At the bottom of the growth class is the Eurozone, where, in truth, opinions have rather re-coalesced around the inevitability of the issues taking time to resolve, so no big bang easy quick fix, but a lot of pressure from all sides to make progress. The Prime Minister David Cameron’s speech went down well with the Brits, but, as is the way of things, less well with the ‘Eurozonistas’. I also heard the Prime Ministers of Ireland and Denmark on stage later in the day. It was really interesting to hear their continued enthusiasm for the EU, and the benefits it brings or has the potential to bring to the smaller states of Europe.
I have just left a lunch where George Osborne the UK Chancellor was speaking to the ‘Brit’ contingent. He, like the Prime Minister, was resolute that the government was doing the right thing.
I have also met and bumped into many clients while here. It would not be right to mention individual names but I have heard some great tributes to our capacity for joint UK and global working from some of the world’s largest businesses.
We should celebrate the quality of depth of our collective professional expertise. It makes the perfect antidote to the regulatory pressure that we currently face in Europe.