How about this one, folks? British Trade Secretary Lord Mandelson (Shifty Pete to his mates) is in Japan to lecture his hosts on economics and freedom and such. According to the FT:
In remarks to journalists after his speech, Lord Mandelson said the greatest frustration, “is what is not seen, that invisible hand that frustrates and slows access to Japan’s markets. We know that Japan has been a past practitioner par excellence in operating behind the border barriers that prevent access to its markets.”
He said his impression was that the new government would be more open. “I think there is a growing realisation that for the Japanese economy to maintain its strength, its vitality, its dynamism it needs a greater spur that comes from foreign competition, as well as needing a different economic model that attracts rather than shuns foreign capital and ownership,” he said.
Our Man will admit High Finance is not one of his strong points. If it was, do you think he'd be spending his time doing this, and not something more profitable like flogging fags to third world kids or guns to Iraqis? But, he does have a reasonable nose for bullshit.
Er, nice one, Little Lord Mandy. You'd know all about free market competition, being an unelected lord and the former Minister in charge of the Millennium Dome, that beacon of free market enterprise that ended up costing UK voters 628 million quid.
Our Man should keep quiet though, everyone hates to be told what to think by know-it-all foreigners, eh readers? Wouldn't want the Japanese to tell Mandy where to shove his invisible hand would we?
6 comments:
He is right though. I studied the issue in some depth about 10 years ago, and while some things have changed, Japan is still guided by a very strong administrative hand... Hopefully this will change with the new government....
Meanwhile, hand me that gun so that I can shoot the messenger...
Wherever did Mandy get the impression that the DPJ was more free-market inclined? I must have missed that memo - probably while I was reading about the DPJ gutting the proposed FTA agreement with the US by inserting safeguards for domestic agriculture. Or maybe it was while the DPJ were bitching about the increase in foreign JGB ownership a couple of weeks ago. Or perhaps during the recent debt-moratorium proposals..
Even Kitty-chan knows the DPJ's position -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os2tOhxbT0k
Prefer Our Man to Our Mandy...Roll up Our Lord of Abiko!
love the fact the bogseat is called 'progress'
WW - You mean, Lord of the bog rolls or privy counsellor?
Dr K - Hah! Wish Our Man could say he meant that, he didn't notice! Free subscription to OMIA to the good doctor.
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