Letters to the Editor – 26/06 – Making work pay, Choose Gatwick, Best of Twitter
Making work pay
[Re: Significantly extending the Living Wage is not the best way to help the poorest, yesterday]
As the cost and complexity of hiring low-paid workers continues to rise, so does the grey market for labour. We need to accept that there is a limit to what the government can do to solve people’s problems. Putting our faith in poorly targeted regulations, which will only hurt the people who play by the rules, is not a long-term solution.
Name withheld
What about the elephant in the room, housing costs? They take a large chunk of people’s wages.
Kevin Travis
………………..
Choose Gatwick
[Re: Would a new Thames Estuary airport be the best option for the whole UK?, yesterday]
No one mentions Gatwick – even though it is the most likely option for Sir Howard Davies to choose. First, the Thames Estuary would be too expensive, as Jock Lowe argues. Second, Gatwick is the best option if we assume future air travel growth will take place on cheap, short haul routes, not long haul (making a bigger hub airport less important). Third, we wouldn’t be impinging on too many people in West London. Expanding the airport isn’t as “obvious” a decision as Gatwick’s marketing implies, but it would be the right one.
Matt Green
………………..
BEST OF TWITTER
The S&P 500 has now gone 47 days without a gain or loss of more than 1 per cent – the longest since 1995.
@zerohedge
For the nth time, “3m jobs related to EU trade” does not mean “leaving the EU will cost 3m jobs”.
@jdportes
“You told us, man up and lead, don’t free-ride. Now deal with it.” China pushes for World Bank rival.
@DannyQuah
France’s statistics institute: French economy will grow 0.7 per cent in 2014. French gov predicts 1 per cent.
@OpenEurope