U.K. Races to Bottom of Economies for Investors in Global Poll

[FarCenter]

By Mike Dorning

Jan. 23 (Bloomberg) -- U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his country are winning a race they would rather lose: to the bottom.

Global investors are more pessimistic about the U.K. than any other major economy and Brown gets overwhelmingly negative reviews, according to a global quarterly poll of investors and analysts who are Bloomberg subscribers. It shows that 66 percent of respondents are pessimistic about the investment climate in the U.K., which tops the list.

This downbeat attitude extends to Brown, whose government has produced record budget deficits and imposed a 50 percent tax on bank bonuses. Among global respondents, 62 percent hold an unfavorable view of him. Those numbers are even worse when it comes to respondents in the U.K. alone: 86 percent of British residents said they hold an unfavorable view of their political leader. That includes 63 percent who are very unfavorable.

In a list of nine global political, economic and financial figures, only one person does worse than Brown: former U.S. Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

<SNIP>http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601068&sid=a5NPz8dDJk2Y

[DJ13]

1. Aw, that banker bonus tax really upset the upper crust, didnt it?

Should we hold a telethon in their time of need?