After the Storm – Vince Cable

Politicians are on the whole too consumed with their own image and saying what they think the public expects to hear.  The most successful and well respected politicians are in fact those individuals who are straight talking and believe substance is more important than style.  With Vince Cable you get that in bucket loads.

During his tenure as a senior member of the coalition, he had an ability to cross party boundaries and to earn the respect of the public as he grappled with one of the most difficult financial periods this country has faced.

It is important to say that this book is a sequel.  His first outing in “the Storm” was an insight into the causes of the 2008 economic crisis.  In this book, the former Business Secretary explains how our economy has coped since 2008 and the national and global challenges that we still face.  He tackles the key issues of the dangers of house price inflation, the availability of household credit and, of course, the role of the banks in a modern society.

Perhaps the most fascinating chapter is his insight into getting the long term fundamentals right.  Posing questions such as what level of inequality in income levels between individuals is acceptable, to what extent should we rely upon financial services as a driver within our economy, whether the public fully understand the economic impact of immigration and how the UK with only 1% of the world’s population really fits into a global economy.

Vince Cable deserves credit for writing one of the more readable accounts of what happened to our economy without needing a qualification in economics to understand it.

It is so unfortunate that someone who had so much experience to offer was a casualty of the last general election ironically brought down by the partisan nature of politics which was not of his making or character.

 

Jonathan Mortimer is a dispute resolution partner at Raworths LLP.

Vince Cable is appearing at the Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival on Sunday 5th July at 2.00pm. Click here to book.