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That man Brown

Thursday, July 10, 2008
Compare and contrast:



Broon's reply is here:



For those who cannot be bothered with the erms and ums etc,

"One question saw "Jazza" ask the Prime Minister what he could do for the country that nobody else could. The PM replied that he was determined and focussed on changing the country and on giving everyone the chance to make "the most of their talents"."Why do I want to do this job, because there are things that I can do, I want every child and every young person in this country to have the chance to realise the potential to the full."My idea in life, why I get up in the morning is everyone should have the chance to make the most of there talents, that's what I am determined to do." Note he does not even begin to answer the thrust of the question, and one might wonder whether wits at Downing Street made this the lead video in order to hold Brown up to richly deserved ridicule and contempt.


Generally Brown's rather sad attempts to get down wiv the kids are not worthy of note, but the OECD has just lacerated the post '97 regime's approach to youth unemployment etc, and here , in a handy table are the figures:


As ever, click for heightened visibility, but the key points are an increase in NEETs, a fall in the employment rate, a rise in the unemployment rate and a higher unemployment rate for the low skilled relative to the OECD average. So, for the last 12 years he has been party to being 'determined and focussed on changing the country and on giving everyone the chance to make "the most of their talents". With great success, evidently.

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posted by Croydonian

Time to panic?

Tuesday, November 13, 2007
The OECD's site is 404-ing.

If the OECD has ceased to function, that would not be a small thing, as "The organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and co-ordinate domestic and international policies. The mandate of the OECD is very broad, as it covers all economic, environmental and social issues".

And it does have some rather significant players as members:


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posted by Croydonian

Memo to Brown from the OECD

Thursday, September 27, 2007
Available in full here.

"The budget deficit remains large, and slower growth in government expenditure will be required over the coming years, as well as more effort to ensure good value for money in public spending"

"Incentives to join the workforce and to progress in work should be improved for certain groups such as second-income earners, lone parents, and incapacity beneficiaries. This may require reducing marginal effective tax rates and providing greater access to child-care support. A slower rise in the minimum wage may also improve the employment prospects of the low-skilled".

"Tax competitiveness should be improved by continuing to broaden the corporate tax base while cutting the rate. The corporate tax system should be simplified and there may be room to shift taxation to less mobile sources".

More later, possibly.

(Ahem, headline typo fixed)

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posted by Croydonian