company sales business

Britain?s stuttering economy: Double-dip trouble

AN APPALLING month for David Cameron?s gaffe-prone government took a turn for the worse this week with the revelation that the economy has not, after all, clawed its way clear of recession. Preliminary figures released on April 25th showed that GDP shrank by 0.2% in the first three months of 2012 (at an annualised rate of 0.8%), following a drop of 0.3% in the last quarter of 2011. When Britain emerged in 2009 from the deep recession that followed the financial crisis, the hope was that the economy had enough momentum to maintain a modest recovery, even while the fiscal deficit was being dealt with. But growth, never robust, has stuttered since the fourth quarter of 2010 (see first chart). Now it has stalled, leaving output lower than it was in late 2010.

Nobody expected miracles, but the figures were surprisingly poor. On the basis of earlier surveys,...
The Leveson inquiry: Fatal attraction

Press regulation?s poster boys
THE problem with Rupert Murdoch and his clan, most critics would agree, is that they are too close to politicians. Ministers and opposition leaders have long cosied up to News International, his British newspaper company?and the attraction is mutual. But this week, at Lord Justice Leveson?s long-running inquiry into press misconduct, the intimacy gave way to bunny-boiling acrimony. Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, was the main victim.Mr Hunt?s misfortunes stem from the Murdochs? bid to acquire full control of BSkyB, a British satellite broadcaster, beginning in 2010. News Corporation already controlled the company through a 39% shareholding. But politicians and media rivals fearful of the firm?s heft (it owns four national British newspapers) fought hard against the purchase. Some wanted it blocked on the ground that it would erode media plurality. Others called for the bid to be referred to the Competition Commission?a slow, unpredictable process that the Murdochs were anxious to avoid.E-mails and text messages published on April 24th by Lord Justice...
Internship

The Britain section will soon be choosing an intern to work for several months this summer. Applicants should send a letter and an article of about 600 words that they think would be suitable for publication. A small stipend will be paid. Applications must reach britainintern@economist.com
by May 31st.
Bagehot: The pen is mightier

WHEN Britain?s biggest tabloid claimed credit for a Conservative general election victory with the front-page headline ?It?s the Sun wot won it?, its proprietor, Rupert Murdoch, was not pleased. Giving evidence on April 25th to a public inquiry on press ethics, Mr Murdoch explained that he had administered ?a terrible bollocking? to the Sun?s then editor, Kelvin MacKenzie. A ?tasteless? claim, he said. ?We don?t have that sort of power.?The inquiry?chaired by Lord Justice Leveson, a judge?this week shone a light on ties between the media and politicians. The most dangerous revelations were e-mails apparently detailing contacts between News Corporation, Mr Murdoch?s company, and David Cameron?s government during the firm?s abortive bid to buy BSkyB, a satellite-television outfit. The relationship was sometimes friendly, sometimes tense, but always close?and rarely craven on the part of the media firm.Another milestone in the Sun?s political coverage does not seem to have earned a proprietorial rebuke. It happened in 1992, on the night that...
Local elections: Day of dread

Look out behind you, Mr Johnson
SINCE the budget provoked a din of disapproval last month, Downing Street has been looking forward to May 3rd. The losses likely to be sustained in elections across 180 local authorities would be modest for a mid-term government, they calculated. And those losses would be sidelined by the re-election of the Conservative Boris Johnson (pictured, with Labour?s Ken Livingstone) as mayor of London.The government now dreads polling day. It is no longer afflicted by minor embarrassments over the taxation of hot snacks and charitable donations, but by grave questions over the future of Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, and its own economic credibility following Britain?s re-entry into recession. The Tories? plummeting national poll ratings?the party trails Labour by a double-digit margin in some surveys?is dragging down Mr Johnson. Polls tend to show him modestly ahead of Mr Livingstone, but they have become erratic. Defeat for the incumbent would heighten the impression of a government under siege.Moreover, the Tories are likely to be mauled in local...
Crowdfunding football: Buy this team

FOOTBALL fans are used to being squeezed by their beloved clubs through rising ticket prices, regular strip changes and stiff charges for food and programmes. They have rarely been asked to bail out the clubs directly. In Britain?unlike Germany, say?football clubs are generally limited-liability companies, the top ones often owned by rich foreigners. But fans of Portsmouth Football Club hope to change that tradition.Portsmouth was relegated from the Premier League in 2010, and will plunge to the third division next season. The club went into administration in February 2010 and again in February 2012. The Pompey Supporters Trust is now canvassing for interest in a takeover of the club by supporters. Fans are asked to put �100 ($160) into an escrow account. If enough do so, a community share scheme to buy the team will be created, with shares at �1,000.Until an arrangement has been reached with creditors, it is not clear how much a community buy-out will cost. But a quick survey outside the team?s ground before a recent game found fans in theoretically generous mood: ?�1,000? and ?as much as I have? were common...
Northern Ireland: Thin skins, thick bills

WELL-CELLARED bile is the mainstay of political memoirs and can attract lawsuits from those who recall events differently. But ?Outside In? by Peter Hain, Labour?s Northern Ireland secretary from 2005 to 2007, is making legal history.Mr Hain is being prosecuted in Belfast on the antique charge of ?scandalising the court?. The case concerns his account of an arcane twist of the peace process in 2006 when he appointed a policeman?s widow to report on the scope of a proposed new victims? commissioner. Aimed at assuaging people outraged at the release of paramilitaries, the move was contested in court?a common event in a system that long lacked its own political institutions.In his book Mr Hain skates over the details of the case, which he terms an ?irritating sideshow?. But he lets rip at the ?lucrative lawyers? industry? created by the local penchant for judicial review. And he attacks Lord Justice Girvan as ?off his rocker?, ?high-handed? and ?idiosyncratic? in asking the attorney-general to investigate whether Mr Hain perverted the course of justice. He recalls wondering if a new property-tax reform had annoyed the judge; and he briefly hesitated before confirming his promotion to the appeal court.Published in January, Mr Hain?s account made only a modest splash. But it did bring an incendiary response from the province?s most senior judge, Sir Declan Morgan. Far from being...
Urban design: Road warriors

You?ll never walk alone
FITTINGLY for a free-trading nation, Britain imports a lot of policy wheezes from overseas. One can now be seen in Exhibition Road, a west London street that contains the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. At a cost of almost �30m ($47m) and over three years, this 800-metre-long thoroughfare has been converted into the country?s largest ?shared space?. Road markings and kerbs have mostly gone, and it is no longer entirely clear what is pavement and what is road.The approach, which was pioneered by Hans Monderman in the Netherlands, is supposed to promote safety and ease congestion. Removing bossy signs, traffic lights and the distinction between road and pavement prompts drivers and pedestrians to pay more attention to each other, or so the theory goes. Towns and cities in Denmark, Germany and Sweden have abolished such distractions and reported fewer accidents.In some ways the British version is half-hearted. To reach the South Kensington museums, visitors must still cross a busy four-lane road using traffic lights....
The battle for Glasgow: Two left feet

IT IS not merely a party stronghold, but a place where history was made. Glasgow was one of the cities in which Labour began to take shape a century ago. The party has ruled the city council for the past 32 years. If Glasgow is seized by the Scottish National Party (SNP) in local elections on May 3rd it will be an acute humiliation for Ed Miliband, Labour?s leader?worse even than the party?s trouncing by George Galloway, an independent left-winger, in a parliamentary by-election in Bradford West last month.Labour?s local problems first emerged in 2007. The introduction of proportional representation on the single transferable vote system to Scottish council elections that year ended the tradition by which Labour won roughly nine-tenths of the council?s 79 seats. But Labour still managed to get 45 councillors elected, a comfortable enough majority. The SNP was in second place with 22 seats.Then things began to go seriously wrong. Faced with spending cuts, Labour accelerated a programme of devolving services, including housing and building work, to arm?s-length bodies that were meant to run things more commercially. But opponents and the media soon began questioning the contracts, and pointing out that Labour councillors were earning fat salaries on the boards of those bodies. The council leader resigned in 2010, citing exhaustion. In the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections...

The Economist: Britain Thu, 26 April 2012 15:02:44 GMT

Parking Permits - Parking Permits
... with Parking permitsthat enable them to park on company premises. In built-up areas parking can be a problem and pricey public car parks can be rather off-putting. They might be tempted to try their luck in private car parks that have lapse parking control measures. One way to ensure that the vehicles that are parked in car park have a legitimate right to be there is by issuing their owners with Parking permits. Self cling or adhesive versions are available and they have can have corporate logos printed upon them along with spaces for serial numbers, vehicle registration numbers, space numbers and issue dates. People might be allocated a certain space in the company car park that will tally with the number that is shown on their parking permit. Personnel can hold details about workers` vehicles to ensure that parking procedures are being...
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Lashing Equipment - Lashing Equipment
...t can also mean securing a load inside a container in order to prevent it from sliding or falling. Lashing is a widely used in industry today. There are different types of lashing- direct lashing, diagonal lashing and tie-down lashing. Lashing Equipment can be prefabricated lashing belts, chains, wire rope, and also ropes made of artificial or natural fibres, or a combination of both. Lashing Equipment means devices or aids for securing loads against slippage, tipping and even falling. It may comprise of chains, wires, ropes, straps or rods and is generally used in conjunction with a tensioning device for example a turnbuckle, twist lock or ratchet tensioner. Depending on the way in which the load needs to be secured, it may be referred to as cylinder lashing, cross lashing, wire-rope lashing or round-turn lash...
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Tape Storage - Tape Storage
...h the ideal answer when they want to create additional room within the office setting. Old tapes can be taken away from the company and they can be stored in secure environments far away from the building. Should their services be required in the future they can be brought back to the business where the information that is kept on them can be perused. It seems pointless having row upon row on unused tapes taking up room in your office when you can keep them in a secure tape storage location elsewhere. The space that you clear in the office can be put to greater use and the tapes can still be accessed at anytime that you like. Rest assured that your tapes will be free from dust, water damage and acts of abuse once they are placed in the holding facility. Each item is traceable from the moment it comes into the possession of the tap...
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Exhibition Stands - Exhibition Stands
...duct intended for show or for sale, needs to be exhibited. An exhibition is more effective with Exhibition stands than without them. These stands come in all kinds of varieties with different designs, sizes, shapes and styles suitable for any size, kind and style of exhibition on any scale. It is utterly important for a client to understand, recognize and explain with clarity the exhibition stand requirements. According to these, service providers or product sellers are able to deliver the best suitable Exhibition stands. Since educational systems are also becoming more and more practical, and students need to exhibit their works of arts and sciences just like any other exhibition, many companies now are designing stands and supports for such requirements also, which mostly are smaller in sizes are also cheaper in price. Day by day people are getting busier and do not find time ...
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Coffee Shop Menu Printers - Coffee Shop Menu Printers
... boring when I go into coffee shops because I always tend to order the same thing. I might peruse the menu but I always order a Latte in the end. This has nothing to do with the way that the menu is laid out it`s just me preferring a certain type of coffee over others. I`m sure plenty of people are like me but there are also more adventurous types. They`ll pick up a menu and select something different every time they visit the establishment. Menus vary from one coffee shop to the other but one thing they have in common is they begin life at Coffee Shop Menu Printers. Artwork might have been sent through to the printers from the coffee shop and they will have produced top quality menus for the business in question. The look of the menus will no doubt sway certain customers into selecting a particular type of beverage. Quality counts and that`s why every menu produced by ...
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Cable Display - Cable Display
...display. As the name suggests, it is a system of display that relies on cables. With the help of moderately tight cables, a display can be held up. cable display systems are designed to stay fixed even though they appear to be fragile. The only thing is it should not be disturbed physically or should not be setup in an area where it is likely to be disturbed....
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Safe Repairs - Safe Repairs
...n either your home or your place of work. Because of this it is vitally important that it is well maintained and is always in the best possible condition. If you are having problems with your safe, and need a highly skilled engineer to perform Safe repairsbut do not know who to turn to then why not get in touch with one of the best safe locksmiths in the UK. They can help you with all aspect of Safe repairsand will guarantee that they will give you the very best service. They are also experts in electronic security for your home and have a large selection of cameras, recording equipment and alarm systems and all are at realistic budgets in store. As well as Safe repairsthey also have a wide range of safes for sale, as well as key cabinets. Whether you have a small domestic safe or a commercial under floor safe, their skilled engineers have b...
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Restaurant Menu Printing - Restaurant Menu Printing
...er day to do a spot of shopping and enjoy a leisurely lunch in an Italian restaurant. I love it when you first sit down at the table and peruse the menu carefully. There`s an air of anticipation about what is to follow as you look forward to the meal. I think the look and layout of the menu is important, as is the choice of food that is on offer. I reckon that restaurants put a lot of thought into their Restaurant Menu Printing and employ the services of specialists in this field. With an attractive menu available to give out to the customers they will be able to pick a number of delicious dishes at their leisure. If the menu is lacking then they might decide to take their custom elsewhere. Businesses that provide a Restaurant Menu Printing service can provide menus for all types of establishments. They can keep Italian restaurants bus...
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Fire Suppression - Fire Suppression
...l and it will devour anything that is in its path. The bush fires in Australia claimed numerous lives recently and over in America, California has been plagued with a series of fires in the past. It`s always sad when you hear about lives being lost due to the ravages of fire, especially if precautions could have been taken to prevent lives from being wasted. Inside buildings fire suppression systems can be installed and they can stop fires and help to prevent potential injuries. Gas fire suppression systems are particularly effective and the agent used in these systems is a mixture of Nitrogen and Argon. The gas is stored at room temperature and when it is deployed it doesn`t produce any condensation. Fires are extinguished when this type of suppression system is used because the gases in the agent deplete the oxygen that i...
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Precast Concrete - Precast Concrete
...ast Concrete on building sites around the country. Not only can building sites put Precast Concrete to good use though, other types of settings can create suitable storage solutions when these products are brought in to help. A number of Precast Concrete products can be made through specialist companies who work with their client`s right from the start to ensure they get the concrete products they require. Certain Precast Concrete products like retaining walls are perfect for both building and agricultural settings. On building sites the Precast Concrete walls can be used to hold soil and rocks back whilst farms can use such items as storage facilities for animal feeds and other grain related materials. Brick faced Precast Concrete can make a brilliant alternative to traditional bricks and mortar works on building sites. The beauty of this type o...
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