Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

David Henig

@davidheniguk.bsky.social

34K followers 520 following 8.6K posts

Trade wonk, Brexit bore, globalisation defender, music lover, cricketer, gardener, supporter of mediocre football teams, who knows where the time goes?

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · Jun 23

For my latest ECIPE long-read I analyse what the realities of globalisation should mean for nation state governments. First and foremost, publicly acknowledge today's economy in all its complexities. Then to identify government's priorities and role. ecipe.org/blog/modern-...

Modern Globalisation and the Nation State – The Evolving International Political Economy

Unresolved political economy contradictions are becoming more evident – between a national manufacturing narrative versus actual technology-led globalisation, balancing open trade versus protection,

ecipe.org

3 10 28

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 1m

Always wonder, do other countries have as little aspiration for their youngsters as the UK?

Noting in particular, those who say they want to support young white working classes, as long as they don't want to go to university.

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 2m

Incidentally English graduates are in demand by tech companies who need to translate what they do into understandable language for their business customers in particular.

But why let facts get in the way of a stupid soundbite?

Tim Worthington @outonbluesix.bsky.social · 1h

How is this repeatedly made into a policy issue - by *all* parties - when the blunt fact of the matter is that grown adults who are obliged to pay for their own education, and relentlessly pursued to repay their loans, should be able to study whatever the fuck they want.

1 5 12

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 9m

Good shout, indeed utilities generally have been government-corporate collaborations of a nature that is probably now going to be widespread in other sectors.

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 20m

Indeed, the NHS is one of the UK's stronger players, but couldn't stand up against the UK's need for investment to stay a big pharma player. Choices...

1 1

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 22m

Seen some suggestion a higher savings rate is a function of an ageing population, on top of existing national factors, thoughts?

2 4

Reposted by David Henig

Naomi Alderman @naomialderman.bsky.social · 1h

feels like yet again time to mention that the *videogames* industry (that's a creative industry, which people do creative degrees in) brings in more than twice the amount to the British economy as the fishing and steel industries *combined*

Naomi Alderman @naomialderman.bsky.social · 1h

I cannot understand what these people think the purpose of human life is?

It is *not* "pursue joy, deal justly, love well, try to understand as much and see as much of this beautiful world and of the deepness, richness and variety of human culture and experience as you can before you die"?

Tim Worthington @outonbluesix.bsky.social · 1h

5 120 330

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 1h

It will, though I don't have answers I suspect in the first instance the concept of economic security is going to expand

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 1h

Brain dead economic illiteracy with no understanding of the modern world as the Conservative Party have demonstrated all conference.

Times Higher Education (THE) @timeshighered.bsky.social · 12h

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch is expected to announce plans to cut the number of UK university places by about 100,000 annually by reintroducing student number controls, reports Patrick Jack #edusky
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/badenochs-number-caps-plan-would-cut-100000-university-places

1 23 50

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 1h

Just working on a long piece out next week about adjusting to the new realities - it occurs to me that Trump might be acting more as a catalyst to reveal the hollow nature of a lot of traditional economic thinking rather than being important for the solutions being implemented by the US

3 8

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 1h

Because global companies are now so important for national economies, governments probably have no choice but to negotiate with them. But this is a major change for which there is little guidance, no real global rules, and complexities that make scrutiny difficult.

4 3 14

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 1h

The new trade agreements are going to be country-company as much as country-country. This NHS-global pharma deal may well turn out to be the most significant trade agreement the UK has signed since Brexit. www.politico.eu/article/brit...

Britain prepares NHS drug spending hike to stave off Trump tariffs

Officials briefed the Trump administration on fresh proposals for pharma pricing earlier this week.

www.politico.eu

1 13 22

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 1h

Is BYD largely displacing Tesla in the UK car market, or is there something else going on here? www.cnbc.com/2025/10/06/b...

BYD's UK sales soar 880%, making it the EV-maker's largest market outside China

BYD's hybrid SEAL U DM-i and electric SEALION 7 proved popular among U.K. consumers and dominated sales, the company said.

www.cnbc.com

4 2 14

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 2h

I have a theory that the UK public generally votes Conservative until the party becomes so arrogant there is a widespread feeling they need to be kicked to relearn some element of humility... and if that is anything like right, this week has been a disaster for them.

7 6 62

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 3h

Anyway, will look forward to getting a readout on the PM's visit from friends in Mumbai...

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 3h

As for the politics of India-Russia relations - well not only is India going to hang onto its non-aligned ethos in foreign policy, but it probably also thinks the world is heading in that direction as a result of Trump - and that it will be the UK having to "kindly adjust"...

2 1 5

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 3h

Obviously the UK's difficulties with migration do play into trade relations - for example Indian students want a route to work after paying a small fortune to study. That will also play into the development - if there is any - of this trade relationship.

1 1 7

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 3h

UK trade policy has since 2020 shown little or no interest in effective implementation of trade agreements, or deepening them, or telling anyone much about them beyond hype - so unsurprisingly nothing has happened. That should change, but unclear that it will. ecipe.org/blog/uk-trad...

A Slow Journey – UK Trade Policy Stocktake September 2025

Publication of a first UK government trade strategy since Brexit was an important step in finally setting out a realistic view of the global economy and the UK's place within that. Positive momentum w

ecipe.org

1 2 4

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 3h

With Keir Starmer in India a couple of important notes about the Free Trade Agreement recently signed, not yet implemented - it is shallow focusing mostly on some tariff reduction - but it could also be a step towards deeper relations with a growing economy. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Starmer insists India trade deal will not affect UK visas as he heads to Mumbai

British PM likely to face questions over closeness of Narendra Modi to Vladimir Putin during two-day India visit

www.theguardian.com

2 4 22

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 16h

EU in effect saying world trade rules don't include steel, Trump on a smaller scale. And probably with a similar negative impact on manufacturing competitiveness.

1 6

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 17h

True. But we've also known for ten years that China was going to be a much larger market with everything that follows, and the EU has done precisely nothing in response.

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 17h

I just wonder where is the vision for the steel sector as part of the EU economy beyond "ever higher walls"

1 3

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 17h

I note from reading some of the documents that China consumes six times more steel per year than the EU.

Not saying governmental decisions are easy, but there really should be alternative suggestions to putting up an ever high tariff wall to cover up global decline.

2 10

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 17h

There are lots of sectors where you can make national security arguments. But they would need to start with the level needed for critical outputs, and quite possibly embedded steel already provides that.

1 1

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 17h

Also not suggesting much confidence in the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism that the EU is going to restrict imports more than before even after its implementation.

1 7

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 17h

Suspect protecting a steel industry makes broader manufacturing less competitive, making this another move that will restrict EU growth. That seems to be the evidence from the US. But such are 'totemic' sectors to be guarded on whatever grounds.

Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 18h

New: European Commission has unveiled sweeping measures to shield the EU’s struggling steel industry from a flood of overcapacity it says is emanating from China, slashing tariff-free quotas by nearly half and doubling duties on excess shipments to 50%

Eyeing China, EU unveils sweeping measures to shield struggling steel industry

If approved, plan tackling overcapacity would slash tariff-free quotas by nearly half and double duties on excess shipments to 50 per cent.

www.scmp.com

3 1 22