Nicolas Sarkozy and Gordon Brown expressed a "total convergence" of views in their meeting ahead of this week's G8 summit in Italy, with both leaders warning that rising oil prices and declining public investment could spoil the chances for recovery of the world's economy. Meeting in the French town of Evian on Monday (6 July), Mr Brown, the UK's prime minister, argued that governments must keep spending to return to growth. Mr Sarkozy: "We cannot afford to have low growth rates over many years." "If we can get growth, if we can get unemployment down, if we can keep interest rates and inflation down, then there is scope to do the things we want to do, and that is to get money to the frontline services," he told journalists after the event, referring to the need to avoid pay and job cuts in the public sector. His French counterpart, president Nicolas Sarkozy, played the same tune, saying: "Of course we need to combat indebtedness and try to restrain deficit, but we will only achieve that if we restore growth and if we restore our economies to health."
Nicolas Sarkozy and Gordon Brown expressed a "total convergence" of views in their meeting ahead of this week's G8 summit in Italy, with both leaders warning that rising oil prices and declining public investment could spoil the chances for recovery of the world's economy.
Meeting in the French town of Evian on Monday (6 July), Mr Brown, the UK's prime minister, argued that governments must keep spending to return to growth.
Mr Sarkozy: "We cannot afford to have low growth rates over many years."
"If we can get growth, if we can get unemployment down, if we can keep interest rates and inflation down, then there is scope to do the things we want to do, and that is to get money to the frontline services," he told journalists after the event, referring to the need to avoid pay and job cuts in the public sector.
His French counterpart, president Nicolas Sarkozy, played the same tune, saying: "Of course we need to combat indebtedness and try to restrain deficit, but we will only achieve that if we restore growth and if we restore our economies to health."
"Mon ami!", "L'entente formidable au soleil", and friendly grasps of the shoulder - the words and the physical language of the Evian summit could hardly have been friendlier.But the message, particularly from the British leader, was pretty grim. The first stop on the summer summit circuit was in Evian les Bains - yes, the one with the famous water where generations of Europeans have come to have their spirits restored and rejuvenated. No green shootsJust what Gordon Brown might need perhaps. But he comes here with a pretty dire assessment on the economy. Number 10 is using today, in reality a warm up event to the bigger G8 meeting starting on Wednesday in Italy, to start rolling out the prime minister's message. He is warning that there is "no room for complacency" on the economy, warning that unemployment is continuing to grow, and trade to fall, pushing his message that the world is at a "pivotal point", and that continued action from governments is required to stem the downturn.
"Mon ami!", "L'entente formidable au soleil", and friendly grasps of the shoulder - the words and the physical language of the Evian summit could hardly have been friendlier.
But the message, particularly from the British leader, was pretty grim.
The first stop on the summer summit circuit was in Evian les Bains - yes, the one with the famous water where generations of Europeans have come to have their spirits restored and rejuvenated.
No green shoots
Just what Gordon Brown might need perhaps. But he comes here with a pretty dire assessment on the economy.
Number 10 is using today, in reality a warm up event to the bigger G8 meeting starting on Wednesday in Italy, to start rolling out the prime minister's message.
He is warning that there is "no room for complacency" on the economy, warning that unemployment is continuing to grow, and trade to fall, pushing his message that the world is at a "pivotal point", and that continued action from governments is required to stem the downturn.
sparkozy sombrely intoned: ' we cannot afford to lose votes, we will whip this dead horse till it resurrects and breeds magic ponies for everyone, count yourselves privileged to be a taxpayer and pay for this futile piece of mummery, for ever and ever amen'
gordo mumbles something about the 'entente cordiale'...
enter stage left a frolicking, botoxed satyr
'anyone want their suntanned shoulders rubbed, hehe?'
i remember seeing him the day he announced on tv that the best thing about doing the G8 boogie at l'aquila was that the protesters wouldn't dare show up and disturb the area of recent tragedy.
bwahahaha, i'm guessing barack and michelle are gonna get 'swine flu' and beg off, and the 70,000 tentopoli folks are going to have plenty to say to the world press...
titanic, meet iceberg
CHTANG! ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
We cannot afford to have low growth rates over many years.
And yet it is increasingly obvious we can't afford growth either. what to do? In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
