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The Economy

I have already made the point about the balance of regulation, and I shall not pursue it. Although it is important that we talk about bank structures and the rest, the key issue today is unemployment. That is why it is absolutely essential that we pursue two major objectives. One is getting lending flowing again. The Government now have no excuse for not doing that, because they already own two of the largest banks in the country directly. The other is having not just a stimulus for the sake of spending public money but a stimulus that is effectively targeted at job creation, using the potential that is available, particularly in the construction industry.