Downing Street Says » Prime Minister’s speech

Asked for further explanation of the Prime Ministers speech concerning the need for parents to give their children aspirations, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister was building on views that he had expressed before. The view was that as a society, our future and the future of the country is going to based on the skills we acquired. The days when unskilled people could go through an entire career without skills were over. The themes underlying the speech were about giving people the ability to acquire relevant skills. This was necessary for a modern economy at a time when China and India among other developing countries were making rapid progress in the global economy. Questioned further the PMOS said it was about the generational change that we all had to make in recognising the important role that skills would play in the world to come. The changing world was one of the main themes of the Prime Minister’s speech today; opportunity and security in a constantly changing world where we strived to achieve the economic stability the Government believed it has attained.

Asked if there was a particular reason why such a speech was given in Scotland, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister recognised that it was important to set out his vision for the country as a whole, throughout the country. Put to him that the speech was being given in a university where education was devolved away from central Government authority, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister recognised that that the devolved education authority would develop their policies according to the needs of Scotland, but equally it was important for the Prime Minister to spell out that challenges that faced the country as a whole. That meant Scotland as much as Wales or Northern Ireland.

1 Comment »

I know I can ask some dim questions – but – what is the man going on about?

We all have skills – maybe not the ones that TB would like us to have – ones that raise huge tax revenues.

Admittedly the days of ‘mill’ labour have passed but we are still short of people to do productive work as distinct from paper shuffling and attending meetings.

Methinks I detect a theme for a future excuse – now that the housing market has stabilised the government – having encouraged companies to export manufacturing jobs – is going to have a problem with growth.

I can see now that it is going to be the "fault of the unskilled because they are too lazy to become skilled". It certainly won’t be the CBI or anyone in Downing Street who is to blame.
Comment by Roger Huffadine — 5 Dec 2004 on 9:20 am | Link

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» Friday, December 3, 2004

Prime Minister’s speech

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