The Frontier

Lowe says Britain is effectively bankrupt, citing a large national debt, a rising deficit and weakening business orders and confidence. Peter McCormack cites a higher deficit forecast than Lowe’s estimate; Lowe argues public-sector spending masks contraction in the private economy and distrusts OBR projections.

Gideon Rachman says politicians often become more guarded on the record, while off-record conversations can reveal their private views. Peter McCormack describes Nigel Farage as more thoughtful and historically informed in private than during interviews.

Gideon Rachman says falling fertility and opposition to immigration make it harder to sustain aging societies and their public promises. He cites South Korea, Japan, and China as examples of very low fertility, while Peter McCormack argues that current borrowing shifts costs onto children.

Peter McCormack says AI can raise productivity but also displace workers; Gideon Rachman cites a software developer who lost a job as AI made software development cheaper and faster. Both describe public hostility to data centers and concern about AI’s potential risks.