But Mr Osborne's direct Labour adversary, Ed Balls, recently admitted to shedding a tear or two at episodes of The Antiques Roadshow and the US comedy Modern Family.

BBC: Why the fuss over George Osborne's tears?

Cheaper labour costs are also encouraging foreign direct investment, which was up a quarter in 2007.

ECONOMIST: Exports and the economy

But there was plenty of evidence too of tensions that Labour will have to resolve in more direct language pretty soon.

BBC: Not standing still - devolution lessons

For the majority of German workers, companies' growing willingness to shift production to wherever labour and capital costs are cheapest is a direct threat to their jobs.

ECONOMIST: Germany's economy

This will make life complicated for Mr Persson, who in his second term will be under pressure from employers to liberalise Sweden's labour market and to shift the welfare budget from direct transfers to spending on health care and education.

ECONOMIST: Sweden

Senior Labour MP Frank Field has urged landlords to take "direct action" against housing benefit changes.

BBC: Brick up spare rooms, urges Labour MP Frank Field

Health Minister Earl Howe argued that Labour would give the health secretary "wide powers to direct the board", which would undermine the government's aim to free the NHS from day-to-day political interference.

BBC: Peers clash over role of health secretary

This, together with restrictive labour regulations, means that there is little non-oil foreign direct investment in Iran, except for pilot projects in the free-trade zones.

ECONOMIST: Iran��s economy

Friends of the Earth countered that Northern Ireland shouldn't be regarded as a place apart, citing examples, like the stabbing attack on Labour MP Stephen Timms, when politicians in Great Britain have been under direct threat.

BBC: Perception and reality

In a working paper published earlier this year, its researchers focused on shake-ups in labour and product markets, as well as tax reforms like reducing the share of direct taxes (on income) in the total tax take.

ECONOMIST: Free exchange