James Moore: What the world is trying to tell us

Outlook: Warnings for Britain everywhere you look. The downgrading of Ireland's credit rating yesterday was based on Moody's view that their austerity cuts will so stymie growth that the economy may not produce enough tax revenue to finance debt repayments. Meanwhile, in the US, the latest employment data shows the "jobless recovery" continuing.

The read-across from Ireland for our own efforts to bring down the deficit so quickly is obvious. And the failure of the US private sector to produce much in the way of jobs growth rather resonates with the unemployment figures unveiled in Britain this week.