Alan Beattie
@alanbeattie.bsky.social
Opiner for Financial Times in London. Globalisation, econ, snark. RT≠👍. Views own. [email protected]. Sign up to my FT Trade Secrets newsletter https://subs.ft.com/spa3_tradesecrets?segmentId=357afa03-959c-93ed-0842-58e2115025d4.
My Trade Secrets today. Funny* thing about Trump's tariffs: they're really unpopular and he's retreating from them even before most of the bad effects have come through. God knows what will happen when they do.
*By funny I mean both unexpected but also very amusing.
on.ft.com/4p5NUVy
*By funny I mean both unexpected but also very amusing.
on.ft.com/4p5NUVy
The hot air of Trump’s tariffs is approaching a ceiling of cold reality
[FREE TO READ] Even before their full effect has hit, the duties are doing real damage
on.ft.com
November 27, 2025 at 4:30 PM
My Trade Secrets today. Funny* thing about Trump's tariffs: they're really unpopular and he's retreating from them even before most of the bad effects have come through. God knows what will happen when they do.
*By funny I mean both unexpected but also very amusing.
on.ft.com/4p5NUVy
*By funny I mean both unexpected but also very amusing.
on.ft.com/4p5NUVy
Reposted by Alan Beattie
Like all too many children in the UK today, I grew up poor. I am no longer poor, and I am delighted to pay higher taxes to reduce - or ideally eliminate - child poverty. 1/3
November 27, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Like all too many children in the UK today, I grew up poor. I am no longer poor, and I am delighted to pay higher taxes to reduce - or ideally eliminate - child poverty. 1/3
Reposted by Alan Beattie
As political scandals go, a grubby backroom deal to, errrr, lift 450,000 children out of poverty is at least a novel one.
Headline on The World at One just now:
"Sir Keir Starmer has denied putting the Labour Party before the country by ending the two-child benefit cap".
Can we please go back to reporting the actual news, not someone's partisan take on it?
"Sir Keir Starmer has denied putting the Labour Party before the country by ending the two-child benefit cap".
Can we please go back to reporting the actual news, not someone's partisan take on it?
November 27, 2025 at 1:30 PM
As political scandals go, a grubby backroom deal to, errrr, lift 450,000 children out of poverty is at least a novel one.
Reposted by Alan Beattie
Just absolutely heroic thief-of-joy pedantry from the lad Ford
You'll be hearing plenty more on BGE24 from me in coming days and weeks - I have a book to sell after all - but for now a little amuse bouche from the endnotes - *was* Liz Truss really outlasted by a lettuce?
November 27, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Just absolutely heroic thief-of-joy pedantry from the lad Ford
Reposted by Alan Beattie
Today's migration stats illustrate the migration doom loop in action...
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
November 27, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Today's migration stats illustrate the migration doom loop in action...
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
👍⬇️
oh, speaking of Da Movies - Picturehouse is doing a sale on its yearly memberships, most of them are 40% off; can't recommend it enough tbh, have been a member for years and it's what drags me to the cinema so often
November 27, 2025 at 10:32 AM
👍⬇️
Can’t wait till he gets to read about King David in the Bible, especially given the obsession among early Christians about pretending Christ was born in Bethlehem to establish a link with him.
In a new doctrinal note, Pope Leo and the Vatican sharply reject polygamy and growing Western polyamory, praising monogamy as an exclusive union between one man and one woman.
Pope Leo and the Vatican reject polygamy in sweeping doctrinal praise of monogamy
In a new doctrinal note, Pope Leo and the Vatican sharply reject polygamy and growing Western polyamory, praising monogamy as an exclusive union between one man and one woman.
www.sltrib.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:24 AM
Can’t wait till he gets to read about King David in the Bible, especially given the obsession among early Christians about pretending Christ was born in Bethlehem to establish a link with him.
On train and have now had to ask two out of three fellow passengers sitting near me not to listen to music without earphones. TBF they did immediately comply.
(NB for those who haven't met me, I am not physically imposing.)
cc @stephenkb.bsky.social
(NB for those who haven't met me, I am not physically imposing.)
cc @stephenkb.bsky.social
November 25, 2025 at 3:17 PM
On train and have now had to ask two out of three fellow passengers sitting near me not to listen to music without earphones. TBF they did immediately comply.
(NB for those who haven't met me, I am not physically imposing.)
cc @stephenkb.bsky.social
(NB for those who haven't met me, I am not physically imposing.)
cc @stephenkb.bsky.social
The smorgasbord of tax increases has just acquired its smallest and feeblest contribution, as a bottle of Yakult is quietly added to the buffet.
(Am reliably told they excepted milk-based drinks because it looked silly taxing yogurt that advertised itself as healthy, silly though that is.)
(Am reliably told they excepted milk-based drinks because it looked silly taxing yogurt that advertised itself as healthy, silly though that is.)
UK GOVT WILL REMOVE THE CURRENT EXEMPTION FOR MILK-BASED DRINKS FROM ITS SUGAR TAX FROM 2028
November 25, 2025 at 11:53 AM
The smorgasbord of tax increases has just acquired its smallest and feeblest contribution, as a bottle of Yakult is quietly added to the buffet.
(Am reliably told they excepted milk-based drinks because it looked silly taxing yogurt that advertised itself as healthy, silly though that is.)
(Am reliably told they excepted milk-based drinks because it looked silly taxing yogurt that advertised itself as healthy, silly though that is.)
Reposted by Alan Beattie
As we all crawl through the Cloudflare slowdown, it is a powerful reminder that the international economy is not flat but built around key chokepoints. And those chokepoints are sites of vulnerability as well as opportunity.
www.amazon.com/Underground-...
www.amazon.com/Underground-...
Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy
Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy [Farrell, Henry, Newman, Abraham] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy
www.amazon.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:43 PM
As we all crawl through the Cloudflare slowdown, it is a powerful reminder that the international economy is not flat but built around key chokepoints. And those chokepoints are sites of vulnerability as well as opportunity.
www.amazon.com/Underground-...
www.amazon.com/Underground-...
Reposted by Alan Beattie
Today’s edition of wealthy criminals let out of prison by Trump only to commit more felonies and hurt more people. archive.ph/2025.11.14-1...
November 14, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Today’s edition of wealthy criminals let out of prison by Trump only to commit more felonies and hurt more people. archive.ph/2025.11.14-1...
Reposted by Alan Beattie
"inflation is a concept from the 50s [...] soooo dumb"
November 14, 2025 at 4:23 AM
"inflation is a concept from the 50s [...] soooo dumb"
“Look like you mean it. Look down at the ground and say sorry.”
November 13, 2025 at 9:56 PM
“Look like you mean it. Look down at the ground and say sorry.”
My Trade Secrets column today. How’s the EU’s big push for geoeconomic clout going? Not well. It’s used to dictating terms through its global role in consumer demand, but these are days when the control of supply (chips, rare earths) often matters more. 1/2
Europe is falling short in its quest for global economic clout
[FREE TO READ] Brussels is struggling to adapt to a conflict-ridden world trading system
on.ft.com
November 13, 2025 at 8:20 PM
My Trade Secrets column today. How’s the EU’s big push for geoeconomic clout going? Not well. It’s used to dictating terms through its global role in consumer demand, but these are days when the control of supply (chips, rare earths) often matters more. 1/2
Reposted by Alan Beattie
This is what it looks like when the firewall is torn down for good. EPP, under the leadership of Manfred Weber, using the entire extreme and far right (including German AFD, French RN) for trashing sustainability and due diligence requirements for big business. The masks are off for good.
November 13, 2025 at 11:42 AM
This is what it looks like when the firewall is torn down for good. EPP, under the leadership of Manfred Weber, using the entire extreme and far right (including German AFD, French RN) for trashing sustainability and due diligence requirements for big business. The masks are off for good.
Reposted by Alan Beattie
and they want you to think that Epstein and Mandelson weren’t close friends for aeons
![From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Peter Mandelson
11/6/2016 8:36:05 PM
jeffrey E. [jeevacation@gmail.com]
Re:
Importance:
High
Of course, donald in WH. Will he get there?
Yes, without Andrew it would not have gone nuclear. Did you advise me to stay with R? Such a handful but loyal and never embarrassing.
From: "jeffrey E." <jeevacation@gmail.com>
Date: Sunday, 6 November 2016 at 20:32
To: Peter Mandelson 4
Subject: Re:
trump/ and having agreat deal of fun. in hindsight. you were right about staying away from andrew. I was right in your staying with rinaldo
On Sun, Nov 6, 2016 at 9:30 PM, Peter Mandelson 4
What's the donald white house? And how are you ?
wrote:
From: "jeffrey E." <jeevacation@gmail.com>
Date: Sunday, 6 November 2016 at 19:42
To: Peter Mandelson <
Subject: Re:](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:vqka4tmwebdtqdtt63jbnx4v/bafkreihjywcfad6ek7u45x2g7n4wmi7ktodtorp4omnedm4zzzeaqoisbi@jpeg)
November 12, 2025 at 11:05 PM
and they want you to think that Epstein and Mandelson weren’t close friends for aeons
Reposted by Alan Beattie
I am on record as being a big Bluesky/AT Protocol supporter, and have even written short policy pieces talking up decentralized social networks, but if I can give them one piece of friendly advice it would be this: Hire some more people so you can do a better job with content moderation.
November 12, 2025 at 11:02 PM
I am on record as being a big Bluesky/AT Protocol supporter, and have even written short policy pieces talking up decentralized social networks, but if I can give them one piece of friendly advice it would be this: Hire some more people so you can do a better job with content moderation.
Reposted by Alan Beattie
Yeah whoever jacked up tariffs on coffee from Brazil earlier this year must be a real bonehead
November 12, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Yeah whoever jacked up tariffs on coffee from Brazil earlier this year must be a real bonehead
Reposted by Alan Beattie
Trump just claimed his tariffs have pulled in $2 trillion. Then literally hours later, he inflated that to $3 trillion. With this absurdity, he undermined his case for tariffs, revealing that he's just pulling numbers out of his ass.
On the pod we dig deep into this:
newrepublic.com/article/2030...
On the pod we dig deep into this:
newrepublic.com/article/2030...
Trump Wrecks His Own Case for Tariffs as Bizarre SCOTUS Rant Backfires
As Trump unleashes confused statements about the Supreme Court case on his tariffs, a trade expert explains how he accidentally undermined his argument for them—and why all this is trending toward a m...
newrepublic.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Trump just claimed his tariffs have pulled in $2 trillion. Then literally hours later, he inflated that to $3 trillion. With this absurdity, he undermined his case for tariffs, revealing that he's just pulling numbers out of his ass.
On the pod we dig deep into this:
newrepublic.com/article/2030...
On the pod we dig deep into this:
newrepublic.com/article/2030...
🎶🎶 Five Eyes, how did you close and fail?/How can the light that burned so brightly/Suddenly burn so pale?🎶🎶
"The United Kingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean because it does not want to be complicit in US military strikes and believes the attacks are illegal, sources familiar with the matter told CNN." www.cnn.com/2025/11/11/p...
Exclusive: UK suspends some intelligence sharing with US over boat strike concerns in major break | CNN Politics
The United Kingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean because it does not want to be complicit in US military strikes and believes ...
www.cnn.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:56 PM
🎶🎶 Five Eyes, how did you close and fail?/How can the light that burned so brightly/Suddenly burn so pale?🎶🎶
Reposted by Alan Beattie
HELP ME settle a debate with @chadpbown.com
Which cover for “How to Win A Trade War” grabs you most? The blue one or the white one? And ARE YOU AMERICAN? (favourite the option that applies to you!)
Which cover for “How to Win A Trade War” grabs you most? The blue one or the white one? And ARE YOU AMERICAN? (favourite the option that applies to you!)
November 11, 2025 at 2:03 PM
HELP ME settle a debate with @chadpbown.com
Which cover for “How to Win A Trade War” grabs you most? The blue one or the white one? And ARE YOU AMERICAN? (favourite the option that applies to you!)
Which cover for “How to Win A Trade War” grabs you most? The blue one or the white one? And ARE YOU AMERICAN? (favourite the option that applies to you!)
Reposted by Alan Beattie
One amusing thing that just occurred to me in the whole Trump/BBC furore: because the Panorama documentary was first broadcast over a year ago, isn't he time-barred from bringing a defamation claim in English courts anyway?
November 10, 2025 at 11:37 PM
One amusing thing that just occurred to me in the whole Trump/BBC furore: because the Panorama documentary was first broadcast over a year ago, isn't he time-barred from bringing a defamation claim in English courts anyway?
Reposted by Alan Beattie
Trump: "Nobody knows what magnets are."
November 10, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Trump: "Nobody knows what magnets are."