Analysis: Big Tech’s Mission to Replace the Banks Will End in Tears
James Meadway
As long as profit is allowed to drive developments in fintech, the risks of catastrophic overreach remains, writes James Meadway.
Tag: james meadway
Opinion: Sunak’s Spending Review Is a Drop of Water in a Desert – the Left Must Demand More
James Meadway
From divide-and-rule public sector pay freezes to ripe-for-corruption local spending schemes, Sunak's plan is radically insufficient for our current crisis. The left must forward an alternative, and quick, writes James Meadway.
Novara Live: Sunak’s Spending Review
With a public sector pay freeze and cuts to foreign aid, has Rishi Sunak’s spending review shown him to be a typical Tory class warrior? With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar and James Meadway.
Analysis: The Rest of the World is Having a Trade Deal Party and Brexit Britain Isn’t Invited
James Meadway
The signing last week of a trade deal between 15 Asia-Pacific nations, led by China, signals a move away from US-led globalisation towards a brave new world, one in which “Global Britain” will struggle to situate itself, writes James Meadway.
Analysis: The Covid-19 Vaccine Won’t Work If Everything Else Stays the Same
James Meadway
From massive investment in health infrastructure to immediate action against climate breakdown, there’s a great deal the still to do if this medical breakthrough is to fulfil its potential, writes James Meadway.
Analysis: Austerity Might Be Over, But Everything is Still Terrible
James Meadway
In the wake of Covid-19, governments worldwide are spending at levels unprecedented outside of wartime. But ending austerity on the Tories’ terms will not herald a new era of public munificence in the UK, argues James Meadway.
Novara Live: Sunak’s Screeching U-Turn
Rishi Sunak has annnounced an extension to the furlough and, once again, the realities of covid have forced the government into another screeching U-turn. Do the Tories still lack a strategy for dealing with the virus? Plus: Trump’s bizarre twitter vids and Number 10’s new spokesperson. With Michael Walker, Dalia Gebrial and James Meadway.
Analysis: ‘Fuck the Algorithm’: How A-Level Students Have Shown the Future of Protest
James Meadway
Aside from their much deserved success in forcing the government to ditch algorithmically-moderated A-level grades, protesting students have signalled an increasingly salient area of politicisation. James Meadway takes a closer look at the use and abuse of data within our systems of governance.
Opinion: The Worst Recession on Record. The Highest Death Toll in Europe. Make No Mistake – the Government Led Us Here
James Meadway
The UK has entered its worst recession since records began and has the highest Covid-19 death toll in Europe. The government has led us here, writes James Meadway, and shows no sign of realising the scale of the crisis we're facing.
Opinion: Does the Bank of England’s Funny Business Signal a Push for Free-Market ‘Solutions’ to Come?
James Meadway
Recent interventions by the new governor of the Bank of England have been as unusual as they have been alarming. James Meadway takes a closer look and asks why the governor seems to be feeding the free-market spin machine.
Novara Live: Idiots Unmasked
The government have finally made masks mandatory in shops and Britain’s right-wingers are freaking out. Plus: Will the Tories beat Labour to a wealth tax? The UK ban Huawei and the BBC axe The Andrew Neil Show. With Michael Walker, Dalia Gebrial and James Meadway.
Opinion: The Government’s Short-Termism Has Trashed the Economy
James Meadway
News that the economy shrank by over 20% in April shows the stupidity of playing the economy off against health, argues James Meadway. By dithering on the lockdown, at least partly in the belief that the economic costs could be reduced, we have not only achieved a worse outbreak but also trashed the economy.
Opinion: The Government is Showing Its Economic Hand – and the Left Will Need a Smart Response
James Meadway
If you're still in 'austerity autopilot', it's time to snap out of it, argues James Meadway. Johnson's government has accepted the reality of ultra-low interest rates and now intends to remake the British economy in ways that will challenge the left's comfort zones.
Novara Live: Johnson in Retreat
Boris Johnson has been forced to make two U-turns this week. Is he a prime minister in retreat? Plus, James Meadway on whether Britain’s record debt will ever have to be paid back. With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani
Analysis: Pandemic Labour and the Politics of Job Guarantees
James Meadway
With issues of power and control at work brought to the fore by the lockdown, the TUC has launched new proposals for a job guarantee. James Meadway examines the challenges such proposals face - particularly in the context of the pandemic - including the risk that a job guarantee could be used against workers.
Opinion: Sunak’s Furlough Rollback Shows the Government’s Priorities Are All Wrong
James Meadway
On the same day official figures showed the UK has the highest number of Covid-19 deaths in Europe, the chancellor chose to begin talking about ending furlough schemes. James Meadway argues the 'rush to return' has been baked into the government's response at the expense of public health.
Opinion: Don’t Fight the Last War: Why the Left Needs to Look Beyond Austerity
James Meadway
Covid-19 is a crisis on a scale never seen before in peacetime. But, James Meadway argues, the left risks losing the arguments of the future if it mistakes the political battles of the next decade for the battles of the last.
Analysis: This Week’s Oil Price Slump Signals Economic Dangers Ahead
James Meadway
For the first time in history, the price of West Texas Intermediate, the benchmark standard for US oil, became negative on Monday. James Meadway argues this is both a symptom of the catastrophic economic impact of Covid-19 on the world economy and a harbinger of problems to come.