A new analysis highlights how soaring energy costs and policies prioritizing renewables are contributing to Britain's economic stagnation and deindustrialization.
A new analysis highlights how soaring energy costs and policies prioritizing so-called renewables are contributing to Britain’s economic stagnation and deindustrialization. PULSE POINTS WHAT HAPPENED: Britain is on a “path to impoverishment” as soaring energy costs and declining consumption threaten to drive deindustrialization and economic stagnation, according to a new report from the Institute of Economic Affairs. Britain now has the highest industrial electricity prices in the developed world, while overall energy consumption has fallen 29.2 percent since its 2005 peak and industrial use has plunged 45.3 percent since 2004. DETAIL: The report found that Britain uses roughly half as much energy per person as the average…Open
President Donald Trump has never been shy about identifying the source of America’s manufacturing decline. For decades, policymakers pursued trade policies that rewarded companies for […] Source
The explanations must be out there, even if we cannot find them. The post The Golden Oriole Rule appeared first on The American Conservative .
UK/Europe The Golden Oriole Rule The explanations must be out there, even if we cannot find them. There have been fewer golden orioles in my garden in France this year: or perhaps, more accurately, I should say that I have heard fewer of them. Their single, slightly melancholy or plaintive whistling cry (one could hardly call it a song) has been much less evident than last year above the chirping chorus of the cicadas. It is difficult to see golden orioles, despite the brilliant yellow plumage of the males, for they are shy birds, and are much more manifest by sound than by sight. It is possible that it had been too hot for them this…Open
The man with a plan seems strangely reluctant to share his concrete policies. The post Burnham’s First Speech as Labour Leader Long on Promises, Short on Details appeared first on The American Conservative .
UK Special Coverage Burnham’s First Speech as Labour Leader Long on Promises, Short on Details The man with a plan seems strangely reluctant to share his concrete policies. UK Special Coverage (Photo by Nicola Tree/Getty Images) Andy Burnham’s first speech as leader of the Labour Party today told us little about what he intends to do when he becomes UK prime minister Monday and everything about his penchant for platitudes. And his tendency to repeat himself. He reaffirmed his promise to deliver “good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart.” And, no doubt, a chicken in every pot. What this means…Open
The president has declined to renew the United States’ largest free-trade agreement. The post Trump Turns Down USMCA Renewal appeared first on The American Conservative .
Economy Trump Turns Down USMCA Renewal The president has declined to renew the United States’ largest free-trade agreement. President Donald Trump has decided not to renew the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), which was up for review this year. The agreement will remain in force until 2036, at which point it will expire unless all three signatory countries have agreed to renew it for another 16 years. The country’s largest trade agreement, the USMCA was originally negotiated and signed by Trump himself during his first term. It replaced the much-reviled North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which Trump…Open
Britain’s dysfunctions are becoming insupportable in raw arithmetic terms. The post The Stakes of the Next UK General Election appeared first on The American Conservative .
UK Special Coverage The Stakes of the Next UK General Election Britain’s dysfunctions are becoming insupportable in raw arithmetic terms. UK Special Coverage (Photo by Martin Pope/Getty Images) Talk to anyone in the UK about the prospects for their country, and the mood could hardly be bleaker. The Britain many of us grew up with—with its relatively buoyant economy, its well-functioning services and its high-trust, cohesive society—feels like it is disintegrating at pace, if it has not already disappeared. This is why the next general election, which must be held at some point between now and August 2029,…Open
The Alternative for Germany party is rethinking the Western alliance. The post How the German Right Sees Iran appeared first on The American Conservative .
Foreign Affairs How the German Right Sees Iran The Alternative for Germany party is rethinking the Western alliance. The Iran war has become a test for Germany’s strategic independence and economic resilience. Germany, so far, appears to be failing the test. As Germans debate the issue and reconsider past policy choices, no party has seized the moment more deliberately than the Alternative for Germany, now one of the strongest political forces and the clearest nationalist challenge to Berlin’s governing consensus. The conflict is not simply a distant war in the Middle East, but yet another sign of deeper disorder within the…Open
