Many blame Brexit for the current economic malaise the U.K. finds itself in and that if we elect a new party, Labour, to power that they will be able to turn things around. Unfortunately, things are not as simple and my point here is not to pick a party over another but to look at what, in my opinion, are the root causes the current… Read More »Economic Woes
A Decade of Crises. Since the beginning of 2020, the world is changing in ways most of us did not expect it to. First it was the covid-19 crisis and what evolved from; it like lockdowns, draconian rules and new medical procedures. By the beginning of 2022 covid-19 seemed to be a thing of the past, and then the Ukraine War popped up its ugly… Read More »2020’s
The Biggest Monetary Event of the 21st Century? Up until World War I there was no world or global monetary system as nations used gold and silver as money and national currencies or bank notes were just receipts for specie or coins. There were some rules nations followed but it was not as official and institutionalised. The nations of the world had not set up… Read More »Biggest Monetary Event
Will Universal Basic Income (UBI) Eradicate Poverty? There is an old saying that goes like this: ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions’ and this is why I want to talk about the concept of universal basic income today. This idea has been around for a long time but seems to be getting some traction of late as we have heard that Autonomy… Read More »Universal Basic Income
Sacrificed for House Prices Money or currency is never a simple topic even though it should be. Back on November 19, 1967, Prime Minister Harold Wilson said the following after the pound was devalued by 14.3% versus the then “good as gold” dollar: “It does not mean, of course, that the pound here in Britain, in your pocket or purse, or in your bank, has… Read More »Pound In Your Pocket
Convenience at the Cost of Individual Freedom Most of you have probably noticed that the use of cash has been diminishing for the last ten years as technology evolves and more people use contactless cards, Apple Pay, online banking and other kinds of rapidly evolving technology. Covid-19 and the government-imposed lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 were also used as an excuse to increase our dependency… Read More »The Digital Pound
a tree grow! You can’t watch a tree grow? Well possibly in the deepest Amazon if you want to be pedantic! – But my point is you only see it over time. Around these parts anyway. Slowly but surely over time they go from dappled shade to a dense canopy. But it can’t be viewed in real time but over time. Beyond time but within… Read More »You can’t watch
I have written about inflation before but I think it is more important than ever to revisit the topic as consumer and retail prices continue to rise at rates not seen since the 1970s, major workers’ strikes continue to afflict and disrupt the U.K. economy. It was economist Milton Friedman who once said that inflation is always a monetary phenomenon so with that in mind… Read More »Government inflation
Many of you have of course been aware of the crisis in the UK government bond market following Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s recent minibudget, in which more tax cuts and government spending were promised. The UK government bond market or Gilt market, is the market in which the government taps investors worldwide for funds and in exchange, investors receive a bond with a promise of interest… Read More »Time to Pay The Piper
Otis, my cat is a cruel mistress. Often, I wonder if she overhears my grumbles that the fridge is empty again and this is one of the reasons she presents me daily with a couple of shrews (often in shoes) and on special occasions, like summer solstice, a bat. Imagine that. Strategically placed at the side of my bed ensuring when I arose for sunrise… Read More »Holy Moly
