Bruno Macaes

Bruno Maçães was the Portuguese Europe Minister from 2013-2015 and is the author of History Has Begun (Hurst 2020). His book on the pandemic will be published in September

Thursday

Bruno Macaes

The green games: Boris’s plan to rebrand Britain

37 min listen

In this week’s podcast, Katy Balls expands on her cover story, analysing Number 10’s hopes for November’s COP26 summit in Glasgow (01:10). She’s joined by Boris Johnson’s former advisor and co-author of the last Conservative election manifesto, Rachel Wolf and together, they ponder whether the much-anticipated green jamboree signposts a supercharged boost not only for global climate policy, post Covid but also the Johnson premiership?

Saturday

Bruno Macaes

After Covid, get ready for the Great Acceleration

Before the pandemic struck, there was talk of a ‘Great Stagnation’ – the idea that the world economy was doomed to lacklustre growth and had hit a technological plateau with no game-changers in sight. But Covid - and lockdown - has changed all that. There was such doubt about the vaccines because it normally takes at least ten years to develop a successful immunisation. Now, we have six working ones. The innovation will not stop there: breakthroughs are happening at rapid speed, from transport and energy, to medicine and science, and even when it comes to currencies. Take transportation and energy. Last October, for example, Waymo finally announced the launch of a taxi service that is fully driverless and open to the public.

Thursday

Bruno Macaes

Britain could be a Eurasian capital

Not so long ago, I was walking opposite Whitechapel Gallery in London in what’s now known as Altab Ali Park. It has been refashioned and turned into a wonderful little museum dedicated to Bengali culture and arts. There are statues, a poem by Tagore and so on. And even a photo shoot for a fashion magazine, with a Bangladeshi model posing for the cameras. All of this was, in its way, very British. And that’s when it hit me: Britain could genuinely be a Eurasian capital. It can take an important step now if it seizes a historical opportunity and welcomes the Hong Kong Chinese. The logic of Brexit was that Britain sees its opportunities globally – and here, in Hong Kong, is an opportunity to strengthen Britain and shape a new world balanced between East and West.