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Expert comment: Joe Biden formally nominated at US Democratic Convention

Aug 19, 2020

1 min


Dr Trevor McCrisken, expert in US politics at the University of Warwick (UK), comments:

The Democratic Party brought out its heavy hitters to formally nominate its presidential candidate Joe Biden last night, with two former US Presidents, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. The Virtual Convention may not have all the excitement and hoopla of the usual pre-election showcase, but the Party is doing its best to unite progressives and moderates in the party behind the Biden-Harris ticket. What's more they're reaching out to disgruntled Republicans with endorsements for Biden from key figures including none other than former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who has served in three Republican presidencies.

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1 min

Migrants "forced onto even riskier paths" by UK/France deal to patrol Channel: Dr Maurice Stierl

The UK and French governments have agreed a deal to tackle the rise in people trying to cross the Channel. Read full story on BBC News here. Dr Maurice Stierl, an expert on migrants' and refugees' rights at borders from the University of Warwick (UK), offers his expert comment: "The suggested deal between the UK and France to increase police presence along the northern coasts of France may decrease Channel crossings, though merely temporarily and in no way sustainably. The history of sea migration, both in the Channel and the Mediterranean, shows that increased policing does not end crossings but merely produces lengthier, costlier, and more dangerous migration routes. "Migrants will seek to evade the police presence and be forced onto even riskier paths. In overall figures, and despite being portrayed by the government as an “invasion”, Channel migration is not a significant phenomenon, and the UK is well-equipped to adequately deal with maritime migration, care for those in need, and provide routes to asylum. "Unfortunately, the UK government has only one recipe when dealing with migration, which is to criminalise migration, reinforce border controls, and undermine the right to seek asylum. In this way, already-vulnerable people are not only placed into ever-more precarious situations but are also scapegoated for a range of social ills and policy failures that the government wants to distract the public from." For further information, contact: Luke Walton, International Press Manager, University of Warwick L.Walton.1@warwick.ac.uk +44 (0) 7823 362 150

2 min

UK inflation rate jumps to 2.1%: University of Warwick experts comment

The Office of National Statistics reports that the inflation rate in the UK has risen to 2.1%, passing the Bank of England target of 2%. Professor Abhinay Muthoo of the University of Warwick Department of Economics and Professor Nigel Driffield of Warwick Business School comment here on what factors could have caused this jump. Professor Abhinay Muthoo of the Department of Economics at the University of Warwick said: "Figures released by the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) show UK inflation has jumped to 2.1% in the year to May. This means inflation is now above the Bank of England target of 2%. There is concern amongst some economists that inflation will rise further, and more importantly, that these higher levels of inflation are permanent. Hence, for example a call by some that the Bank of England should quickly raise interest rates. "I believe this higher than target inflation is very likely to be temporary. This current increase is driven by a few factors. One being a sudden and sharp increase in consumer spending as consumers are rushing to spend their savings from the past year of lockdown, and supply cannot, at the moment, keep up with that strong demand. I expect inflation to return to under Bank of England’s 2% target by around early next year." Professor Nigel Driffield of Warwick Business School said: “Supply of various goods and services is or has been constrained by Covid, and while many people have suffered financially because of Covid there is also a high level of pent up demand. This pertains not only to goods and services made here, but also imported. So for a while we are going to see pressure on inflation as the economy opens up.”

1 min

Expert comment: China and the G7

China has denounced a joint statement by the Group of Seven leaders that had scolded Beijing over a range of issues as a gross interference in the country’s internal affairs, and urged the grouping to stop slandering China. Professor Shaun Breslin, from the Department of Political and International Studies at the University of Warwick comments: "This is simply the latest in what is now a very familiar exercise in pushing back against any perceived criticism of China by the Chinese authorities. And it's really no surprise that China reserves special criticism for what is said by people at a party that it is not invited to. "But there are perhaps a couple of extra dynamics here. One is that questions about the origins of the pandemic aren’t going away; and indeed, seem to be being asked more frequently and more loudly. The second is the possibility of western powers increasingly taking a common position on China in a way that was not very likely when Biden’s predecessor was in power."

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