It’s only when you put on your bifocals and go beyond page 8 of your average broadsheet, or listen to the World Service, that you hear about other stuff that’s going on in our Wide World. 75% of Bangladesh blacked out as rich nations secure their oil and gas supplies at the expense of the poorer; civil war leaving thousands starving in Tigre; Saudi Arabia and Iran still fighting a proxy war in Yemen with cholera running rampant as a result; and Russian airstrikes still a regular feature of life in Syria. We bemoan the insularity of most Americans, yet our own focus rarely moves beyond the same half dozen stories; and Meghan, of course. And, hey, if you’re worried about our inflation rate hitting double digits, in Turkey it’s currently 83%! Their president has famously gone for growth, and continued to cut taxes and interest rates despite everything. So there’s an interesting precedent.
“Pensions minister: ‘we have created saving pots, but not a pension system’”
The OBR (Office of Budget Responsibility, as opposed to the OBI, often said to be housed in No.11) said this week that pensions were one of the biggest problems to be faced by this and future governments.
