Fixing Britain

LORD DIGBY JONES served as Director General of the CBI (Confederation of British Industry, the UK’s ‘Voice of Business’) from 2000 until 2006. In 2006 he became the UK Skills Envoy and in 2007 he was appointed Minister of State for UK Trade & Investment. He did not join the party of government and without ambition to progress in politics he concentrated on the business of promoting Britain across the world, travelling to 31 countries in 45 overseas visits.Born in Birmingham, Lord Jones originally joined the Royal Navy, before graduating from University College London and joining the law firm Edge & Ellison, rising from Articled Clerk to Senior Partner. In 1998 he joined KPMG as vice-chairman of corporate finance, before taking up his role at the CBI. In 2005 he was knighted for his services to business and became Sir Digby Jones in The Queen’s New Year’s Honours List. In 2007 he became a life peer taking the title, Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham Kt. Today Lord Jones sits as an active cross-bencher in the House of Lords and is an official United Kingdom Business Ambassador. He speaks regularly to business audiences both in the UK and overseas. He serves in the private sector as Chairman of the International Business Advisory Boards of HSBC and British Airways, a Corporate Ambassador for Jaguar Cars and JCB, and Chairman of Triumph Motorcycles, among a number of paid and unpaid roles. He holds a number of charity positions, is a non-executive director of Leicester Tigers Rugby and lives with his wife Pat in Marylebone and Warwickshire. Michael Wilson is television’s longest serving business and economics editor with a media career stretching over thirty years. He joined Sky Television at its inception in 1989 and has anchored most of Sky’s coverage of major business events through both boom and bust. He also writes for national and international media. Michael has lectured in Europe and internationally on political and economic current affairs and has been published by the British Journalism Review. He won British Business Broadcaster of the Year in 2005 and was made a Freeman of the City of London in 2006.

"A Brilliant book.... If everyone reads this book, England would be in a better shape than it is." (Natural Health & Beauty, 1st February 2012)"What Fixing Britain does is to stimulate not just debate, but also change — and hopefully, some positive action." (The Bay, July 2011)"He writes about how Britain might be restructured politically, economically and socially for a better future." (The Manufacturer.com, Monday 13th June 2011)"... he has a lot to divulge from his own experiences... he communicates with passion... his recommendations are sound and sometimes brave." (Financial World & FW.ifslearning.co.uk, May 2011)"... this is a book that has to be read." (Business Life, May 2011)"... an outline of the radical changes he believes must take place if we are to retain any hope at all of keeping our national head above water in the 21st century." (Business First Magazine & Business First Magazine.co.uk, May 2011)"... offers an optimistic alternative for generating sustainable economic prosperity in the UK... an important contribution to the current debate." (Western Mail & WalesOnline.co.uk, Thursday 7th April 2011)... analyses the problems and opportunities for UK business, domestically and globally." (Warwickshire Courrier.co.uk, Friday 8th April 2011)".... an engaging, readable romp through the UK's ills...." (Management Today & Management Today.co.uk, March 2011)"The frustrations of being a leading business figure trying to work with the Government is laid bare in Lord Jones's new book." (The Sunday Telegraph & Telegraph.co.uk, Sunday 27th March 2011)

• 1 Five Minutes to Midnight – Time for Change. 2 The Voice of Business.3 The Globe-Trotting Goat – Tethered by Westminster and Whitehall.4 Education, Education, Education?5 The World Moves East.6 The Business of Politics: Fixing the System.7 Taxing Britain Out of Business.8 The Gimme Society.9 Our Great Britain.Acknowledgements.Index.