Anton Spisak
@antonspisak.bsky.social
Political economist. Associate Fellow, Centre for European Reform. Past lives elsewhere. Likes long runs, good coffee and the Paris Review.
RIP Tom Stoppard—the most talented contemporary British playwright—also known as Tomáš Sträussler, born in Czechoslovakia and fled as a Jewish refugee to England in 1946. Freedom wasn’t only a theatrical device for him but something personal, and perhaps that’s what made all the difference.
November 30, 2025 at 6:58 AM
RIP Tom Stoppard—the most talented contemporary British playwright—also known as Tomáš Sträussler, born in Czechoslovakia and fled as a Jewish refugee to England in 1946. Freedom wasn’t only a theatrical device for him but something personal, and perhaps that’s what made all the difference.
A reminder, before the budget, that the UK has been facing the most severe trade stagnation in a generation. One big reason why the British economy hasn’t been growing.
November 25, 2025 at 7:51 PM
A reminder, before the budget, that the UK has been facing the most severe trade stagnation in a generation. One big reason why the British economy hasn’t been growing.
Today was a very important day: the 36th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. Also a day when over 50,000 people went into the streets in Bratislava, despite a terrible rain storm, in protest of Fico’s government in Slovakia. Here’s why it really mattered. /1
November 18, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Today was a very important day: the 36th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. Also a day when over 50,000 people went into the streets in Bratislava, despite a terrible rain storm, in protest of Fico’s government in Slovakia. Here’s why it really mattered. /1
Congratulations to my dear friend Gregor Valentovic on his debut film Nepela, out in cinemas this week. A powerful story of a Czechoslovak figure skater and the 1972 Olympic champion whose personal fight for freedom collided with the brutal wall of totalitarianism. And a cinematic masterpiece.
October 28, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Congratulations to my dear friend Gregor Valentovic on his debut film Nepela, out in cinemas this week. A powerful story of a Czechoslovak figure skater and the 1972 Olympic champion whose personal fight for freedom collided with the brutal wall of totalitarianism. And a cinematic masterpiece.
Spot the outlier and wonder why the British economy isn’t growing. Britain makes far less of what the world wants to buy, and the world wants much less of what Britain makes.
October 10, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Spot the outlier and wonder why the British economy isn’t growing. Britain makes far less of what the world wants to buy, and the world wants much less of what Britain makes.
This is a serious proposal by Merz – and one that could help move the debate on frozen Russian assets forward.
September 25, 2025 at 6:41 PM
This is a serious proposal by Merz – and one that could help move the debate on frozen Russian assets forward.
An idea I’m confident all of Europe could unite behind: a European Solidarity Fund for the Redevelopment of Schuman.
September 18, 2025 at 8:18 AM
An idea I’m confident all of Europe could unite behind: a European Solidarity Fund for the Redevelopment of Schuman.
The world feels a bit much right now, so here’s Faustus the cat stretching out in the summer sun. Good week to all.
September 14, 2025 at 7:50 PM
The world feels a bit much right now, so here’s Faustus the cat stretching out in the summer sun. Good week to all.
When European policymakers talk about ‘economic security’, they’re really talking about China.
Chart from our new paper with @jbenford-berlin.bsky.social, in which we mapped EU and UK trade vulnerabilities (and offered some ideas why the two should collaborate), published earlier this week.
Chart from our new paper with @jbenford-berlin.bsky.social, in which we mapped EU and UK trade vulnerabilities (and offered some ideas why the two should collaborate), published earlier this week.
September 12, 2025 at 10:58 AM
When European policymakers talk about ‘economic security’, they’re really talking about China.
Chart from our new paper with @jbenford-berlin.bsky.social, in which we mapped EU and UK trade vulnerabilities (and offered some ideas why the two should collaborate), published earlier this week.
Chart from our new paper with @jbenford-berlin.bsky.social, in which we mapped EU and UK trade vulnerabilities (and offered some ideas why the two should collaborate), published earlier this week.
Something reassuring about this picture: truth cannot be erased, however determined the effort.
September 10, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Something reassuring about this picture: truth cannot be erased, however determined the effort.
A casual-looking wall with nothing casual about it. Where am I?
August 20, 2025 at 8:07 PM
A casual-looking wall with nothing casual about it. Where am I?
Ah yes, Brexit is “done”. The speed with which Britain forgot its most vulnerable place, once political urgency passed, is remarkable.
August 18, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Ah yes, Brexit is “done”. The speed with which Britain forgot its most vulnerable place, once political urgency passed, is remarkable.
One interesting thing about the US trade deficit is that it's been remarkably stable as a share of US GDP since the 2009 financial crisis. You wouldn't know it from the US media coverage or most policy debates
July 29, 2025 at 10:49 AM
One interesting thing about the US trade deficit is that it's been remarkably stable as a share of US GDP since the 2009 financial crisis. You wouldn't know it from the US media coverage or most policy debates
Not quite the same for the EU. But the UK is still a major partner in the EU's orbit, particularly as trade relations with the two largest ones – the US and China – are getting a little complicated. (Which is the reality that some in Brussels would rather not see)
July 24, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Not quite the same for the EU. But the UK is still a major partner in the EU's orbit, particularly as trade relations with the two largest ones – the US and China – are getting a little complicated. (Which is the reality that some in Brussels would rather not see)
To talk about trade in Britain without mentioning the EU is a bit like trying to explain the solar system without mentioning the sun.
(A chart from the forthcoming piece of work...)
(A chart from the forthcoming piece of work...)
July 24, 2025 at 3:13 PM
To talk about trade in Britain without mentioning the EU is a bit like trying to explain the solar system without mentioning the sun.
(A chart from the forthcoming piece of work...)
(A chart from the forthcoming piece of work...)
It's also interesting to ponder where Ukraine would be today if some of the largest European economies contributed more, and earlier
July 23, 2025 at 9:25 AM
It's also interesting to ponder where Ukraine would be today if some of the largest European economies contributed more, and earlier
This is a real and significant achievement for Europe – and I'm surprised that European leaders don't make more of it publicly.
(That's not to say it's sufficient to meet what Ukraine needs, especially given where the conflict stands right now)
(That's not to say it's sufficient to meet what Ukraine needs, especially given where the conflict stands right now)
July 23, 2025 at 9:21 AM
This is a real and significant achievement for Europe – and I'm surprised that European leaders don't make more of it publicly.
(That's not to say it's sufficient to meet what Ukraine needs, especially given where the conflict stands right now)
(That's not to say it's sufficient to meet what Ukraine needs, especially given where the conflict stands right now)
Update: the first batch of London figs. Dozens more still on the tree. Swap your south France holiday for south London.
July 20, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Update: the first batch of London figs. Dozens more still on the tree. Swap your south France holiday for south London.
Socialist modernism meets the post-1989 capitalist utopia. Kosice, Slovakia
July 10, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Socialist modernism meets the post-1989 capitalist utopia. Kosice, Slovakia
Key chart showing why the markets remain skeptical of Trump's tariff policy: there are messy announcements and then there is an actual reality.
That said, I think the markets currently underprice the more permanent shift in US trade policy, esp the medium-term tightening of import openness.
That said, I think the markets currently underprice the more permanent shift in US trade policy, esp the medium-term tightening of import openness.
July 10, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Key chart showing why the markets remain skeptical of Trump's tariff policy: there are messy announcements and then there is an actual reality.
That said, I think the markets currently underprice the more permanent shift in US trade policy, esp the medium-term tightening of import openness.
That said, I think the markets currently underprice the more permanent shift in US trade policy, esp the medium-term tightening of import openness.
How to win friends in Brussels, exhibit 1563:
July 1, 2025 at 5:06 PM
How to win friends in Brussels, exhibit 1563:
A broader point is that it's hard to see this strategy moving the needle on UK growth. Weak exports have been the biggest drag on GDP growth in recent years – largely driven by a collapse in goods exports. Services have helped offset the damage, but not enough to shift the overall picture. /13
June 26, 2025 at 7:03 PM
A broader point is that it's hard to see this strategy moving the needle on UK growth. Weak exports have been the biggest drag on GDP growth in recent years – largely driven by a collapse in goods exports. Services have helped offset the damage, but not enough to shift the overall picture. /13
Second, ministers have placed services at the heart of the new strategy. This is understandable: the UK holds comparative strengths in many services sectors, and the composition of UK exports has shifted profoundly in recent years (with goods exports as % of GDP now at their lowest since 1993). /6
June 26, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Second, ministers have placed services at the heart of the new strategy. This is understandable: the UK holds comparative strengths in many services sectors, and the composition of UK exports has shifted profoundly in recent years (with goods exports as % of GDP now at their lowest since 1993). /6
Starting with the choices. First, the govt has clearly decided to face up to the new geopolitical reality and the UK's difficult position in it. Gone is the buccaneering rhetoric of past years, replaced by a more grounded, sober assessment. That shift towards realism deserves some credit. /5
June 26, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Starting with the choices. First, the govt has clearly decided to face up to the new geopolitical reality and the UK's difficult position in it. Gone is the buccaneering rhetoric of past years, replaced by a more grounded, sober assessment. That shift towards realism deserves some credit. /5
Some thoughts on the UK’s new trade strategy – and more broadly, on how to think about government strategies (which seem to be in vogue in the UK these days):
June 26, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Some thoughts on the UK’s new trade strategy – and more broadly, on how to think about government strategies (which seem to be in vogue in the UK these days):