As I am not resident I cannot comment on the local situation there but I can enlighten you on the situation here....as its no better!

I run a medium sized company (for a corporation....not my own) and more and more we find legislation and rules consistantly putting blockades in our way to making any money.

Let me give you 3 quick examples:
1) To get local Government or 'council' work I have to become an approved supplier and conform to a multitude of 'green' and 'efficient' working practices .....
2) I have to demonstrate I employ a representative cross section of local residents... Race, Sex, Disability etc
3) I have to certificate my transport of raw materials and waste across County lines with paperwork for each...

You would think I am producing Nuclear Powered High Tec machinery...yes?

No... I print newspapers....

My 2 raw materials are ink and paper... ink is oil based...paper is tree based .....
So to adhere to point #1... I am immediately in trouble ... and don’t let anyone kid you recycling is 'green'... you get rid of oil based inks out of old newspapers by bleaching them with chlorine... and you can only recycle 4 times before you need some fresh fibre added....

My ink is made relatively local, Woverhampton, but it crosses 3 counties to get here.... there's 4 bits of paper just to get it here legally...

The local population here is made up of something like 80% white British, 12% naturalised British, 5% EC immigrant with Asian and 'other' making up the balance..... Of these just under 1% have registered disabilities... do you think I can find a dyslexic, arthritic paraplegic Chinese woman who can drive a fork lift...

So the point of the lengthy rant is this.... I used to make a 32% margin .... We lost a lot of work ... some of it because of the above... but now I have slashed the margins we are busy again ...

Only this morning I got an e-mail from a large London Borough who initially wanted a fully accredited company with a complete 'ethnic' employment policy to print a job on environmentally friendly products....  I spent ages sourcing Soya based inks and paper from 'sustainable forests' .....and today’s question is....

........how much is it on normal paper? ..... really? .... we will have that then.....

..... price... or value ... whatever way you wrap it up.... is King

So before you all pack your bags and come back.... it aint no better here!