The Guardian (July 29)
“Ireland’s place in the global hierarchy appears on the rise, and the UK has continued marvelling at the shrewd cunning of their plucky little neighbour.” But some of the praise seems unwarranted. “Ireland hasn’t turned into some 24th-century futurist utopia so much as installed sensible public policy that should seem unremarkable in a modern democracy.” It’s simply that Ireland’s “mild competency… can appear to be stone-cold genius compared with the UK’s blundering mess.”
Tags: Competency, Cunning, Democracy, Genius, Global hierarchy, Ireland, Mess, Praise, Sensible, Shrewd, UK, Utopia
BBC (July 25)
“Barely a month after Spain ended its state of emergency, cities including Barcelona, Zaragoza and the capital Madrid have seen a surge in new infections, prompting the government to warn that a second wave could be imminent.” The UK has imposed a 14-day quarantine period for travelers from Spain.
Tags: Barcelona, Emergency, Government, Infections, Madrid, Second wave, Spain, Surge, UK, Zaragoza
The Guardian (July 15)
“Brexit was meant to make Britain global. It has made us friendless.”
Tags: Brexit, Friendless, Global, UK
Foreign Policy (June 22)
“India has crossed two bleak landmarks in its battle against the coronavirus. The country has now reached over 400,000 infections, making it the fourth-worst-hit country in the world, overtaking Britain, Spain, and Italy. But it’s also lifted its 76-day lockdown.” In order “to stave off economic disaster,” the country is now “walking head-on into a pandemic at its peak.”
Tags: Battle, Bleak, Coronavirus, Disaster, India, Infections, Italy, Landmarks, Lockdown, Pandemic, Peak, Spain, UK
The Economist (May 23)
Have we reached “peak capital?” It seems London may be entering “a covid-accelerated decline,” in a shift that “could reverse three decades of ascendancy.” The UK may be “levelled up” as Boris Johnson promised, but primarily by levelling down London.
Tags: Accelerated, Ascendancy, Covid, Decline, Johnson, London, Peak capital, UK
Reuters (April 20)
“Income tax was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1799 to fund the Napoleonic Wars against France. America imposed the tax in 1861 to pay for its civil war. The coronavirus pandemic is not literally a war. But it will lead to massive debts and eventually higher taxes.”
Tags: Civil war, Coronavirus, Debts, France, Fund, Income tax, Napoleonic Wars, Pandemic, Taxes, U.S., UK
Financial Times (March 2)
“Europe as a whole, the UK included, should prepare for two foreseeable material economic shocks this year: a spread in the coronavirus and a WTO Brexit.” This may help create “the perfect storm for an economy dependent on exports and global supply chains.”
Tags: Brexit, Coronavirus, Economic shocks, Europe, Exports, Foreseeable, Material, Supply chains, UK, WTO
The Economist (February 15)
“Scottish independence has grabbed headlines since Brexit, but it is time to recognise the chances of a different secession from the United Kingdom. Sinn Fein’s success at the election is just the latest reason to think that a united Ireland within a decade or so is a real—and growing—possibility.”
Responsible Investor (February 12)
“The UK’s government and financial regulators have laid out a series of plans to bolster climate disclosure and become the first country in the world to have mandatory TCFD reporting, despite growing uncertainty over its ability to host a successful COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland.”
Tags: Climate disclosure, COP26, Glasgow, Mandatory, Regulators, TCFD reporting, UK, Uncertainty
Reuters (January 29)
The UK is hurtling “into the Brexit unknown” as “a dis-United Kingdom exits the European Union” on Friday. Alas, more “Brexit fatigue” is likely in store. “Trade talks with every major power—including the EU—loom while there is little clarity on what the United Kingdom’s pitch to global investors will be.”
