The government bailouts have been employed to stimulate growth figures so once the bailout money wears off, we will see whether there is any sustainability. China for example, measure GDP
differently than the U.S. and in terms of retail, they book the amount of goods shipped to retailers as 'a sell', whether or not it sells at all. This masks the overall fact that their consumer base is declining and the 8% is irrelevant.
Britain certainly needs to look ahead in terms of economy, rather than back. Our economy was
rescued from a very grim outlook by North Sea Oil, but we have blown this money and need to
get a move on with filling the gap. Financial services alone can't rescue a nation from obscurity.
The money is in the east now and this is where all the dealmaking will be done in the future. The top financial talent will follow this money.
People can't seem to put 2 and 2 together and think that a small uptick in GDP will bring back the next boom in wages and house prices. As Jim Rogers said, 'we have nothing to sell'.