November 20, 2017

Anyone jumping ship on the delusion that risk-weighted capital requirements make banks safer and economies better, has a better chance to survive

Sir, Wolfgang Münchau discusses many delusions held by both Brexiters and Remainers, and argues correctly: “To make the best of Brexit, the UK will need to embrace a more entrepreneurial and innovative economy” “An old-fashioned economy heads towards a downfall” November 20.

But when he writes: “For Brexit to succeed the UK will end up becoming more — dare I say it — European”, I disagree.

That because when Münchau holds that Britain “has an entrepreneurial culture to build on”, that is unfortunately no longer the case. No country with an active “entrepreneurial culture” would ever have allowed the de facto anti entrepreneurial risk-weighted capital requirements for banks.

Sir, if I had to choose between a Britain that did not hold back its risk takers, and one that was comfortably living off a larger European market then, if thinking about my grandchildren, I would without any doubt prefer the first one.

As I see it the European Union, governed by unelected risk adverse technocrats, who like old soviet central planners paint from their desks roads to the future, is doomed to fail… and that no matter how much “Universities… work more closely with industry”. In that Europe, the faster you jump ships the better.

If I were a British citizen I would instead be calling out to Europe proposing a different EU. Who knows what answer I would get from Poland, Italy, Spain, Portugal and others? Why for instance should they stay with those who most benefit from a Euro made weaker by the weaker?

PS. For those who do not know me in the context of any European Union and Euro debate, perhaps the following Op-Ed could help as an introduction. 


@PerKurowski