Calling it right: the power of prediction – Lord Jim O’Neill

No one particular book, I wouldn’t say any book changed my life, but if really had to choose one, it would be my A-Level textbook on North America, that got me interested in the real world, and economics of the US, and travelling also. If I could answer a bit more laterally, the answer would have to be the Manchester Football Pink, which was published in my youth every Saturday night within 2 hours of matches finishing, and I couldn’t wait to get it and digest it thoroughly. My father even used to post it to me when I first moved to New York in 1985, so it was still going then. I think it ceased in the late 1980’s.

Queen’s Gambit, it is fantastic. Also watching the Steve McQueen five-parter on BBC1 on Sundays, but not quite sure about that! And I watched the whole of the Sopranos, finally, which I love, it is like a combination of Coronation Street and the Godfather!

I don’t have five lockdown tracks, in terms of new ones, I love listening to Paul Gambacino every Saturday, pick of the pops, running through the charts, for some reason, he has especially homed in on 1979 which is the year I met my wife at Surrey when I started my PHD, as well as my last year at Sheffield, and was especially memorable for music, therefore. That said, I love Dua Lipa’s new song, Levitated, and the group lockdown song, “Times Like These”, I really like that, although it does make me a bit teary.

In many ways, I have no new normal, much of what I do is the same as before, as I often work from “home”. But I make sure even more than before, I do quite a lot of outdoor exercise.

Not sure I have one in particular, but amongst most of the contenders, they all have something to do with Manchester United, any of, Sir Alex Ferguson, Dennis Law, George Best. Perhaps my secondary school geography teacher, John Doughty, who taught me the interest I developed in geography and indirectly, economics. I might be odd, but I don’t find any particular political figures as especially inspirational, although I thought it was quite cool when the US elected Obama. I have had the pleasure of meeting a number of presidents, prime ministers and leaders of other countries, past and present, and my usual reaction, is what on earth motivated them to become a national leader? In terms of economists, none either, although I do have fond memories of Rudy Dornbusch, who as well as being a great theoretician about international economics, seemed quite good fun, and didn’t take himself overly seriously.

I have two. Firstly, as with my House of Lords motto, “always try your best”, and secondly, saying no to something is often the best answer to a request, so long as it is courteous.