A positive message from Justin Urquhart Stewart

Posted 21/06/2012

Over 80 guests from local businesses attended the third Business Breakfast Club at Wherstead Park, Ipswich yesterday. This annual business event is organised by Ashtons Legal Solicitors, HSBC and Ensors.The special guest speaker, popular economic commentator Justin Urquhart Stewart, gave the audience one of his trademark, no-nonsense appraisals of home and international economies. Justin’s message was a positive one, in contrast to the doom and gloom which we have been consistently hearing. Although there are well documented problems around the world, his theme was ‘shafts of lights in leaden skies’.Justin highlighted some of the potential problems ahead for the world’s biggest economies, particularly the USA. With the American Presidential election not far off, Justin talked about some of the pressing problems the next President will need to address, including the 45 million people on food stamps, the fact that 50% of households receive federal or state support, and the large pension deficit. One ‘shaft of light’ is that the USA is forecast to grow at 4% and it has healthy corporates.What came across during Justin’s presentation is that for today’s politicians, leadership and experience are key to making the right decisions to get the economy moving in the right direction.

Photographed: L to R: Robert Hatch, Partner, Ensors, Kevin Thorn, Area Commercial Director – Essex and Suffolk, HSBC, Justin Urquhart Stewart, James Griffiths, Partner, Ashtons Legal.