British politicians seem to think the country’s thriving creative industries are not serious enough to merit praise
In Britain politicians take a different tack, ignoring, disdaining or even actively despising the most successful sectors of the economy. Everything from banks to universities is denigrated. Two centuries ago David Ricardo came up with the notion of comparative advantage, that countries should focus on producing goods and services in areas where they are relatively efficient. Britain’s politicians have turned this on its head: comparative disadvantage is in vogue.
Both parties are desperate to avoid being painted as metropolitan. Lisa Nandy, the Labour shadow minister for “levelling up”, frequently laments high investment in cities, arguing that regeneration in Manchester has failed to boost Wigan, her constituency. But wealth flowed from London to Woking perfectly efficiently. The problem is not that places like Manchester became too much like London; it is that they are still not enough like London, with too little wealth to spread.
One reason Britain’s strongest professions struggle to gain a sympathetic hearing is that they fall on the wrong side of the “Richard Scarry rule”. Named for the much-loved author and illustrator, this warns politicians against picking fights with workers depicted in children’s books. So fishermen will always find political allies; traders, lawyers and management consultants will struggle.
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