Help Europe to fight protectionism
LAST WEEK Lord Mandelson wrote in your pages of his plans for backing a body that exposes trade-distorting practices ("We need an early-warning alert against protectionism").
As well as the proposed early-warning system, Britain should work with Europe to take further action to counteract protectionism.
First, the Doha Round should be given a further push. This would not only lead to concrete economic gains but inject some much needed confidence.
Second, in cases of company mergers and acquisitions, the EU needs to continue to act against national protectionism.
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Third, while some instances of state help to industry may be justified in the extraordinary economic circumstances, it should be made clear that these exemptions are short term, and normal service rejecting inappropriate state aid will resume soon.
Finally, the EU should continue to open up some of its most significant sectors, notably telecoms, energy and financial services.
In this way, the EU, along with its newly elected European Parliament, can help to do something practical about the scourge of protectionism.
Zaki Cooper
director at Business for New Europe
London EC2
You should be fired, Sir Alan
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BUSINESS FIGURES have been critical in discussing Sir Alan Sugar's new role in the government ("Sugar to lead roadshow to boost bank lending", last week). Jon Moulton, for example, described Sugar as having "a mixed business record".
It's more than mixed. I rate him as a failed businessman. In the 1980s, as IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Apple and Microsoft were expanding at speed, Sugar's company Amstrad stood poised to become their equivalent in Europe.
A few years later Amstrad had been reduced to manufacturing a range of bedside radios and household fans in a factory outside Hong Kong.
Then along came Rupert Murdoch and offered to give Amstrad the contract to make Sky's digiboxes if Sugar would sell out to Sky - which he did.
Clues to Sugar's business and man-management methods can be found by watching The Apprentice. The television programme's, and Sugar's, catch phrase is "You're fired".
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Contrast this, in Selfridge's centennial year, with Gordon Selfridge's policy of rewarding his workers and executives with praise, prizes and support.
Or contrast it with George Eastman, another American, who was perhaps the first to recognise that a successful company is created by the efforts of all its staff, not just directors and managers.
Geoff Taylor
Pouzols-Minervois, France
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