The Transatlantic exchange of ideas

The UK and the US both have an active world ofĀ  think tanks and commentators on government. There is often cross fertilisation or influence across the Atlantic. InĀ  the days of the close political relationship between President Reagan and PrimeĀ  Minister Thatcher the US came to the UK to find out how we were developing our new approaches to government and the public sector. I remember in particular a delegation arriving at DowningĀ  Street when I was Chief Policy Adviser to find out why and how we were privatising nationalised industries, as well as other exchanges toĀ  understand our approach to regulation and labour market management. Under Tony Blair the transition to President Bush was potentially uncomfortable, so the UK accepted the US pressure to back their military interventions in the Middle East. These proved damaging to Mr Blair’s reputation and popularity. David Cameron accepted the thrust of Obama’s policies and direction, andĀ  persuaded the President to become a Remainer. They both supported the international rules based order as interpreted by the EU and others.

Today there is plenty of pull from across the Atlantic for Big government. The Biden Administration has to date decided on a radical left wing strategy of a large expansion of the state.Ā  There are the three reflationary packages. The Covid Recovery package of $1.9tn has been enacted. The American Family Plan which wants to extend more benefits much higher up the income scales has been launched, alongside a large Infrastructure investment programme which takes a very wide ranging definition of infrastructure. These latter two will add another $4tn to spending over the years ahead if they can be legislated in full. They come with a big programme to boost unionisation of the workforce, and a strong wish to press the Green revolution .Ā  The UK government will be willing collaborators with the Green strategy, and will reflect some parts of the recovery plan based around extra state spending.

It is important for the UK government to understand that President Biden is taking the easy way out with his left by giving into most of their wishes. It may be that he thinks their wilder dreams will be voted down by the Senate, or can be bargained away by the need to winĀ  votes in Congress. This assumes he is more of a moderate as his words implied before election. Alternatively it is possible he was always hankering after the large state agenda he isĀ  now revealing, but kept quiet about the full magnitude of it before the election. Either way this is time to agree with the US President when it suits us or he is right, but to keep our own supply of ideas going to ensure a strong recovery and a full exploitation of our new freedoms. There is a danger that the US overdoes the deficit and money printing bringing forwardsĀ  faster inflation and the need for a policy rethink.

130 Comments

  1. agricola
    May 17, 2021

    Stay friends, collaborate on security, but do not feel obliged to follow. Our people on both sides have much the same aspirations, we just have to learn to live with who we elect to govern. It is not like mariage, it only lasts five to eight years at worst and everyone is allowed a few mistresses along the way.

    1. JayGee
      May 17, 2021

      Agricola – just think of all those women longing “to be allowed a few mistresses along the way”. Whoever thought sexism was dead?

      1. agricola
        May 17, 2021

        Everyone to their own taste or fantasy JayGee. Before you get too excited, the mistresses were metaphoric in my contribution. To further help, a few years ago it could have meant buying your cigars from Cuba when the USA did not want you to.

    2. nota#
      May 17, 2021

      @Agricola, the US no longer fully cooperates on security – the UK can not be trusted and doesn’t have any abilities to do so.

      1. NickC
        May 17, 2021

        Nota, The USA never “fully cooperates on security” anyway. Why should it? The USA is a foreign country with its own interests and goals. Nevertheless I am sure that the USA trusts the UK more than the EU, or any sub-state of the EU.

        1. Mitchel
          May 17, 2021

          There is such a thing as the “Anglo-American Establishment” though.Professor Carroll Quigley examined it in a book by the same name.It’s not always in power,as it were,but it survives the changes of outward politics.Do a little research!

    3. Peter
      May 17, 2021

      Exchange of ideas is no problem whatsoever. The really big problem for any independent nation state is being forced to go along with the policies of a more powerful neighbour. For the UK that means the USA, the EU organisation, Russia or China.

      Self sufficiency is a prudent goal. So that there is no need to import energy or critical food supplies from a foreign power that may use them as leverage.

      Globalism is a big problem. Politicians turn up at Davos and groupthink weakens their willpower.

  2. Newmania
    May 17, 2021

    Supporting the US in the Middle East was of a piece with Tony Blair`s Atlanticist and interventionist views that were consistent and were supported by the Conservative Party. The Conservative Party at that time was if anything even more supportive of the US and was ready to go to Iraq with or without WMD .Blair`s argument was with his own left.
    Sir John has hitherto suggested the US approach is one the UK should copy in his frequent please for more borrowing and more money.
    The UK`s problem with the US is that Brexit was and is a Trumpish set of ideas and Brexit`s supporters were supporters of Donald Trump . It is also seen in main stream American opinion as part of a global reversion to extreme conservatism and like Trump it is only luke warm about NATO and tends to be isolationist.
    This puts it at odds not only with Democrats but with ordinary Republicans like Bush . The UK currently has few friends in the world.

    1. Fred.H
      May 17, 2021

      Full of bonkers generalisations.

    2. Everhopeful
      May 17, 2021

      I canā€™t think why, given our present unprecedented police state, totalitarian situation, anyone is even remotely bothered about Brexit.
      It was a trap.
      So anyone who feels they ā€œlostā€ the Referendum can rest assured that nobody won!
      Except the snouts in troughs that is.

    3. Mike Wilson
      May 17, 2021

      As usual, crass generalisations. I supported Brexit. Trump makes my skin crawl.

      1. SM
        May 17, 2021

        +10

      2. John Hatfield
        May 17, 2021

        Perhaps you should see a doctor for that, Mike.

      3. Lester
        May 18, 2021

        Mike Wilson

        Makes your skin crawl?

        Perhaps you would care to be more specific or do you simply follow the MSM line?

    4. Richard1
      May 17, 2021

      No politician in the US, republican or democrat, urges on the US political fiscal and monetary union with any other group of countries, nor do they advocate it for other countries like Canada, Japan, Chile, Switzerland etc. Brexit is a complete irrelevance for countries outside Europe, it affects the EU and the U.K. time will tell whether it was a good idea. So far at least we can say that all the project fear prognoses of doom have proven complete BS. Letā€™s see whether Sir John and others can persuade the govt to implement policies such as to make the whole upheaval worthwhile.

      1. Andy
        May 17, 2021

        This is not true. Brexit is very relevant to countries outside of Europe. When Mrs Thatcher urged Japanese car makers to come to the UK she told them they were investing in a single market of half a billion consumers. Her disciples have betrayed that promise – and now the manufacturers are stuck in Little England, with the inevitable consequences which follow.

        A country wanting a trade deal with Europe now only has to negotiate once to secure access to all – well, all except Little Britain.

        Businesses have to comply with just one set of regulations to trade across 30 countries – with things like standards recognised everywhere.

        Brexitist John Hayes – another Tory MP knighted for services to his party – moaning in the Telegraph that silver hallmarks are no longer recognised in the EU – causing problems for silversmiths. Despite the fact that this is the mess he voted for.

        Reply Thea EU still has common rule across all countries which are there for non members as well as members!

        The interest most of the world has in Brexit though is to marvel at how far and how fast a once mighty and respected country has fallen. They are – literally – all laughing at you.

        1. Fred.H
          May 17, 2021

          I think most of the world is laughing at the ‘Brexit end of UK’ predictions.
          No drugs, no food, riots in the streets, Government breakdown, naval blockade, all the NHS staff would leave and cross the channel, all the manpower in food production would be gone for good, no fish and we would starve’.
          Never mind Andy your comfortable lifestyle in England is largely unaffected.
          Wouldn’t want to rely on living off tourism in EU countries, nor car production in them, stop selling rip-off wines in France, flowers in Holland etc.
          The reality of life without UK trade is biting Europeans hard on the arse and wallet.

          1. bill brown
            May 18, 2021

            Fred H
            The EU trade with the UK is temporarily down but we do not know what it is going to look like in the future and for teh moment the Eu is therefore not particularly affected by Brexit except for some car exports. so before you get started let us see some statistics for your preposterous predictions?

        2. NickC
          May 17, 2021

          Every one of your Remain fear predictions has failed, Andy. Food shortages, medicine shortages (except in the EU!), Kent being a giant lorry park, 30 mile queues, 55000 extra customs officials, 17.4 million angry Tory pensioners, etc. There is not a single thing that the EU could now say that would make me trust it after its 49 years of lying, hostility and vindictiveness. The EU is a rotten ideology, and it would be better for Europe if it collapsed.

          1. bill brown
            May 18, 2021

            NIckC,

            It will not collapse and the predictions of 80 million Turks, more than Ā£350 million more pounds a week for the NHS or too many Eu citizens for our schools and hospitals are not happening either. So stop your one sided propganda and worry about the Union

        3. graham1946
          May 17, 2021

          Andy, have a look at the ONS figures for imports and exports to/from the EU and the R.oW. for March 2021. You will be shocked and crying into your Prosecco. To make things easier for you I have put them on JR’s next thread.

    5. nota#
      May 17, 2021

      @Newmania – Yes one President stood for independence, freedom and democracy for all nations, the other states the World must be in step with the new world order of the left.

      You missed out the bit were Biden was part of the administration that agreed with Tony Blair that he(TB) needed his Falklands moment and to invade Iraq, with no evidence, proof or insight. Then once the ball was rolling and although we had twice the armed forces then as now, we could not contribute equally. After the US it was the French that did the heavy lifting.

      The only commonality the UK has with the US is a vaguely similar language. However the US is not ruled by the un-elected in Brussels but the UK is.

    6. agricola
      May 17, 2021

      Newmania,
      Dear Donald had nothing whatever to do with Brexit. He may have liked the idea, no doubt Nigel will have briefed him. Making it trumpish because he believed in a sovereign USA taking a pro USA stance both internally and externally is a stretch. It does make his thinking a parallel to that of all in the UK who wanted much the same and voted for it in 2016.

      There is rarely anything you could describe as America’s opinion, the days after Pearl Harbour perhaps. My experience in the USA is that they have little interest in the rest of the World and all to frequently not even in the State next door. That is my conclusion having travelled and conducted business there. Many when outside their country see the rest of the World as alien. Once went looking for a drink with a vet marine in Taipei, who constantly kept looking over his shoulder for what he described as the threat. The real threat was the thousands of motor scooters all vying for how many one scooter could carry.

      As to friends, choose wisely based on track record. Everyone is a bit cautious about “Perfidious Albion”, with good cause.

      1. Andy
        May 17, 2021

        Because it is run by nutcases?

        1. steve
          May 17, 2021

          Andy

          The whole world is run by nutcases, have you only just realised ?

    7. NickC
      May 17, 2021

      Newmania, Brexit – especially the euroscepticism that powered it – predates Trump’s Presidency by decades. We voted Leave months before the Americans even voted Trump into office. Who foreigners elect as their leader is not my responsibility, but there are many a lot worse than Donald Trump. Obama, for example.

      1. bill brown
        May 18, 2021

        NickC

        Comparing Obama with Trump and who is worse, your judgement tells us all.
        thank you very much very helpful

  3. Stred
    May 17, 2021

    When Trump lost out overnight and the media all accepted that Biden had won legitimately, Johnson was first on the phone to offer congratulations and discuss their rush to overturn the Trump refusal of the Green agendas and to follow the international rules of the UN. Then the Democrat legislation quickly included measures to make ID uneccessary, postal voting and harvesting easier, federal enforcement of this and an additional state with many Democrat voting civil servants.
    In the UK, the conservative government has legislation in this parliament to do the opposite and tighten the rules on postal voting which were used by Labour in Tower Hamlets and elsewhere.
    What does that tell you?

    1. turboterrier
      May 17, 2021

      Stored.
      Johnson was first on the phone……………..green agendas.

      Commonly known as weeing
      before you have got your flies open. Not a thought about the consequences of his actions. There is a pattern appearing and the only thing he appears to have done well better than any other world leader was the purchase and rolling out of the vaccine. As for the rest of his ideas and policies ###### the jury is out.

      1. turboterrier
        May 17, 2021

        Sorry the reply was for Stred.

    2. Lifelogic
      May 17, 2021

      It says both Biden and Boris want to change the voting system to the benefit of the Democrats in the US and the Conservatives in the UK. Also they they are both pushers of the vastly expensive, entirely pointless and hugely damaging climate alarmist lunacy.

      I also further indicates that an early election is quite possible – before the huge economic damage done by lockdown becomes all too evident.

      1. MiC
        May 17, 2021

        It says, actually, that they want to change the voting system in favour of ALL people who might just want to vote.

        That is, the ZHC worker whose boss might call them in at the drop of a hat for an 18 hour day on polling day, or the contractor who works away from home, and a whole range of types of voter.

        1. MiC
          May 17, 2021

          *They being the Democrats, not the Tories – apologies.

    3. Andy
      May 17, 2021

      It tells you that Democrats want everyone to be able to vote and Tories are so scared of the electorate they need to cheat.

      1. None of the Above
        May 17, 2021

        Aux Contraire, it shows that Democrats want people to be able to vote more than once and the Tories would like to make it very difficult for people to vote more than once.
        Points raised about ‘evidence of voter fraud’ are entirely moot, one does not leave the house unsecured because one has never been burgled.
        Have a nice day.

        1. Stred
          May 17, 2021

          It tells me that Johnson is happy enough to believe that the US election wasn’t stolen but he’s going to make damned sure that Labour isn’t going to do the same as the Democrats.

          1. steve
            May 17, 2021

            Stred

            heā€™s [Johnson] going to make damned sure that Labour isnā€™t going to do the same as the Democrats.

            ……except there’s no need for the next GE to be stolen, the voters will be kicking Johnson and his party out on their backsides anyway.

      2. Peter2
        May 17, 2021

        Cheat?
        In what way?

        1. Peter2
          May 17, 2021

          After a cheap slur by young andy, I am not expecting a response.
          Typical troll behaviour.

      3. NickC
        May 17, 2021

        Andy, The Democrats want everyone to vote now and vote often. But only if you have approved woke ‘build back better’ views. Those who vote Leave, for example, should have their vote taken away. Or so you have said previously.

      4. steve
        May 17, 2021

        Andy

        “……Tories are so scared of the electorate they need to cheat.”

        You could be right.

  4. Sea_Warrior
    May 17, 2021

    Biden’s policies are already failing, with the labour shortage resulting from overly-generous unemployment benefits being a glaring example. The govenment should keep leftists’ ideas beyond bargepole-length.

  5. Alan Jutson
    May 17, 2021

    Interesting listening to American John Kerry their Climate spokesman on Marr on Sunday.

    We will go as fast as is practical on our switch to reduce fossil fuels., when pressed about coal fired power stations and emissions, Kerry repeated the answer again, we will go as fast as is practical.
    Such a more sensible approach than trying to fix dates in advance, and hoping the science can catch up somehow.
    Spending money on re-building clapped out roads and bridges seems a rather more sensible spend, than on HS2 types of projects.

    Problem when we spend money on roads, the surface does not seem to last 5 mins, anyone noticed how manholes, drains and inspection chambers are failing all over the place, as they gradually collapse into the road surface after 18 months or even less, only to be re-set and collapse again after another 12 months, just look for the tell tale signs of new tarmac, or holes which surrounds such road furniture for proof.

    What guarantee do contractors give the Government of Local authorities on such work John, who is responsible for the specification or checking of anything, indeed what is the expected life of a resurfaced road.
    Repaired potholes now seem to last no more than 12 months if you are lucky
    We seem to be spending more and more money on supposedly fixing our roads, but the state of them is simply getting worse, why is that, is it lack of skill, lack of quality materials, failure to use the the correct method ?

    Likewise when utility companies dig up the road, who checks that the reinstatement is done correctly and signs it off, any guarantee ?

  6. Bryan Harris
    May 17, 2021

    Very diplomatically put

    Biden has been a leading light in a political party that has shifted hard left in the last decades – He is no moderate.
    The message should be that we stay well away from any of the destructive policies now being rolled out across the pond.

    1. Everhopeful
      May 17, 2021

      +1

    2. Andy
      May 17, 2021

      Mr Biden has done well. I was disappointed he was the Democratic Party candidate – but he has already got off to the best start of any president since Roosevelt. If he carries on like this he will be remembered as one of Americaā€™s greatest presidents.

      The extent of the former guyā€™s failings is epic. Mr Biden inherited an extraordinary crises. A health crisis with half a million dead. An economic crisis with millions unemployed. A structural crisis with the countryā€™s infrastructure crumbling. A political crisis with the former guy and his insurgent ā€˜supportersā€™ attempting an armed insurrection to overthrow the government. A democratic crisis with swathes or the electorate attempting to undermine the express will of the people. A diplomatic crisis with Americaā€™s standing in the world never lower. A climate crisis which threatens to overshadow them all.

      Mr Biden has, metaphorically at least, lowered the temperature. He is a bit boring. But he is just what America needs.

      Only Washington, Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman have ever arrived in office with America in a worse state. Fixing the Trump disasters will take time but kudos to Mr Biden for starting. Cutting off and isolating the Brexitists would be a useful next step.

      1. Bryan Harris
        May 17, 2021

        Mr Biden has done well.
        If he carries on like this he will be remembered as one of Americaā€™s greatest presidents.
        But he is just what America needs.

        You are such a joker Andy.

        Even Democrat supporters are turning against him for the tax rises and lack of support to those that need it most. There is total chaos at the southern border – created by Biden who invited the hordes in. He is wrecking the US economy, and debt is spiraling out of control. World peace has taken a nosedive from which it may never recover.

        If he keeps on doing this well there won’t be anything worth calling the USA very soon.

        1. bill brown
          May 18, 2021

          Bryan Harris

          Scaremongering and fake news does not serve you well, the border problem has been there all the time but human suffering in Latin America cannot be solved by shutting them out.
          So, for me your predictions are fake news

      2. Lester
        May 18, 2021

        Andy

        Before you give any credit to Roosevelt for fixing the Depression, he didnā€™t, the Second World War did

      3. NickC
        May 18, 2021

        Andy, Bumbling Biden has done extremely badly. The only things still working are what were put in place by Trump. The latest unnecessay $trillions of money printing and borrowing? – Biden. Chaos on the southern border? – Biden. Vote fraud? – funny how all the vote fraud discovered favoured the Democrats. Vaccination program? – put in place by Trump. Absurd news conference? – Biden. And so on.

    3. turboterrier
      May 17, 2021

      Bryan Harris

      Totally correct

  7. John
    May 17, 2021

    Biden is quite clearly unaware of what year it is let alone the intricacies of policy. The USA is targeted for destruction and is being torn apart by left wing ideology as we are too. The Tory party is now a left wing organisation that is bringing in illegal immigrants at an enormous rate whilst removing freedoms from the people that live here. How long before UBI is instituted and the country goes full communist? How long before the lap dog politicians that have enabled this disaster find that they will not be spared from the consequences?

    1. NickC
      May 17, 2021

      Hugging your grandchildren and nephews and nieces has become an act of defiance. And apparently there are still dopes who haven’t; and other dopes who cower inside even though they’re vaccinated because they believe the government’s fear porn.

  8. Richard1
    May 17, 2021

    Biden is Jimmy Carter 2.0 it seems. Already we see the effects of a resurgent Iran with the appalling Hamas terrorism and Israeli response. Probably we will get Jimmy Carter style inflation as well. The only good thing is Biden does appear to be more interested in alliances – which was a real weakness of Tumps approach. Letā€™s hope he doesnā€™t do too much damage before he loses control of Congress.

    1. NickC
      May 17, 2021

      Biden is a lot nastier than Carter was. And formalised alliances are not necessarily better than informal ones.

  9. David Brown
    May 17, 2021

    The US administration has reportedly stated it would have preferred the UK to stay in the EU
    My view is the current administration will want to agree closer working partnership with the EU
    Globally the EU is the voice of Europe.
    Around the world (Politics aside) most people think the EU is all Europe.
    The USA is changing and becoming much more of a multicultural country. The traditional ties with Europe are considerably less than they used to be.
    There may still be some areas of common sharing but these are significantly less than they used to be.
    There is now a much higher chance of the UK breaking up than at any time over the past 300 years. The US is aware of this so my guess is they treat the UK with caution.

  10. Derek Henry
    May 17, 2021

    Why are so few economists Brexiteers by Paul Ormerod ?

    Is excellent John !

    The article below goes into it in detail.

    http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=47492

    1. Peter2
      May 17, 2021

      Is it a culture of lefty groupthink?

      1. Derek Henry
        May 18, 2021

        Hi peter,

        It is a culture of GROUPTHINK full stop.

  11. Everhopeful
    May 17, 2021

    I always rather thought that the adoption of American ways/ideas were pretty bad for this country.
    Fast food, supermarkets, horrible Malls, too many large cars, brashness, dumbing down of education, ā€œCare in the Communityā€, motorways….

    1. Everhopeful
      May 17, 2021

      The Iraq war?

    2. agricola
      May 17, 2021

      Yeah Everhopeful, I remember the 60s too. 150MPH on the M1 and it was legal. A time when we all made decisions for our lives and took responsibility for the result. No army of social workers to sweep up the mess and multiply the problem. I think we cared for each other a little more overtly too. Happy days, Spain is much the same now apart from the 150 MPH.

      1. Everhopeful
        May 17, 2021

        +1

      2. Fedupsoutherner
        May 17, 2021

        Mmm, yes, 150mph and no thought for anyone you take out with you. The trouble with doing that today is there are more irresponsible, selfish and stupid people out there with their high performance cars who have not long passed their test and who think they are good drivers.

        1. agricola
          May 17, 2021

          Fedupsoutherner, yes you are right today. That was early 60s, no traffic in the early hours of sunday morning. I was getting a lift back to London in a friends D type. Strange thing, take 100 people, how many can play the piano well. Not many I would submit, yet after passing a driving test we expect everyone to drive well. As a passenger I would be scared at 30MPH in the hands of an incompetent driver. My best learning period was competing on the road including international events for about seven years. After that I never felt the need during normal transit motoring. The 60s traffic levels in Spain allows the pleasure of driving which is long past in the UK.

          1. Everhopeful
            May 17, 2021

            Oh yuk yuk!
            No apology.
            Life used to be WONDERFUL.
            E Type, Newport Pagnell, 100 mph!
            See the grey, miserable, quasi puritanical gloom now.
            All foisted on us by governments!

          2. Fred.H
            May 17, 2021

            a lift back at 150 mph ? were you strapped to the long bonnet of the single seater?

  12. agricola
    May 17, 2021

    Off piste but highly relevant. I find it symtomatic of our idiot woke society that we can call the latest manifestation of Covid, the Indian variant, but we cannot say it came from India, brought into the UK by returning members of our Indian communities. Or for that matter it is more dangerous of initial spread in sub continent communities because they lead a much closer family life than the rest of us do. They have historically had a lower take up rate than the rest of us too.

    I do not blame the Indian community, the fault is with our government for allowing the free flow of people, UK/India/UK when they were well aware of the Covid situation in India.

    Government is right to allow saturation vaccination in the areas where Covid is having a second go. Hopefully it will scoop up all those shunned it first time around.

    Why is government and the media so fearful of reporting the true story. The British public are not stupid, it would be better all round if we had more fact and less woke.

    1. Alan Jutson
      May 17, 2021

      agricola

      You, Me, and most others know the answer.

      The reason is simple, remember Rotherham, no one would speak about that either until it simply could not be avoided.

    2. Paul Cuthbertson
      May 18, 2021

      Agricola – Indian Variant??????? News is not just what happens. It is what a fairly small group of people decide is the news and the globalists own the MSM, hence it is their narrative. Better still, the real conspiracy theorists believe that their government cares about them, the media would never mislead or lie to them and the pharmaceutical industry that makes billions from sickness wants to cure them.
      Puppet Boris is controlled by the Globalist UK Establishment and is pushing the World Economic Forum Build Back better dictat. Just look who is promoting this WEF garbage however Nothing can stop what is coming, Nothing.

      1. Everhopeful
        May 18, 2021

        I used to post similar.
        Always deleted.
        Becoming too obvious now to deny probably?

  13. nota#
    May 17, 2021

    There is a bigger gulf in attitudes and synergies than at any time in our shared histories. The UK has given up on anything but a token version of armed forces – more correctly it is just a defence force. Lets be honest about that the UK has no possibility of responding to any threat to its interest without considerable external help.

    On Covid the US a couple of weeks ago had started to supply 18 year olds. The English Health Secretary mentioned the aim of getting to a million vaccinations a week after Germany got there in a day. Might have started first but the UK is moving to the catch up phase.

    Biden is at the moment living on the glory of the efforts of the Trump administration. If the MsM reports are correct he is heading in a direction that no one should follow. The PM will follow, the difference there is that in the US it is State Governments that carryout internal Policy, it is doubtful they will be as obedient as number 10.

  14. Everhopeful
    May 17, 2021

    Yes.
    I remember privatisation.
    It was a bit like the Gold Rush really.
    Wasnā€™t it?
    Or a ā€œFire Saleā€ maybe?

    1. Mitchel
      May 17, 2021

      The family silver?!

      1. Everhopeful
        May 17, 2021

        Absolutely!

  15. nota#
    May 17, 2021

    Highlighting further UK separation from the US, first and foremost the US is an independent Country that makes its own, laws, rules and regulations.

    The BBC is reporting today that the Government has agreed that from October NI will be separated from the UK. The EU is still in charge of UK affairs, its laws, rules and regulation. The UK for all its bluster has become a ‘role-over’ state, falling further behind as each day passes.

    What is called Number 10 is unable to Govern for the whole of the UK. It no longer represent the wishes of the majority of the UK. It will fight the people and their right to achieve democracy. You could even reason that not only have they lost the plot surrendering to a minority of noisy shouty people, they have gone rogue.

    1. NickC
      May 17, 2021

      Boris Johnson thought he could hide the give away of Northern Ireland and our fish. He has learned to his cost that the EU is too stupid to take the prizes he has given them quietly.

      1. bill brown
        May 18, 2021

        NIckC

        they are open subjects in full view of everybody to see, so what a loead of rubbish

    2. Sharon
      May 17, 2021

      What if the two court cases challenging the legality of the NI Protocol are successful? That doesnā€™t equate to agreeing to sell off one of our own! The BBC must be wrong, surely!

  16. Christine
    May 17, 2021

    This is a President who doesnā€™t know who anyone is or even where he is much of the time. Do you really think he is in control of policy?

    1. NickC
      May 17, 2021

      No, Biden is not in control. There is a globalist cabal in charge – the very same people who encouraged voter fraud. Hillary Clinton is one of their hangers-on – still whingeing that Brexit and Trump were voted for only because of the Russians,

  17. turboterrier
    May 17, 2021

    Bryan Harris

    Totally correct .

  18. Rhoddas
    May 17, 2021

    Lets broaden wider collaboration to 5 Eyes.
    UK needs mRNA biotech and production so that’s a good place to begin with as it holds promise of saviour to many of the world’s killer diseases, not just Covid. Fuel Cells too, if we are to combat the joint threat of CCP control of rare earth metals.

    1. NickC
      May 17, 2021

      Rhoddas, Since fuel cells would be used to generate electricity in vehicles which then need traction batteries and electric motors (with rare earth magnets), how would that prevent “CCP control of rare earth metals”?

      1. Ian Wragg
        May 17, 2021

        See JCB and the development of a hydrogen burning ICE.
        Battery cars will be an irrelevance when large scale hydrogen in semi solid form becomes available.
        The internal combustion engine is far from dead.

        1. NickC
          May 17, 2021

          Hydrogen is expensive to produce, and uses a lot of electricity to do so. The extra electricity for which Boris Johnson is not building the generating capacity. There is (next to) no hydrogen infrastructure either.

      2. dixie
        May 17, 2021

        If an EV has a fuel cell it wouldn’t need a battery and EV motors can be constructed without rare earth magnets (see induction motors)

        1. NickC
          May 17, 2021

          Dixie, Over 80% of electric vehicles sold in 2019 have permanent magnet motors with magnets composed of rare earths such as neodymium and dysprosium (see IDTechEx report 2020). The reason is that permanent magnet motors are more efficient for EV tasks.

          Whilst in theory a hydrogen fuel cell powered EV does not need a traction battery, normally one is incorporated to increase efficiency, smooth out the power demand, provide storage for regenerative braking, and so on (see US Dept of Energy).

          1. dixie
            May 18, 2021

            Permanent magnet motors are more efficient than induction motors, I believe the difference is around 5% associated with “slippage” and lighter but are more expensive and costs are likely to increase. Larger and performance EVs can accommodate the difference – the Tesla S and latest Audi e-tron use induction motors for example. As battery capacity/density increases and motor/system design improves they may will become more appropriate for the smaller EVs displacing the need for more expensive permanent magnet motors.
            The point is that rare earth materials are not the only option for EV motors.
            There aren’t enough fuel cell cars to establish a “normal” yet – there are only two available in the UK, three if you include the RiverSimple. They may include a 12v battery like some EVs for low voltage systems and recuperation but there is a long way to go with that approach and to establish a pure FC or FC/battery hybrid as a standard architecture.

  19. turboterrier
    May 17, 2021

    O/T but relevant
    The BBC bless bless are reporting on the E Grand Prix where cars could not finish because they run out of battery power.
    This could be a common sight on our motorways and roads in years to come.
    They are also on Google news reporting on the dumping of non recyclable waste being paid to be processed in Turkey just being openly burned in open sites. Malaysia have returned 42 containers of non recyclable plastics to the UK as they do not want Malaysia to become the world dumping site.
    Another case of out of sight out of mind.
    How many jobs could be created if we controlled and managed the disposal of non recyclable waste in this country?
    Better still hit the companies that are producing and using it in the first place.

    This is just highlights another area where zero carbon dreams is just that a dream if done correctly.

    1. NickC
      May 17, 2021

      The BBC peddles the catastrophic man-made global warming hoax, so ends up looking as silly as their propaganda.

    2. Alan Jutson
      May 17, 2021

      The answer is to burn it here to generate electricity, and control the emissions with a properly designed system.

      They use such a system to burn waste in some 3rd World countries, and use the ash to make building blocks for homes.
      Clearly their building blocks are not as highly insulated as we use, but better and more longer lasting for them than using mud and other options.

  20. graham1946
    May 17, 2021

    Biden is having his strings pulled by Kamala Harris and his pre election ‘moderate’ ideas are now hardening into fully left wing policies. It will get worse once he has retired half way through and she takes over the Presidency as I believe has always been the plan, as she would not get elected on her own.

  21. formula57
    May 17, 2021

    To “…keep our own supply of ideas going to ensure a strong recovery and a full exploitation of our new freedoms” is of course the challenge for us, and alas it looks to be being neglected by the Government. Too much focus on the Green agenda and paying lip service to President Joe’s daft notions (hopefully doing no more than necessary to keep him sweet pro tem) risks deflecting from the much needed and increasingly overdue effort.

  22. Derek Henry
    May 17, 2021

    One thing is crystal clear. I hope the Conservative party and other countries recognise it.

    What the virus has shown very clearly beyond doubt is that

    a) We could all retire a lot sooner.

    b) What we receive as a state pension could be increased

    c) Or a mixture of both.

    The state Pension are all about skills and real resources available now what funds them. Those who are left working whilst people retire have to be productive enough not only to provide the goods and services needed for those in work but also for those that are retired.

    As usual you have to forget about the numbers in Ā£’s and how it’s funded. It’s the skills and real resources available that matters most.

    At what age people retire and how much they get is always a productivity story. When can we retire and how much we get depends solely on how much competition there is over the goods and services available to all. How much the workers and those retired compete for those goods and services.

    Retire too early and give the pensioners too many “blips” can be inflationary. If the private sector is not productive enough to provide enough goods and services then prices will rise.

    What the furlough payments ( blips) credited into bank accounts by the BOE from thin air have shown clearly is that there is room to manoeuvre here.

    We’ve paid people for doing nothing. We’ve gave them Ā£ billions of blips to sit at home and produce no goods and services without any problems.

    I wish the Conservatives would see this it is a sure fire vote winner. Either reduce the pension age or increase pension payments or do both when we get back to normal. It is as clear as day the pension age has been too high or the payments too low.

    Yet another Brexit dividend. It’s not rocket science.

    1. SM
      May 17, 2021

      Can’t wait to read Andy’s response to this!

      Could you tell us what you’re on, Derek, as I would like some of it.

      1. Derek Henry
        May 17, 2021

        Hi SM,

        Hope you are well.

        What I am on is very simple ,Just the actual government accounts which I have studied for 12 years. The assets and liabilities, no ideology no politics. The tax you pay does not fund state pensions. It does not happen.

        It is a ” tax” that removes your spending power allowing the retired to spend their pension without causing inflation. Creates room for them to spend.

        It is each and every time a productivity story. Not we have run out of blips and can’t fund a state pension story that is ridiculous. The UK can not run out of blips on a central bank spreadsheet. It creates blips at will in parliament whenever a spending bill is passed.

        See pandemic for details.

        1. Peter2
          May 17, 2021

          Still waiting for Derek to send me a million into my bank account .
          Apparently it just needs the government to print few hundred billions and we can all be rich.

          1. Derek Henry
            May 18, 2021

            Morning Peter,

            You’ll be waiting for a long time. Never once in 5 years on this blog have I ever said that.

            I’ve always said the only constraint the BOE has when it creates blips are the skills and real resources in the economy. That what is held out as a financial constraint is usually not that at all. Typically, in macroeconomic policy the constraints are political and voluntarily imposed. The sophists then dress these political constraints up as financial constraints using gold standard type macroeconomic models which appear throughout the literature to avoid addressing the real issue. They love using fixed FX even though we use floating. Or they pretend we use the Euro instead of the Ā£.

          2. Peter2
            May 18, 2021

            It is the logical response to your Zimbawe School of Economics nonsense that the government can almost endlessly create magic money and that we don’t need to pay tax as the government doesn’t need the tax receipts.
            So, I said previously that you should ask the government to make us all rich by sending each one of us a million each.

        2. NickC
          May 17, 2021

          Derek, The government must balance its books like any business or household. Whilst it can borrow, the money must be paid back. Printing new money doesn’t create inflation only if it is less than any productivity increase. There are numerous examples of countries which have tried to by-pass this economic law by printing huge amounts of money as you advocate, only to end up with catastrophic inflation.

          1. Derek Henry
            May 18, 2021

            Morning Nic.

            Not true I’m afraid. They is a massive difference between the MONOPOLY ” issuer” of the currency and a “user “of that currency.

            Borrowing isn’t even fiscal policy it is monetary policy. Governments do not borrow like a business or a household. They swap a Ā£ for a gilt it is called a reserve drain.

            Government spending puts downward pressure on the overnight interest rate. So they drain the reserves swap reserve balances for gilts so the BOE can But it’s overnight interest rate.

            No grandchildren or tax payers are even in the room. It is a simple asset swap Nic. You can’t do a reserve drain without adding to the reserves first.

            Tell me Nic- where do you get your Ā£’s from that

            a) Allows you to pay your taxes

            b) Buy government bonds

            It’s written on the front of every note beside that signature.

          2. NickC
            May 18, 2021

            Derek H, Not true I’m afraid. The government is constrained by all the economic laws that apply to the rest of the country. The government is not operating in a different economy. Nor does it issue the entire mney supply all over again every year. The majority of the money remains in issue for years, decades, even centuries. If the UK government prints too much (even as little as 2% for example) then we get inflation. But, and here’s where you MMTers fall over, not for a couple of years. Money printing followed by tax increases do not work the way you think because you don’t take account of time and human habits.

      2. Derek Henry
        May 17, 2021

        Hi SM,

        Thatcher understood that you can run out of skills and real resources.

        When she moved all the skills and real resources from ship building and mining into services and high end manufacturing.

        That’s what economics is all about how you use your skills and real resources. Stuff that you can run out of without causing inflation.

        Forget about the blips we can never run out of those. We are British and sovereign and use the Ā£. We do not use the Euro, we are no longer on the gold standard or use fixed exchange rates.

        Euro countries and US states HAVE to find the blips via taxes. We don’t we use taxes to move skills and real resources around to where they are needed and to control inflation. That is the whole problem with the Eurozone.

        There is no HUGE shed on the Isle of Wight that stores and collects our taxes for future use. Once the currency has been taxed out of the system it is gone forever.

        All the budget deficit tells us is how much households and business have saved.

        All the national debt tells us how much of those savings have been swapped for gilts.

        That’s it. Government spending that has not been collected as taxes yet. Concentrating on them is non sensical and why the current budget constraint should be replaced by an inflation constraint.

        Then we would know what we can actually do with pensions that won’t cause inflation. You can’t just say let’s reduce the pension by 5 years and increase the payment by Ā£100 unless you know what the real constraints are. There’s your productivity story right there.

        1. NickC
          May 18, 2021

          Derek H said: “[Thatcher] moved all the skills and real resources from ship building and mining. She didn’t. Both industries were already declining due to external factors (cheaper ship building by S.Korea and Japan; and the use of natural gas for home heating). And as I’ve explained before MMTers like yourself cannot use inflation as the real time control because inflation is delayed (by around two years) after a bout of money printing – two years is a long time in economics. Nor are taxes “gone forever” – taxes are collected then spent as the government’s accounts show.

  23. nota#
    May 17, 2021

    In looking for a way out of this eternal bind the Political Class/Elite have created for us mere mortals, I would suggest all future Ballot Papers the option of ‘None of the Above’ (with respect I am not talking about one of the contributors to this Blog)

    At least the mere electorate, taxpayer will stand a chance of highlighting how poorly the Party System represents any one but themselves.

    1. agricola
      May 17, 2021

      The way to circumvent the establishment and develope democracy is to have binding referendums on key topics, after a six month frenzy of discussion.

  24. glen cullen
    May 17, 2021

    After Brexit we need a time of self-reflection, I donā€™t want the USA or the EU influencing our future direction
    We need to step back from all international institutions, forums, groups and organisations and allow our own internal politics to settle down for 10 years
    Our politic needs to be inward focused in an effort to reengage with our electorate
    Business will always exchange ideas if its advantage to do so ā€“ leave it to them

    1. Mitchel
      May 17, 2021

      Nice idea but we have a very large and very well paid cadre of people whose raison d’etre is engaging with the world in some way or other -and these turkeys ain’t gonna vote for that Christmas..The UK is after all the original home of globalism.

    2. agricola
      May 17, 2021

      Fat chance Glen.

      1. glen cullen
        May 17, 2021

        I have a dream

        1. steve
          May 17, 2021

          glen

          I also have a dream, unfortunately when I wake up neither she nor the money actually exists.

          1. Fred.H
            May 17, 2021

            Millions have wide-awake dream, but the reality of a democracy in UK is just that – a dream.

  25. Sharon
    May 17, 2021

    Jean commentator in The Spectator,
    ā€œ Attended one of the freedom rallies last Saturday. Found out that the government, together with other governments around the world including America, have at the same time, lowered the age of consent for vaccination of children so that from 12 years and up, they can now override their parentsā€™ decision on whether to receive a vaccination. And I have had sight of the school ā€˜covid vaccination presentationā€™ which they aim to roll out to schools and colleges in the coming weeks to coerce our young to take the shots. They scare them with falsehoods about spreading deadly covid to their grandparents even if they do not have symptoms. The lies are atrocious.

    Hancock and his mates in the media kept quiet about that little change in the consent law didnā€™t they? They are coming for our kids.ā€

    Is this true? If so, that is so shameful and underhand.

    1. None of the Above
      May 17, 2021

      If a child’s Parents are anti vaccination, why should their lives and others be blighted by that ideology?

  26. The Prangwizard
    May 17, 2021

    Still looking overseas. We need to stop that. It’s well.past time we decided on policies and practises here and for us first and if others don’t like them we can either take no notice or negotiate an arrangement but not to concede.

    Through all thinking here tragically is the idea that we can do nothing without consultation with others first.

  27. X-Tory
    May 17, 2021

    Sir John, In response to your latest Tweet on trade between GB and NI – which I completely agree with – I see that the government has once again been deceiving us with their false claims of wanting to remove the checks and ease trade. Now we see that Lord Frost has put forward a plan to gradually introduce a full and comprehensive checking system on goods going from one part of our country to another part of what used to be our country but has now been given away to our EU enemies. We have all been betrayed by Lord Frost and Boris Johnson.

    1. agricola
      May 17, 2021

      X-Tory, I do not know what Boris and Lord Frost have in mind. However I would give the EU the opportunity to remove the NI Protocol in it’s entirety. If they fail to do so, I would unilaterally remove it by ignoring it’s divisive aims. It would have no effect on the Good Friday Agreement because it has nothing to do with it. What would affect the GFA is the EU creating a hard border in Ireland the consequencies of which would be on EU heads.

    2. Old Salt
      May 17, 2021

      X-Tory
      Typical Boris Iā€™m afraid say one thing, do another. Just why did he say no border etc and then agree to it.

      Irish EU Commissioner saying on TV recently regarding the NIP ā€œā€¦get used to the new realityā€ the EU being adamant in their determination to split up the U.K., punish and make an example of us. To use their own quote ā€œthey will do what it takesā€

      As said on here previously Martin Selmayr is reported to have said ā€œThe price the UK would have to pay would be the loss of Northern Irelandā€.

      With two court cases and a change of now stronger DUP leadership up against the establishment is there any hope of avoiding a resurgence of violence or is the evil empire going to win again?

      Stating the obvious – no treaty is worth the paper it is written upon unless agreed to on both sides. So, someone needs to grow some and stand up to the oppressors as they are only trying it on to see how far they can push us weaklings as we seem to be.

  28. glen cullen
    May 17, 2021

    Five (5) covid deaths today ā€“ so why the panic over the Indian variant

    1. Fred.H
      May 17, 2021

      well for a start, big rise in people admitted to hospital with Covid would appear to be those refusing the vaccination. So if this Indian variant is more infectious we can expect the NHS to throw hands up in horror, SAGE and Hancock (or stuffing if you prefer) will tell the PM to delay removal of restrictions.

    2. Lester
      May 18, 2021

      Glen Cullen

      And precisely how do they arrive at the conclusion that itā€™s the Indian Variant?

      Yet another scam to keep us scared!

  29. Lindsay McDougall
    May 17, 2021

    A sharp divergence from the US agenda would be a good idea. Not only do we dislike Biden’s big Government but also his fondness for the EU, his wish to meddle in Northern Ireland’s affairs and (not yet implemented but certain to follow) his sending of troops into third countries as part of Pax Americana. It’s high time that we had a business relationship, not a special relationship, with the US. We can support American efforts to defend Japan but we would only have a minor role.

    With a hostile EU on our doorstep, our defence deployment is needed closer to home.

    Let us see if the US is serious about preventing climate change. Will it stop burning raw coal and will it support efforts to modify WTO rules so that tariffs may be imposed on the exports of countries running a dirty economy?

    1. bill brown
      May 18, 2021

      Lindsay,

      The Eu is not hostile and they are not a military power yet, all are members of NATO and we all defend one another, if we are attacked, so what are you on about/

      1. dixie
        May 19, 2021

        Attempted blockade and raids on what the EU perceives as British commercial interests by the EU demonstrates the EU is very hostile to the UK. As to EU countries defending others, which ones leapt to our defence the last time we were invaded? – In case you have any problems remembering it was the Falklands and the answer is none whatsoever.

        1. bill brown
          May 19, 2021

          dixie

          I am sorry but your historical memory is very weak, both the Americans, French and Germans assisted during the Falklands, with informaiton on the Argentinian hardware so it could be blocked with sattelite observatins about movements, fuel tankers while plans in air and so on.
          We are tlking about NATO and the Falklands does not fall witin its territory, so no I am afraid you are historically wrong.

  30. steve
    May 17, 2021

    Always remember – not everything that comes from the US is good.

  31. anon
    May 18, 2021

    US coal is quickly losing out on price to renewables.
    Voting. Yes we need much more security against fraud and malpractice.
    Lets just wait for the results of the newly invigorated “State legislators” to audit the votes with corroborating evidence. Plenty of events will follow in time.

    A carbon tax on imports should be introduced.

    We should be co-operative but should be concentrating on removing EU influence from our laws and politics first and foremost, before worrying about US influence. Cons & establishment are purposely failing on this again as usual.

  32. Paul Cuthbertson
    May 18, 2021

    Does the author truly know what is going on in the USA at present or is he playing along with the UK Globalist Establishment narrative? Nothing can stop what is coming, Nothing.

  33. bill brown
    May 18, 2021

    Sir JR,

    You are talking about the “Biden administration pursuing radical left wing ideas”
    I am afraid I think you have got your definitions wrong, Biden is pursing a “Social democratic model as was the case in Sweden and still is the case in Denmark”
    If, you wish to define this as “Radical left ideas” this is of course up to you , but it is actually not the case, if you look closer at the legislation proposed in detail, it is all about making the US labour market much more flexible and fair in terms of training, working conditions and unemployment support.
    You seem to be upting for lots of generalisatoins these days, which undermines your arguments.

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