Real Business

The Mexican standoff between the government and the banks appears to have come to an end, but the result continues to divide the country.

The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) suggests the Chancellor should have an alternative to his tough measures. I say: Stick to your guns, Osborne!

Topics: Finance

If Business Secretary Vince Cable’s plans to improve employment law and the tribunal process goes through, it will be a victory for employers.

The price of fuel is crippling the private sector. The rising cost of petrol means it’s pretty near impossible to run a business that relies on a fleet of 135 vans.

Let's hope that David Cameron’s "jobs summit" last week plays a part in heading off rising unemployment figures.

Plans for the Enterprise Allowance scheme, targeting the unemployed, is a common-sense approach to a private sector-led recovery.

I came across more evidence last week that a university education is not the be-all-and-end-all as far as getting a good job is concerned.

To all those in the private sector, the weather – like the recession and tax rises – is just another challenge to deal with and we’ll just bloody well get on with it. Not so for the public sector.

After reading about the World Cup bid in Zurich last week, I'd urge everyone to get down to the bookies and put a hundred quid on Qatar to win the 2022 World Cup final.

I’m a fan of the government’s proposed cap on immigration to this country. If it was down to me, I’d cut the quotas a whole lot harder – and I wouldn’t exclude Europe.

Any business that has to use this country’s road network will have serious complaints about how it affects productivity and profits. Roadworks caused by utility companies impede freight and public transport and are a serious cause of economic inefficiency.

Since the early eighties, the whole idea of benefits has become confused. What was supposed to be a safety net in a society where people basically wanted to work, has turned into something else – which some have come to see as an entitlement.

Strikes bring back horrible memories of the bad old days of the seventies and eighties, when the country came to a standstill because of disgruntled workers “fighting for their rights”.

What does Britain need to prove it's getting back on track? Enough of the doom and gloom!

So, we now know where the cuts will happen. The furore has died down, bar the wailing from Labour politicians and the trade unionists who are more professionally motivated than the rest of us to kick up a fuss.