In early 2009, when I got off a plane to begin an overseas posting in Washington, the city seemed to fizz with energy. The US was in recession but Barack Obama had just become president after a campaign which promised “hope and change”. I thought back to those days recently when Rachel Reeves, the UK shadow chancellor, went to Washington to deliver a speech that seemed to tap into the new political zeitgeist — an approach she has dubbed “securonomics”.After years of slow economic growth, a global pandemic and a war in Europe, people are in no mood to believe in grand visions any more, and politicians have moderated their rhetoric accordingly. In fact, their promises seem to have retreated right down Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to settle at the basic necessities of life. Hope and change is out; “security” is now in.
2009年初，當(dāng)我走下飛機(jī)開始在華盛頓的駐外工作時，這座城市似乎充滿了活力。當(dāng)時美國正處于衰退之中，但巴拉克?奧巴馬(Barack Obama)剛剛當(dāng)選總統(tǒng)，他的競選承諾是“希望與變革”。最近，英國影子財政大臣蕾切爾?里夫斯(Rachel Reeves)前往華盛頓發(fā)表演講時，我想起了那段日子。她的演講似乎抓住了新的政治風(fēng)潮——她闡述了她稱為“安全經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)”(securonomics)的經(jīng)濟(jì)政策。