In his first speech as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown [Sept 10th at the 139th Trade Union Congress] stressed throughout his central message that “…all of us must prepare for the global era” and went on to propose action plans to position Britain as a leading force in the new world economy by creating more jobs, internships and apprenticeships, and enhancing competitive trade opportunities.

The speech comes at a time when the World Trade Organization’s Doha Development Round may be stalled by a lack of consensus on agricultural subsidies in the USA, Europe and Japan, and trade tariffs in fast paced emerging economies.

Free trade will continue to develop and grow and to paraphrase the Prime Minister’s remarks the enormous benefit of globalization from the contribution [in all industries] by a rich diversity of skilled workers from around the world cannot be overlooked.