Coming soon - the mutant offspring of Concorde and the Chunnel
Or at least if the head of EADS - Airbus etc as was - has his way, as he thinks that what Europe (I think he means the EU) really, really needs is an industrial policy, so that it can pick winners. I simplify, but not much:
"I am in favour of the idea of a European loan programme to finance research and technological investment. After nuclear power, Airbus, Ariane, and now Galileo, the time is right for other programs: renewable energies, CO2 reduction, space exploration. If we do not do it, the Chinese or the Indians will take over".
Louis Gallois, for it is he, also has a good old moan about Boeing and US defence procurement, while keeping very quiet about the disaster that is the A400M transport plane, but that is a tale for another day. Gallois is an énarque (naturellement...), so this sort of thing is second nature to him.
As an unreconstructed old believer (a Raskolnik....) in the ability of the free market to make rather better decisions on what will and what will not work than those smart civil servants in Brussels, Paris, or dare I say it, London, it is amsuing that the special pleading always comes from the more decrepit sectors of the economy. As one of the greats noted, the movers and shakers in new areas of the economy are too busy making hay to have got around to building much of a lobbying etc team to angle for the state to give them money, market share etc which they cannot attract through non-political means.
Louis Gallois, for it is he, also has a good old moan about Boeing and US defence procurement, while keeping very quiet about the disaster that is the A400M transport plane, but that is a tale for another day. Gallois is an énarque (naturellement...), so this sort of thing is second nature to him.
As an unreconstructed old believer (a Raskolnik....) in the ability of the free market to make rather better decisions on what will and what will not work than those smart civil servants in Brussels, Paris, or dare I say it, London, it is amsuing that the special pleading always comes from the more decrepit sectors of the economy. As one of the greats noted, the movers and shakers in new areas of the economy are too busy making hay to have got around to building much of a lobbying etc team to angle for the state to give them money, market share etc which they cannot attract through non-political means.
Labels: arms and the man, business
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