Once again it’s been too long since I posted, partially due to a honeymoon (amazing), and another bloody cold (not amazing). I’m writing a long piece on UK’s foreign policy which is taking me way too long, but I thought I’d post this for now.
- The unfairness of the UK University system: https://open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p/rage-rage-against-the-growing-of?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
- Universities have been attracting a lot of attention recently, with it yet another area where the political agreement has failed. Graduates have not seen wages rise uniformly post university, and are saddled with debt that they realistically have no chance of repaying
- It partially comes back to a disagreement over the point of universities – are they there to educate the mind (in which case, no taxation for that given the benefit only accrues to the individual), for labour skills (in which case you need to shutting down universities that fail to do this, with students missing out and funding through graduate taxation), or something else?
- Off the top of my head I’d prefer the second option but again implies real losers in the economy, and good luck volunteering for that
- The UK political wage economy: https://open.substack.com/pub/cromredoubt/p/britains-wage-suppression-addiction?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
- Probably worth a whole long article in itself, this is an excellent diagnosis of the British economy right now
- Essentially it diagnoses the fundamental tenet of the UK economy is around wage suppression – no surprise when we have a nationalised healthcare system, an inadequate care system, and a highly centralised public sector including schools, prisons, police, etc. It works (or maybe even now just worked) for a time, but the costs are increasingly unbearable
- Again, we are going to have to start breaking these elements apart and accept that wages for these sectors, or at least a few of them, will go up – but in return we must demand much better. E.g., a police force that will do the basics again, and a prison service that will safely house violent criminals
- An interesting take on the USA foreign policy ambitions after the recent Japanese elections: https://richardc145655.substack.com/p/rupture?r=22u0c&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true
- I don’t know if I agree with all of this and I’m always sceptical about how many steps ahead the US administration is thinking, but broadly this piece seems correct to me
- Essentially the USA and China are forcing the world to pick sides, whether they like it or not. Trump may be a bully and vindictive, but this trend won’t go away with another President
- I’m trying to finish a way too long piece on the UK’s foreign policy that I hope to release soon, but its clear that the UK is going to have to adjust its position substantially in order to assert its interests in this new age
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