Haaretz interviews Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu at the start of his second year as Prime Minister.

Three letters by eighty economists arguing over the question of how soon to begin a fiscal response to the UK's budget deficit: (subscription might be needed to see the two letters in the FT)

1. Sunday Times - start now.
2. Financial Times 1 - wait till recovery has time to entrench.
3. Financial Times 2 - wait till recovery has time to entrench.

And, a response by Mr Brown to the letters here.

UK finances deteriorate further.

The source of the figures is the Office of National Statistics. The relevant report is listed on this page.

These figures are bad, possibly even ghastly (as the BBC calls them). Jan should really be a good month for Public Sector Net Borrowing Requirement (PSNBR); by statute several types of taxes are collected. Analysts were expecting debt repayment not increased borrowing.

Are we as a country living beyond our means? I await the treasuries interpretation.

Unemployment. A lagging consequence of recession as per usual.

Read about it here, in this somewhat contradictory article.

This is the sort of story that makes one despair about politics. Housing Minister John Healey, on a BBC phone-in, tells the presenter that for some people, 'having their home repossessed can be the best option'. Listen to a clip of his remarks here. I think you will agree that they are said with a sensitivity to the suffering that repossession undoubtedly cause those who are losing their homes.

The Conservatives are making mischief. Read their comments.

John Healey is absolutely right. Repossessions are part of our system and sometimes houses will have to repossessed. Are Conservatives really saying that houses should never be repossessed? Are they suddenly not so keen on the market economy.

The important figures for me are those that show that far fewer homes have been repossessed in the current recession than were repossessed in the recessions of the Conservative years.

I have just read the following on the BBC:

"EU leaders have reached a deal on helping Greece tackle its debt crisis, EU President Herman Van Rompuy says.

He gave no further details, but all 27 EU leaders are now set to discuss it."

Isn't the order of things in the above quote, agreement followed by discussion, just a little back to front?

BBC News - EU deal 'agreed' on Greece debt woes

Social Services - A Good Result

The number of violent deaths among children in England and Wales has fallen by almost 40% since 1974.

Better monitoring by social workers and improved liaison between health visitors, paediatricians, GPs and police had led to the drop, it said.

The US and Germany had the highest violent death rates, the study found.

Read more here.

Interventions by good social services works. Complicated societies such as the ones we live in must have it - else we would have many more deaths.