Funding the Future

Trump’s new government looks as though it is going to be made up almost entirely of people who have no clue about what government is but think it can be run like a business. The trouble is, the two are nothing like each other and as a result things could go horribly wrong, very quickly, for the Trump administration.

Climate change is the biggest challenge we have. It’s bigger than. Any war we’ve ever fought. It’s bigger than any political crisis we’ve ever had. That’s because it’s existential. And now the Tories are in denial about it and are withdrawing their support from government policy on the issue. Wy? What are they playing at?

The logic of private equity capitalists is contrary to everything that it seems sound government, good governance, sensible pension fund planning and long term thinking should stand for. So why is Labour besotted with it?

Pension saving is not just about how much money you put aside, but also about what that money is used to fund. If your pension fund is investing in things like oil, ultra-processed foods and properties liable to flooding then those things are going to be worthless when you want your money back. Far too few people understand that – and this is the real pension crisis that we face.

We can only beat obesity if the state acts in ways the far-right calls the ‘nanny state’

Water is critical to life, but neoliberal economics is threatening water supplies for differing reasons in many parts of the globe, including in London. That type of economic thinking has no answer as to what happens next, and nor so far have our politicians. When will they realise they have to act?

The forthcoming trade war that Trump is intent upon is going to force Starmer to do something he hates. He’s going to back either the US or the EU, because he can’t fudge this one without imposing massive harm on this country. And he’s also going to have to be the Prime Minister who finally says farewell to the ‘special relationship’, once and for all.

When farmland has become financialised in the way it has been because of inheritance tax exemptions, farming can't work, so farmers need to realise that actually having an inheritance tax charge helps them to reclaim farming for farmers and for the benefit of the people of this country. They really should not be protesting today: Labour is, for once, on their side and even doing the right thing.

Trump says he will make America great again, but if he cuts $2 trillion from the US Federal budget of $6.7 trillion – as he says he wants to do – then the impact on millions of US people will be catastrophic. The reality is that he seems to be setting out to Make America Poor Again.

I am bored by politicians who pretend that they are from the left and right, and who either worship markets or pretend that the state can do nothing of value. The reality is that we live in a mixed economy where both the state and private sectors are essential. Why is it so hard to admit that fact?