A useful tool is the WEF's 2017/18 Global Competitiveness Report. For starters, I've pulled off the rankings of the UK and of our closest competitor, Germany, in the field of Institutions.
However, there are three key indices that completely drag us down. Government favouritism (pork barrel corruption), government efficiency (27th globally compared to Germany's 6th) and the burden of government regulation (32nd globally to Germany's 7th). My own view is that the drag of government on the nation's output is due to our highly concentrated central State. Whitehall wants to control and micromanage everything, but does so badly - and as a consequence economic efficiency is badly impaired.
The other index that lets us down badly is trust in our politicians. Britain's politicians are trusted less than 16 other nations. Of course, this was compiled before their disgraceful behaviour in Parliament over Brexit. Today it must be off the page.
10 comments:
So, how does the UK rate in the other pillars, then?
E.g. Health, housing, and educational standards of workforce etc.?
T&Cs of employment, occupational pensions, company loyalty and morale?
Must be a bit nippy chez vows right now? I agree about central government and trust in politicians. Have you noticed that both Brexit and Remain have stopped trying to convince each other’s followers of the strength of their own arguments. We have regressed to the state of the religious wars of the 16 and 17 century. Each side flings insults and cannot say anything remotely civil about the other.
Whilst I am a fervent Brexiteer I find the breakdown in intelligent and sensible communication a little worrying, until good sense prevails the great British compromise will be impossible.
As a cheeky thought to cheer people up one of my great regrets is that Ted Heath is not alive to see Brexit. Can you imagine the vitriol, the sulks and generally horrendous behaviour. It rather puts that arriviste Heseltine into context.
the burden of government regulation (32nd globally to Germany's 7th).
Colour me 'surprised' as the Bishop said...
I would have thought Germany to be far worse for government regulation than the UK-although the yUK has indeed gotten worse year on year. There is a common bon-mot among German businessmen that "Apple could not have gotten off the ground here as it is verboten to run a business from a garage"
Infact I would go as far as to say the entire 'system' (ie government regulation) is designed solely to quash commercial innovation and prevent successful startups that might challenge not only the large corps but also the 'einzelhandel' (As I'm sure either I or Raed has said before, German retail is protected by laws and regulations that Hitler brought in).
On a lighter note I have been enjoying the popcorn and watching the AfD do a 'tory party' about the idea of 'DeXit'.
You are a weirdo Ketch. If you believe your second to last paragraph WTF are you a remainiac for?
GFisher--This is about far more than Brexit. The life of freedom AND Globo-evil cannot BOTH prevail or co-exist. We must beat these bastards or they will have the endless techno-tyranny they want. There is no common ground with evil or the fools and stooges of evil.
After Brexit we need to dump VAT--which will be a mighty bollock punch to the ESpew all by itself. And get our troops out of Europe. We have wasted enough money on their defence. It is time the Army was consolidated and built up again ready to contain their EU military circus.
Lots to do.
Jack - interesting point. It's counter-intuitive, isn't it? Explanation may be because this ranking came from an executive opinion survey that asked "In your country, how burdensome is it for companies to comply with public administration’s requirements (e.g., permits,
regulations, reporting)?"
It may be that the Q was answered by managers of established firms rather than start-ups and micro-enterprises, and also may be that German businesspeople find the same level of official compliance less burdensome than do UK entrepreneurs. I.e. more inclined to obedience. But that really is a stereotype.
Don't forget our own mandarins can never resist gold-plating even the most basic legislative requirement - happily turnng a one-side of A4 return into six sides of burdensome compliance.
You've hit one of the weaknesses of assessments such as WEF - a lot of it is about perceptions rather than objective comparisons. "How many hours each week does it take to comply with government regulations?" would have been better, but you'd have to adjust for turnover and SIC (a nuclear waste transporter having a differing level of compliance than a coal merchant)
"I would have thought Germany to be far worse for government regulation than the UK-although the yUK has indeed gotten worse year on year."
As EU law is modelled on German law, there has been little adjustment needed.
UK law has required massive alteration for the same compliance,
WTF are you a remainiac for?
-MrX
Because 'remain' is, despite all the crap from the EU, the least worst option. And because the EU is merely the bubo.
But that really is a stereotype -Raed
Often some truth in stereotypes, just this week a pretty young 'modern' German female minister 'lost it' slightly on tv when someone suggested some people might find the form filling for some new benefit arduous. The minister (and I can't recall which one) was 'gobsmacked' by the idea that people, Germans, might not be prepared to fill in a 'simple' (by German standards) form....
The figure for trust in politicians made me laugh out loud.
Can there possibly be a more despised occupation? Even 2nd hand car salesmen, estate agents and Lawyers (FFS) don't get such disdain.... and they have the nerve to refer to themselves as 'Right Honorable'.....
But the thought of a UK with lower (zero?) VAT, free(er) from red tape and, (praying) not encumbered by CO2 legislation would free business to such an extent it's no wonder the EU are scared of a 'free' UK.
"The minister (and I can't recall which one) was 'gobsmacked' by the idea that people, Germans, might not be prepared to fill in a 'simple' (by German standards) form...."
Get on your knees and beg for your money back
And be grateful!
@Domo more a case of " Von der Wiege bis zur Bahre, Formulare, Formulare!" ('from the cradle to the grave, government forms and more forms'-a very quick n dirty translation), it loses something in translation but expresses not only a truth about life in Germany since about the time of the Prussian Empire but also a truth about German values. The thought that a German might not see the need to fill in a form is quite a shocking notion -equatable with Brits not forming an orderly queue at every opportunity.
Post a Comment