Some people think that only the law can break Britain's low-skills culture.
But for firms fighting for survival, training becomes a luxury , writes There's no nonsense on Tyneside. People work hard and play hard - as anybody with experience of Newcastle's nightlife could testify. In the 17th century, Newcastle was the fourth largest provincial town after Norwich, York and Bristol. Today, Tyneside is emerging from a painful period of restructuring after the collapse of coal and heavy engineering. Contrary to expectations, growth in 1997-98 was even slightly above the national average.