I had hoped that while in opposition Labour would have done the hard work of analysing what could be done to improve public services and raise the wellbeing of working-class men and women. I do recall that on 6 May 1997, days after Tony Blair won the general election, Gordon Brown and Ed Balls announced their plan to make the Bank of England independent. In contrast to Starmer and Reeves, they had done the hard preparatory work, and the move resulted in the lowered cost of government borrowing. It also reassured the markets that the new government was economically serious.
Of course, the other Mile End Economist flatly rejects the very idea of central bank independence.
What are the Arse End Economists? It’s unlikely that the wise potato has found a genuine friend or partner who would put his name alongside his incoherent toss.
Is it another vehicle to hoover up charitable grants to line his pockets?
OT: is the Daily Telegraph feeling ok?
There might never be a better time for China to attack Russia
With everyone in Ukraine, there are probably only two men and a dog guarding Vladivostok
3 September 2024 • 12:39pm
Having given up on the fantasy of Ukraine/NATO defeating Russia, the new fantasy is China defeating Russia.
Should somebody do a wellness check on them?
Steve
PJF is polishing up his mandarin as I write
Has there ever been a Labour government that has improved public services and raised the wellbeing of working-class men and women?
There might never be a better time for China to attack Russia
The last time China fought anyone (Vietnam), they got their asses handed to them. If you think they’ve improved since then, think again.
Should somebody do a wellness check on them?
What, pray tell, would constitute ‘wellness’ in that crowd?
I wonder if Blanchflower is the beta male in this relationship. Spud is the better at writing successful grant applications, a skill he’s in demand for as a part-time faculty member or fellow traveller for a lot of institutions including that poor woman in Accounting Streams. Not one to hire full-time due to his lack of knowledge and his behaviours.
I thought Blair (and even Brown) were ‘neoliberals’ – or was that on Monday?
VP – That would be a useful language to know.
Sounds like a goose losing a fight with a washing machine tho.
Dennis – What the world needs now isn’t war, sweet war. And it’s doublepluscunty for a supposedly Serious Newspaper to lust for war between two major nuclear powers.
Steve
I also got rid of my subscription (which I had had for more than two decades) from said newspaper, partly because of the number of Hard Left columnists appearing but largely because of its demented support for the Ukraine War. I veer away largely from certain contributors on sites like Samizdata for the same reason.
Haven’t heard whether the ‘incursion’ by the Ukrainian forces has been turned back but in the meantime fresh pro -Hamas, pro -ISiS manpower arrives across Europe via boat or land daily. And our leaders seem fixated on prolonging the slaughter. One has to wonder just how cowardly or obsessed by narrow electoral calculation they are to not see the real danger. Perhaps like a certain troll on another thread they feel that ‘peace’ with people who want all followers of other religions subjugated or murdered is possible. Or perhaps they are just utter morons. Either way, it’s shameful.
The phrase I encountered was that Cantonese sounds like somebody bartering in a market, Mandarin sounds like somebody determindly lying through their teeth. And it does sound like the person speaking has their teeth clamped shut.
Wai?!??? Mei lei gah????
vs
Shi shiesheng? Ni Shian Shou Shieyeng?
Steve,
“With everyone in Ukraine”
Everyone? No. I really don’t believe that at all. Russia has mostly sent a load of kids, amateurs. There’s a million men in the Russian army.
And China mostly doesn’t care. None of these writers get how they are shifting to an industrial economy, at which point who cares about more land?
VP – the thing you’ve got to understand about the Ukraine war is that the London Regime is all in, with no Plan B for when Russia wins.
They’re more invested than the American Regime, which is growing increasingly annoyed by its gay British anklebiter constantly trying to escalate the war in the hopes of drawing in American troops. Kursk was a gayop planned and supported by the British government, which wants to show you can attack Russia without ICBMs flying, the Americans were horrified when they found out. America wants a nice cheap proxy war to the last Ukrainian and a graceful segue to menacing China, they do not want their overstretched military bogged down in the world’s least important continent.
The foreign minister of Sweden announced his sudden retirement from politics for No Reason the other day, watch out for similar maneuvers in Airstrip One.
BTW the plan for Ukraine is to fill their now depopulated country with Arabs and Africans as soon as the war ends. Ukrainian neo nazis (any that are still alive) are in for a surprise. They drenched their country in Ukrainian blood so BlackRock could enjoy their land.
No refunds.
WB – the Telegraph is Commando Comics Warspunking Central. Their military anal-isys is on par with a child shouting “Gott in Himmel!” while pretending to die from machine gun fire.
Steve
‘Quite rushing me sunshine, you’ve been rushing me all day…!!’
Do this adminstration even have a plan A for anything is a valid question?
I have to say I still have a fondness for the older Commando comics – ‘Achtung!!!’ – Obviously using them to guide policy probably a less effective strategy. I have to say I saw one the other day in WHSmith entitled:
‘They called him Traitor’
Which reminded me of our latest government….
VP – I loved those comics when I was a boy.
I’m sorry that children don’t read the Beano anymore, but I suppose we still have the Daily Telegraph.
“I have to say I saw one the other day in WHSmith entitled: ‘They called him Traitor’”
They really still sell Commando comics in WHS? I would have thought those would have been outlawed as racist or something years ago. Or have they been suitably diversified so that The Few now include every race under the sun (except white of course)?
Gary Stephenson according to alphaville, More of a book review than an exploration of his economics.
https://www.ft.com/content/7e8b47b3-7931-4354-9e8a-47d75d057fff
tldr= He wasn’t top earner in citibank globally.