The New Statesman's new edition (not online as yet) has an article suggesting I might be Britain's Yanis Varoufakis.
It has been a weird month but this is just surreal. There's no motorbike for a start.
And nor will there be.
The following reproduced with permission: the noted comments came after Xan Rice suggested the idea.
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It is the power of the mind that they should be talking about.
As you say, there won’t be a motor bike.
Nor is one needed !
Have they not seen your tie?
It’s seen much more rarely these days
I really should update that picture. It must be four years old at least now
Now Richard, if any other economist can pull off a pair of leather motorbike breeches it is indeed you!
I have ridden a motorbike once in my life
I wheelied it (is that how you spell it)
I decided they were dangerous
And have never tried again
So the leathers might be a bit out of place….
More the battered corduroy jacket for me (I have three of them….)
I prefer the parallel between yourself and Stephanie Kelton, Chief Economist to Bernie Sanders’ Senate Committee.
However, the comedic value of the national stereotype must be irresistible. The Greeks have a Hello-magazine, motor bike riding, sharp dresser who swoops in from Texas to try and rescue them, and the Brits have an accountant from Norfolk. Needless to say, my money is definitely on the accountant.
Great meeting last night. It was very valuable and heroic of you (it’s not only the Greeks) to come in spite of feeling so unwell. Hope you are fully recovered in time to enjoy the bank holiday.
I prefer the Stephanie parallel too – we’re hoping to meet later this year
I enjoyed last night
Good to see you!
I too very much sense that Stephanie and you are fulfilling the same extremely important role.
That of re-framing the debate, without which neoliberalism can’t be defeated.
I wonder how long it will be before the penny will drop with one of the more perceptive mainstream economic journalists – am thinking Paul Mason – that the common thread behind to the two ‘breakthrough’ progressive politicians of the moment is MMT?
PS Hope the meeting comes to pass
There is humour in all this but on balance we might also remember that Yanis is a uni lecturer that has written deeply academic tomes on Game Theory and other theoretical subjects that are nowhere near as interesting as some might imagine them to be. So, there’s still an outside chance that you may be the more exciting contender.
In which case I look forward to your take on today’s TTIP news.
Sorry – which bit?
On tobacco?
Something else?
ISDS:
“TTIP: Activists triumph as contentious US free trade deal clause suspended”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ttip-activists-triumph-as-contentious-us-free-trade-deal-clause-suspended-9976090.html
Good news
Now to make sure the rest goes the same way
Which, in fairness, the Republicans might do
Republicans? Even they have they’re uses I suppose. We live in hope.
“I have ridden a motorbike once in my life
I wheelied it (is that how you spell it)
I decided they were dangerous”
A more humble person might have concluded that they weren’t very competent at riding a motorbike.
A rational person looks for alternatives when they have identified risk
I did
That has nothing to do with humility
And a lot to do with common-sense
But never let that get in the way of hurling an insult, please
From “Gary”: “A more humble person might have concluded that they weren’t very competent at riding a motorbike”
Mr Glitter[?] WTF are you coming from on this?
He might be a visitor from the Bureau of Opinion Management. Some of them aren’t especially talented. Or so I’ve heard.
@Richard Murphy – Just be careful to not to get caught up being compared with him in the media and spoiling your image. He had many shortcomings on the political front.
I agree…
It was not my choosing