Cable Comments with Vince Cable

Zero Carbon is one of the rare areas of consensus in British politics. Boris Johnson seems no less committed than then opposition parties. But energy security concerns now take centre stage. More serious, public support is shallow and politicians have been unable to resist popular demands to cut taxes on fuels. There is now an emerging movement demanding a referendum on zero carbon and making an issue of renewable subsidies and the supposed benefits of fracking. The companies are exaggerated or wrong but we have learnt from the Brexit experience that populist campaigns must not be underestimated. Link to article: https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/voices/brexiteers-net-zero-carbon-climate-crisis-b2046335.html Sir Vince Cable is the former leader of the Liberal Democrats and served as Secretary of State for business, innovation and skills from 2010 to 2015. He records a regular podcast ‘Cable Comments’, expanding on the themes from this column. Link here https://www.independent.co.uk/author/vince-cable Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co

The podcast is a look back at the Spring Statement now that the dust has settled and we have a chance to look at reactions as well as the content. A generous view is that Sunak is saving his ammunition for a fiercer economic battle in the autumn but he runs the risk of doing too little too late.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has mobilised and unified Europe, the NATO alliance and the majority of countries in the UN. However key countries like India and Pakistan, South Africa and Nigeria and leading Middle Eastern countries and, above all, China have declined to take sides, at least openly. How these self-declared neutrals react to a continuing war will be crucial. Link to article: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/ukraine-putin-india-pakistan-russia-invasion-b2036282.html Sir Vince Cable is the former leader of the Liberal Democrats and served as Secretary of State for business, innovation and skills from 2010 to 2015. He records a regular podcast ‘Cable Comments’, expanding on the themes from this column. Link here https://www.independent.co.uk/author/vince-cable  Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co

I look at the likelihood of the conflict spreading beyond the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And in particular the unpredictable consequences of the widening sanctions net and the impact of the war on energy and food supplies. Link to article: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/russia-ukraine-nuclear-weapons-war-b2030870.html Sir Vince Cable is the former leader of the Liberal Democrats and served as Secretary of State for business, innovation and skills from 2010 to 2015. He records a regular podcast ‘Cable Comments’, expanding on the themes from this column. Link here https://www.independent.co.uk/author/vince-cable  Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co

This podcast deals with the horrific invasion of Ukraine by Putin’s Russia; the mistakes that were made which have contributed to the war and the lessons to be learnt. Now there are key issues to be faced. Sanctions will not work if they exclude the energy sector. We have to engage countries like India and China with close links to Russia. We have to arm the Ukrainians as best we can being careful to avoid direct military confrontation and engagement with NATO. Link to article: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/russia-putin-ukraine-war-nato-b2025617.html Sir Vince Cable is the former leader of the Liberal Democrats and served as Secretary of State for business, innovation and skills from 2010 to 2015. He records a regular podcast ‘Cable Comments’, expanding on the themes from this column. Link here https://www.independent.co.uk/author/vince-cable   Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co  

In this week's episode, I look at the extreme uncertainty around Russia’s intentions in relation to Ukraine, have focussed mainly on the military consequences of an invasion. There would also be an economic shock through energy and other commodity markets. We have the two oil shocks of 1974 and 1980 as a precedent. There are also potential wider implications for business if the SWIFT payments system is disrupted by sanctions and because of potential instability in financial markets.  Link to article: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/war-economic-cost-ukraine-russia-b2015490.html#comments-area Sir Vince Cable is the former leader of the Liberal Democrats and served as Secretary of State for business, innovation and skills from 2010 to 2015. He records a regular podcast ‘Cable Comments’, expanding on the themes from this column. Link here https://www.independent.co.uk/author/vince-cable Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co

This week's episode deals with Chinese objectives and the Western diplomatic boycott which has so far failed in its objective to make human rights particularly in Xinjiang the focus of the Games. Link to article: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/beijing-olympics-boycott-human-rights-b2010135.html#comments-area Sir Vince Cable is the former leader of the Liberal Democrats and served as Secretary of State for business, innovation and skills from 2010 to 2015. He records a regular podcast ‘Cable Comments’, expanding on the themes from this column. Link here https://www.independent.co.uk/author/vince-cable Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co

It has become common-place to talk about ‘populism’; but what does it mean? And what is the reason why otherwise seemingly stable democracies throw ups the likes of Trump and Johnson? I draw on some recent analysis using data science which challenges some fashionable ideas: that populism originates in inequality or as a response to immigration. Link to article: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/populism-brexit-trump-how-to-counter-b2004888.html Sir Vince Cable is the former leader of the Liberal Democrats and served as Secretary of State for business, innovation and skills from 2010 to 2015. He records a regular podcast ‘Cable Comments’, expanding on the themes from this column. Link here https://www.independent.co.uk/author/vince-cable  Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co

Clinton's campaigning slogan seems out of place amidst the political chatter about partygate and the rumblings about war in Ukraine.  But the government's credibility hinges on economic performance. There are worrying trends: a slowdown in post covid recovery and rising inflation which has been underestimated. Sir Vince Cable is the former leader of the Liberal Democrats and served as Secretary of State for business, innovation and skills from 2010 to 2015. He records a regular podcast ‘Cable Comments’, expanding on the themes from this column.  https://www.independent.co.uk/author/vince-cable Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co

Democracy is in danger on several fronts: internally, in the USA especially, with the refusal of the Republican Party to accept the results of elections; globally with a slide to semi-democratic, semi-authoritarian regimes in many countries; and physically with the threatened Russian attack on Ukraine. I discuss the prospects for President Biden’s Alliance of Democracies. Sir Vince Cable is the former leader of the Liberal Democrats and served as Secretary of State for business, innovation and skills from 2010 to 2015. He records a regular podcast ‘Cable Comments’, expanding on the themes from this column. Independent articles : https://www.independent.co.uk/author/vince-cable Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co

I discuss the choices and dilemmas the government faces in launching its ‘levelling up’ White Paper on its signature policy:  badly delayed and due early this year. The key choice is whether to prioritise left-behind people or places. The government seems primarily concerned with the latter and, within the latter, towns rather than cities. Sir Vince Cable is the former leader of the Liberal Democrats and served as secretary of state for business, innovation and skills from 2010 to 2015. He records a regular podcast ‘Cable Comments’, expanding on the themes from this column. Independent article link: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/levelling-up-gove-sunak-treasury-b1990642.html Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co

The big foreign policy event in 2021 was the US retreat from Afghanistan: the end of a long, unwinnable, war. But we should ask if this is a temporary withdrawal from conflict that will reappear elsewhere. I look at the three main candidates for conflict involving big powers: Ukraine, with Russian troops currently massing on the frontiers; Iran, with a probable risk of breakdown in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear ambitions; and Taiwan where threats of invasion from the mainland or threats of provocative moves by Taiwan to declare independence are openly canvassed.  Independent article link: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/russia-china-taiwan-putin-biden-b1986387.html Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co

I look at whether anything has fundamentally changed politically in the UK after the deteriorating support for the Johnson government, the emergence of consistent Labour leads and the trouncing of the Conservative candidate by the Liberal Democrat in the North Shropshire by-election. Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co

In the public debate about how to deal with the Omicron variant of Covid, few are confronting the uncomfortable fact that much of the negative impact, in terms of hospital admissions and transmission, can be traced back to the minority who refuse to be vaccinated. I review the options amongst which come a kind of passport for the vaccinated and tested, and I believe is preferable to general restrictions on the population at large. Independent article link: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/anti-vaxxers-omicron-covid-booster-jabs-b1975737.html Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co

I return to the Henley Festival to discuss my latest book, The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Economic War. The book takes in the recent Covid-19 pandemic and election of US president Joe Biden, as it explores the relationship between China and the West. By looking at the history of the politics between these nations, the economy and global politics, I examine the changes that have led us to where we are today. In conversation with Daniel Hahn.  Interested in learning more? Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co

A recording of the debate on the surveillance state between Vince and Ian Williams at the Wimbledon Festival. Ian Williams is author of ‘Every Breath You Take: China's New Tyranny’, featured in The Times and The Sunday Times. Interested in learning more? Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co

Britain, five years ago, enjoyed a ‘golden era’ of relations with China. A whole series of events to do with Huawei, Hong Kong and the emphasis of the Trump and Biden US administrations on ‘containment’ and ‘confrontation’ in relation to China have shifted the balance to one of greater suspicion and disengagement. Brexit has also distanced the UK from a somewhat different approach being developed in France and Germany. Andrew Cainey of the United Services Institute discusses me what are the essential British interests in the relationship. Interested in learning more? Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co

China’s past has been marked by sudden changes of direction under Mao and then under reformists and now Xi. Where is China going? Predictions are likely to be very wide of the mark. Can we use scenario techniques to help prepare for what might happen in China and in China’s relationships with the world. I interview Cho Khong who has just left Shell after being a core part of the company’s scenario planning team for over 25 years and a former colleague in that team. Interested in learning more? Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co

China has become a superpower through its extraordinary economic growth over four decades. It has developed a model of ’state capitalism’ which has combined the strengths of both state ownership and control alongside capitalism in much of the economy. It  now faces serious  challenges: demographic ageing; an over reliance on investment; a big stock of corporate debt; resistance to further market reform. I discuss these challenges with George Magnus who is one of the leading economic and financial commentators on China and with Linda Yueh, a scholar who has written extensively on the Chinese economy. Interested in learning more? Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co

Isabel Hilton is a noted journalist with long experience of China. Her particular interest is in environment policy and with the COP conference in Glasgow to come shortly she gives her assessment of where China stands on climate change. China is the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gasses and has a heavy dependence on coal burning; but it also has the world’s most advanced capacity in renewable technology. Which will prevail? Interested in learning more? Vince’s new book ‘The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict’ is available to buy online or from your local bookstore. Amazon, Bloomsbury, Waterstones, WHSmiths. To find out more about Vince, go to www.vincecable.org Follow him on Twitter: @vincecable Produced by Podcast.co