Tesco
Something Will Turn Up
Book

Something Will Turn Up

Britain’s Economy, Past, Present and Future

David Smith
Profile Books, 2015

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Background

Recommendation

The Sunday Times economics editor David Smith presents a readable, informative history of the British economy since World War II. As a prominent journalist covering economic matters, he draws on a wealth of knowledge and anecdotes. His treatment of the decades of the 1970s and 1980s, in particular, provides a most interesting read. Though written before the Brexit vote, Smith’s straightforward account of a significant chapter in the United Kingdom’s history offers a wise and well-balanced perspective. This is a straightforward historical account without an opinionated viewpoint; little here is personal or contentious. getAbstract recommends this enjoyable overview to students, professors, investors and history buffs.

Take-Aways

  • In the 1950s, the United Kingdom traded 40% of its exports and 35% of its imports with Commonwealth nations.
  • The British took Commonwealth markets for granted; their loss proved shocking.
  • Breaking free from the Bretton Woods system by devaluing and floating the pound enabled the UK’s 1970s fiscal laxity and excessive money creation.

About the Author

Economics editor of The Sunday Times David Smith also wrote The Dragon and the Elephant and Free Lunch.

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