Tories and employment
Sir: May I congratulate Peter Bauer and John Wood on their excellent article on employment (1 July)? In spite of recent history, Keynesianism still has a number of adherents in the Parliamentary party who would have us reflate at the earliest opportunity, with disastrous repercussions for the inflation rate, the balance of payments and the exchange rate. However, I do not think that 'creating a freer market' would necessarily solve our employment problems. Even if we wanted and were able to repeal the Employment Protection Act and institute free collective bargaining, fear of what the Labour Party would do if it should gain office would discourage many employers from taking on substantial numbers of new workers. A better example of 'killing the hen that laid the golden egg' could not be imagined.
P. J. Bassett 12 Brookway, Blackheath, London SE3
Previous page
