Tariffs: sound and fury, signifying nothing

28 August 2026|Tags: , , |

A few months have passed since we were last obsessing about tariffs, during which time there have been a couple of other items dominating the news. Those items (the conflict in Iran, the new British PM) are a bit stale, so it seems it’s time to have another go with tariffs. Perhaps this season will be more interesting? We’ll see, but the early signs are not encouraging. Canada, the country probably most vulnerable to US tariffs, looks like it’s going

Our Made-in-China world

14 August 2026|Tags: , , |

On yet another scorching London morning Jane wakes up to the tinkling tunes of Berlioz on her DAB radio, designed in the UK, made in China. Unwilling to face the day quite yet, she burrows down into blue and white-striped sheets, purchased at IKEA, made in China. The temptation of an ice cold cup of green tea, grown and packaged in China, coaxes her out of bed and she pads out to the kitchen in bright pink UGG slippers and