Meghnad Desai Journalist Profile

Articles

Behind the UK race riots: Anti-immigrant sentiment, Islamophobia and economic distress

Aug 5, 2024 | indianexpress.com | Meghnad Desai

Sir Keir Starmer, the newly-elected Prime Minister of the UK, has had a strange welcome. One month after the election which he won handsomely, there are riots across England (not in Wales or Scotland or Northern Ireland) by far-right groups, following a knife attack on July 29 in Southport that left three children dead. The police have been attacked. Hotels which were housing immigrants have been torched. Over 150 people have been arrested by the police.
UK’s relative stability amid storm-tossed seas

Jul 5, 2024 | omfif.org | Meghnad Desai |David Marsh |Nikhil Sanghani

Britain is set for a period of relative political and economic calm under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but it cannot avoid turbulent crosscurrents from the rest of Europe and the wider world. The hitherto opposition Labour party looks ready for a possible decade in power over two consecutive terms. Its landslide election win on 4 July saw the ruling Conservatives heavily punished for a badly managed withdrawal from the European Union and a string of further policy failures.
How Labour should spend its ‘play safe’ dividend

Jun 20, 2024 | omfif.org | Meghnad Desai |David Marsh

Labour is assured of victory in the UK’s 4 July general election. The public desires revenge on a Conservative party that in 14 years of largely incompetent government has provided five failed prime ministers and, for many, declining living standards. Even within sight of a landslide win, Labour behaves in a standard way. It tones down its first and second draft policy programmes.
India’s surprising election result is a setback for Modi

Jun 7, 2024 | omfif.org | Meghnad Desai

India has the largest electorate globally with 960m eligible voters. The results of the latest election, conducted over seven rounds of voting in different parts of the country, surprised everyone. Virtually all of the exit polls taken after the final round of voting predicted a massive win for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which, along with some smaller parties, forms the ruling National Democratic Alliance.
Salvation for Sunak as he leads Conservatives to slaughter

May 27, 2024 | businesstimes.com.sg | Meghnad Desai

THE British election on Jul 4 is important not because of any great uncertainty about the outcome – the Tories are heading for the exit – but because it will help signal the UK’s role in a changing world. And what better figure to illustrate this than the man who has been the country’s first Indian-heritage prime minister? By announcing the summer election date, Rishi Sunak has saved his job for the next six weeks.
Salvation for Sunak as he leads Conservatives to slaughter

May 24, 2024 | omfif.org | Meghnad Desai

The British election on 4 July is important not because of any great uncertainty about the outcome – the Tories are heading for the exit – but because it will help signal the UK’s role in a changing world. And what better figure to illustrate this than the man who has been the country’s first Indian-heritage prime minister? By announcing the summer election date, Rishi Sunak has saved his job for the next six weeks.
Big win for Labour and deal on Europe could produce UK rebound

May 16, 2024 | businesstimes.com.sg | Meghnad Desai |David Marsh

BRITAIN is only months from a general election. A victory for the Labour party, after 14 years in opposition, looks near-certain, but several developments could upset that outcome. A Labour win, a steady course for economic policy and a fillip to growth and investment through effective rapprochement with the European Union, could produce a rebound for UK financial markets and sterling.
Big win for Labour and deal on Europe could produce UK rebound

May 15, 2024 | omfif.org | Meghnad Desai |David Marsh

Britain is only months from a general election. A victory for the Labour party, after 14 years in opposition, looks near-certain, but several developments could upset that outcome. A Labour win, a steady course for economic policy and a fillip to growth and investment through effective rapprochement with the European Union could produce a rebound for UK financial markets and sterling.
Lok Sabha elections: GST e-way bills analytics to be tracked real time, says EC

Mar 16, 2024 | moneycontrol.com | Meghnad Desai

E-way bills are required for inter-state transportation of goods valued over Rs 50,000. The government is tracking the Goods and Services Tax GST e-way bills analytics real time due to an unusual spike in demand for some goods and services, the Election Commission of India said on March 16. “GST e-way bills analytics will be tracked real time to track unusual spikes seen in the demand for some goods and services,” the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said in the press conference.
Quantitative easing revives gold’s reserve asset status

Dec 14, 2023 | omfif.org | Meghnad Desai |David Marsh

Gold lost its central role in the world monetary system on 15 August 1971, when US President Richard Nixon announced the ending of the gold exchange system: America would settle its deficits in dollars, not in bullion. Half a century later, gold has crept back as a major force in world money. One important reason is quantitative easing. Central banks acquired large volumes of government bonds as a device to pour liquidity into markets shattered by catastrophic falls.