The year 2001 was more eventful than most and, a decade on, we're inundated with anniversaries. September was 9/11, this month the invasion of Afghanistan and next month the release of the first iPod. To which we could add the foot-and-mouth crisis, the Gujarat earthquake and the first ever entries on Wikipedia. With so many significant events to look back on, one thing that few people will remember 2001 for is its entry in the UK's Material Flow Accounts, a set of dry and largely ignored data published Read more

Protesters fight with riot police in Athens – youth unemployment in Greece has hit 43%. Photograph: AFP The International Labour Organisation has warned that a jobs crisis caused by the slowdown in the global economy threatens a wave of widespread social unrest engulfing both rich and poor countries. Highlighting the darkening prospects for employment, the Geneva-based ILO said policymakers were running out of time to head off a double-dip recession in labour markets. "We have reached the moment Read more

We write to express broad support for the Compass Plan B proposals reported in the Observer (30 October). We are Liberal Democrat members who have campaigned hard for decades in national and local elections. We have also engaged in our party's policymaking. For both reasons, we take seriously the policies on which we fought the last general election, in particular the belief that the Conservatives' economic proposals would have dire consequences. In May 2010, our party signed up, through the coalition Read more

Nick Clegg, leader of Liberal Democrats, is likely to dismiss criticism of economic policy from within his party as unrepresentative. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA The first signs of a grassroots revolt over Liberal Democrat support for the coalition's deficit reduction plan has emerged before the release of a set of official UK growth figures that will mean a further downgrading of government growth projections this year and next. Liberal Democrat members and MPs have so far been remarkably loyal to Read more

Your article (Existing jobs are rebranded as apprenticeships, report warns, 28 October) highlights a long-standing problem. The practice of "converting" existing employees to apprentices has been known about for several years and predates the coalition government. We brought it to light in 2008 when we acted as special advisers for the innovation, universities, science and skills select committee's scrutiny of the draft apprenticeships bill. Witnesses from the Learning and Skills Council confirmed Read more