Hugh Hendry, an engagingly straightforward hedge-fund manager, made another appearance on Newsnight last night — he’s been on before, holding his own rather well against Joseph Stiglitz (or “Joe” Stiglitz, as I noted Ken Clarke called him during the recent Any Questions he appeared on with Mehdi).
Hendry was being attacked by Poul Rasmussen, president of the Party of European Socialists and the driving force behind proposals to limit the activities of hedge funds. Rasmussen said that the way Hendry and his ilk had affected the price of government debts — Greece’s in particular — was not “democratically acceptable”, that they were hurting innocent people by their actions and making structural problems worse.
One’s natural sympathy was on the side of Rasmussen. It is very hard to see any merit in the kind of international speculation that made George Soros, for instance, so rich — which is why I have always been bemused that a man whose wealth and prominence derives from the misfortune of others should be treated with such respect.
But Hendry did a very good job of making himself out as the one who was behaving morally. “If Greece reforms its behaviour, then speculation against it will be profitless,” he said, quite truthfully. “I’m trying to save us putting more money into this black hole which is Greece’s economy.”
Newsnight’s reporter Justin Rowlatt had asked him earlier in the programme, with some incredulity: “So are you saying you’re providing us with a social service?”
Hendry could see this one coming, but replied: “Maybe I’m naive, maybe I’m foolish, but I believe that I’m the guard dog of the capitalist system.” Greece had been caught “cheating”, he said — a statement with which I don’t think anyone can disagree — and was now paying the price.
My point is this: to me Hendry, was the far more convincing guest, because his argument was totally consistent. The “morality” he believes to be contained within the market is the one which is now doling out punishment to Greece, and deservedly so, he would say.
I suspect that Rasmussen does not believe that markets are in any way “moral” at all. Indeed, if he thinks that they are by their very nature cruel and immoral, I would agree with him. He probably regards market economies as necessary, but not virtuous.
Why then, however, would he expect people who really do believe in the market to abide by his moral values? If you sup with the devil . . .
You can find the whole report and the exchange that followed on BBC iPlayer, about 20 minutes in. It’s well worth a look. Even if you don’t agree with him, I think you’d have to admit that the aforementioned devil has a remarkably good advocate in Hendry.
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