury accommodation with both covered saloons and open air quarter decks being available. The tempting teak decks on the yachts provide you with a walkway so you can explore all parts of the yacht. Fine food and wine can ...
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Projections - Projections
...lay their company logo or message onto iconic buildings. The designs of the Projections are often visually impressive and very striking. This form of advertising is really popular when used as part of a PR campaign or brand launch and it never fails to get noticed by consumers. Using cutting edge technology, the bespoke media Projections can be displayed in city centres, specific landmarks and on selected buildings during the evening hours. Recently, sports giant Puma launched their ?New Shoes` campaign by projecting logos and images onto the side of buildings in the UK....
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Ladies Scarves - Ladies Scarves
... employees, whilst also helping boost your company`s image, with out spending a fortune. What a lot of companies do not realize is that you can do both of these things with out paying expensive marketing companies. Why not invest in a corporate image, a uniform including such items as Ladies Scarvesand shirts and ties for the gentlemen. It has been proven that it can not only improve the image of your workplace to visitors and potential clients but can also improve morale in your staff as their work clothes are being provided ? saving them the expense of buying clothes to wear in the office. There is one bespoke Ladies Scarvesand ties supplier who can guarantee to give you exactly what you want. Supplying a tailor made service to meet each client`s individual requirements, this Ladies Scarvessupplier established a successful ...
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Booklet Printing - Booklet Printing
...iant booklet printing services don`t just grow on trees you have to look around to find the best deals. When you want a quick turnaround for all your booklet printing orders then you`ll need to find the right types of printers that can deliver what you want, when you want. If you have a need for booklet printing and are looking for suitable print applications then digital printing might be the answer to your requirements. Modern digital print processes are almost as good as litho quality printing but it benefits by having no setup fees and it can give you an extremely fast turnaround. When you need a booklet printing service then this could prove to be very handy as you`ll have your desired booklets with you in a very short space of time. Companies like Digital Print Services specialise in booklet printing and they can have a batch of booklets with you whenever the need arises....
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Create Stunning Presentations - Create Stunning Presentations
... in what you are teaching to them. Getting the students to read word for word from books or simply copying what you have written down on the board is often not the best way for children to learn as they can quickly become bored, distracted and not take in what you are trying to teach them. Help your class to Create stunning presentationsas a great way to get the whole class involved. It keeps the children interested, alert and makes sure each student is participating in the group exercise. The old saying ?a picture says a thousand words` has never been more relevant as people now have access to high quality digital images that are fantastic to use as part of a teaching aid. You can help them Create stunning presentationswith a series of high quality images and photographs that are perfect wh...
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