Weekend Box #129: More BRICS in the Wall & more
Editor's Note
Welcome to The Weekend Box, Audley’s round-up of interesting or obscure political, business, and cultural news from around the world.
At the end of every busy week in Westminster, ministerial private offices ask their departments to submit papers to the ‘weekend box’ for Ministers and Secretaries of State to catch up with over the weekend. Similarly, we would like to send you into the weekend with a few stories to catch up with at your leisure.
So, let’s delve inside The Weekend Box.
MORE BRICS IN THE WALL
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted a ‘BRICS Plus’ group of 36 nations for a three-day summit this week in Kazan, southwest Russia, and opened proceedings by calling for an alternative international payments system that could prevent the US and allies from using the dollar “as a weapon.”
Hailing the gathering as a “global majority” of nations assembling to counterbalance the West’s “perverse methods” and reshape “a multipolar world,” the president proposed the creation of a new cross-border payment system that would offer an alternative to the global bank messaging network SWIFT. This would enable Moscow to evade Western sanctions and trade more easily with its partners, some of which are also sanctioned by the US and its allies.
In a joint declaration on Wednesday, signatories attacked unilateral sanctions imposed on some of the group's members, including Russia and Iran, saying that they harm the poorest people in targeted states and calling for their elimination. Russia also proposed a BRICS grain exchange that might be expanded to trade other major commodities such as oil, gas, and metals.
The BRICS bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa added five new members in January with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Iran, and Ethiopia. This summit attracted many more nations in a diplomatic coup for Russia, as it seeks to counter its isolation over its actions in Ukraine. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa both attended, as did UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, attracting criticism in light of the ICC warrant for President Putin’s arrest.
Yet Russia’s financial proposals and the expansion agenda are not universally popular within BRICS. Brazil and India have sought to block further expansion into a Russian-and-Chinese-dominated anti-western alliance. Analysts also cast doubt on whether the dollar’s dominance can really be supplanted for trade transactions and foreign exchange reserves.
Image Credit: Narendra Modi. License.
TRUMP SEEING RED
Donald Trump has accused the UK Labour Party of interfering in the US presidential election by assisting Kamala Harris’ campaign. The controversy arose after reports revealed that around 100 current and former Labour staffers planned to travel to the US to volunteer in key battleground states. While the Labour party has stated that these volunteers would cover their own travel costs to comply with US election laws, the Trump campaign has filed a legal complaint claiming this involvement could amount to illegal foreign contributions, potentially breaching federal regulations on foreign influence in elections.
Labour is understood to have shared its recent electoral success strategy with the Harris campaign, focusing on policies to win over working-class voters — an approach that helped Starmer secure a landslide victory in the UK earlier this year.?According to The Telegraph, the Trump campaign’s complaint stated that "Morgan McSweeney, the Prime Minister's chief of staff, and Matthew Doyle, the director of communications, attended the convention in Chicago and met with Ms. Harris' campaign team."
Trans-Atlantic election engagement is not unique to the Labour party.?In 2019, while president, Trump called into a London radio show hosted by Nigel Farage to express support for Boris Johnson’s candidacy. Trump also took the opportunity to criticize then-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Farage also previously campaigned for Trump. In the final week of Trump’s unsuccessful 2020 re-election bid against President Joe Biden, Trump invited Farage to join him on stage at a rally in Goodyear, Arizona.
The latest accusations from the Trump camp present a delicate situation for Labour. Starmer, who had dinner with Donald Trump during a recent visit to New York, has downplayed the controversy. He stated their relationship would not be affected if Trump were to win the election on November 5.
Image Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America. License.
ELECTION IN EIRE
Earlier this week, the leaders of Ireland’s three governing parties agreed that the next general election will be held in 2024. By law, an election must be called before March 2025, when the current government’s term ends.
There will now be an accelerated timeline to pass the Finance Bill to facilitate this early election, and whilst?Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman had previously suggested November 29 as a possible polling date, no official date has been set. The Finance Bill, which includes new tax measures, will begin its committee stage on November 5.
Previously, O’Gorman called for more clarity regarding the timing, saying it is important to provide "some degree of certainty" to the Irish public. O'Gorman also noted that an election at the end of November would allow the government time to complete important legislation before the campaign begins.
Speaking to RTé News, Taoiseach Simon Harris, whose Fine Gael party has moved ahead in opinion polls since he took over in April, stressed the importance of finishing the government's current work before turning to election planning. ?"My priority is to ensure that we complete the work we’ve started, then hold the election at a time that’s right for the country," Harris explained.
After a difficult period of political scandals for Sinn Féin, the Sunday Times poll showed that they had managed to remain the most popular party by maintaining their 24% rating in spite of these challenges. The only sign of wavering support was a small drop of 2% to 16%, with Independents increasing by 2% up to 22%. Fianna Fáil dropped 1% to 19% and Labour was up one to 5%. For other parties, there was no change for The Social Democrats at 5%, Green Party at 4%, People Before Profit/Solidarity (3%) and Aontú (2%).
Image Credit: Houses of the Oireachtas. License.
CLAUDE'S ON IT
Science fiction author Douglas Adams wrote you can predict someone’s reaction to new technology simply by knowing their age.
To paraphrase, Adams said if you’re below the age of 15, it’s just the way things have always been. If you’re between the ages of 15 and 35, it’s fun and interesting and it might help your career prospects. If you’re above the age of 35, it’s downright worrying, unnatural, and will see society destroy itself.
The Weekend Box suspects reaction to this week’s announcement from?Anthropic will prove Adams’ theory.
Anthropic has introduced a new AI feature called "Computer Use" that enables its Claude 3.5 Sonnet model to control actions on a desktop, such as browsing the internet, filling out forms, and scheduling appointments.
This new capability is seen as a leap towards creating more autonomous AI agents that can automate mundane tasks, allowing users to focus on more creative aspects of their work.
Claude’s ability to control desktops through graphical user interfaces (GUI) is a significant step in merging large language models with computer control, although it still faces challenges such as latency and errors in tasks like scrolling or clicking. However, issues like?high resource costs and AI safety concerns, including the potential for misuse by malicious actors, remain.
Anthropic is gradually rolling out this feature, encouraging developers to explore it for low-risk tasks. Safety measures have been implemented to minimise risks, such as retaining screenshots and limiting AI’s access to sensitive data.
Despite current limitations, these developments represent a significant step toward the widespread adoption of AI agents capable of complex desktop tasks.
As?TechCrunch commented, Anthropic’s promise to build AI to power virtual assistants took a while to materialise, but it’s here now.
Image Credit: Ecole polytechnique. License.
LAYING DOWN THE LORE
Are there any local customs where you live? How about lore or legends, passed down through generations? In the UK, a government-backed initiative has been launched to capture the wealth of local customs and beliefs in England and find out: what does folklore mean to the country today?
As the London-based?Folklore Society note, the term ‘folklore’ is wide-reaching in its implications; it can mean aspects of “vernacular culture,” such as stories passed down between generations, as well as cultural traditions (like dressing someone in straw and calling them a ‘straw bear,’ pictured above).
Two of the most famous examples of English folklore are the stories of King Arthur and Robin Hood, which can be traced back through centuries of England’s history.
The National Folklore Survey was?announced by Dr. David Clarke of Sheffield Hallam University, who is leading the project, earlier this month, and was picked up by national press this week, shining a welcome light on its mission. Financed with ￡271,000 from government body UK Research and Innovation, and conducted by research company Ipsos UK, the Survey aims to find out how “folkloric beliefs and practices [have] shaped England’s social, cultural and spiritual identity.”
The Survey will also determine “[t]o what extent … ideas of nationalism and colonial attitudes [are] informed by contemporary notions of English folklore.”
Dr. Clarke believes that now is the ideal time for the Survey, as England is experiencing “a revival of interest in folklore” spurred in part by the BBC series? Myth Country, which is stoking young people’s interest in local traditions and legends.
Dr. Clarke says: “Folklore is the social glue that holds us together. …traditions, customs and stories passed down bring people together.” Surely an excellent reason to preserve them now, for future generations.
Image Credit: Richard Humphrey. License.
And that's it for this week. I hope you found something of interest that you might want to delve into further. If so, please get in touch at [email protected]
For now, that’s The Weekend Box officially closed.
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