[Mild Rover]

Re: Brexit Anyone? (part 5) : Wed Feb 12, 2020 7:03 am  

Sal Paradise wrote:

I think we need a mixed economy that encourages wealth generation but also ensures essential public services are correctly funded. Yes there will always be wealth inequality and greater the average wealth the greater the differential - in the 70s there were very few Billionaires now there are thousands. We need to agree what are essential public services - NHS, schools, police - does the mail or transport fall into that - not for me neither do utilities. The economy needs to have the flexibility to subsidise/support growth industries without owning them.

Would you agree that is an essentially Blairite platform?

Re: Brexit Anyone? (part 5) : Wed Feb 12, 2020 8:36 am  

Mild Rover wrote:

In principle I tend to think the public sector is for what we need and the private sector in for what we need.

On the other hand, food is essential and, without denying the sad reality of food poverty in the UK, nationalising farming and supermarkets might be a bit radical for me at this point in our economic development.

When the seas rise and food begins to be scarce, we may end up with rationing, which would be "nationalising" food supply

Re: Brexit Anyone? (part 5) : Wed Feb 12, 2020 12:51 pm  

Mild Rover wrote:

Would you agree that is an essentially Blairite platform?

Blair was a centre/right politician he was certainly further to the right than Cameron IMO. In essence yes I agree and I see much of this in Boris he is further to the centre than May or Major more Hague for me who I really liked.

[Mild Rover]

Re: Brexit Anyone? (part 5) : Thu Feb 13, 2020 3:50 pm  

Sal Paradise wrote:

Blair was a centre/right politician he was certainly further to the right than Cameron IMO. In essence yes I agree and I see much of this in Boris he is further to the centre than May or Major more Hague for me who I really liked.

I don’t believe that Johnson has many, or even any, great or specific policy convictions. While pragmatism and even pure opportunism can work, my impression is that he is more interested in the prestige of being PM than the work of it. Which presumably is where Cummings comes in. That glory/power divide (or symbiosis) will likely work quite well as long as things are going well.

However, Cummings agenda is potentially pretty radical and his power derives solely from Johnson. Does Johnson believe in it (or anything) enough to stick with it when it gets icky? if he doesn’t, I think his flapping Woosterish buffoonery might start to seem less endearing to those who find it so now, if he ends up in ‘control’ and flying solo.

Re: Brexit Anyone? (part 5) : Tue Feb 25, 2020 9:35 am  

Strap yourselves in for the real fun to start, with both sides (EU and UK) due to release their plans for negotiations later this week.
The UK seem to be driving for a Canada+ type deal, with zero tariffs and the EU already suggesting that due to their geographical proximity
to one another, this isn't going to be possible.
Very interesting times ahead.