WEBVTT - BOE Governor Andrew Bailey Talks Farage Pressure, Holding Rates

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News. Gunnar, thank you so

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<v Speaker 1>much for speaking to Bloomberg. So you had the decisive vote.

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<v Speaker 1>How close was it? Was it like fifty to fifty

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<v Speaker 1>or twenty eighty.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, for me, if we go back to August, these

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<v Speaker 2>sort of two risks that were balancing, that inflation might

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<v Speaker 2>be more persistent is obviously above target at the moment,

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<v Speaker 2>and that it might be more persistent and it doesn't

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<v Speaker 2>come down although that's our central view against the fact

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<v Speaker 2>that we see evidence of the economy softening now. In August,

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<v Speaker 2>I would say I was concerned more on the upside risk,

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<v Speaker 2>but I think the news that we've had subsequent to

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<v Speaker 2>that has left me in a more balanced position. So

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<v Speaker 2>that was very much my view. But as I said,

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<v Speaker 2>as I've said a number of times, we do need

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<v Speaker 2>to see more evidence because so far we've had one

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<v Speaker 2>inflation number that's coming you know under what we've autually

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<v Speaker 2>obviously good. We need to see some more.

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<v Speaker 1>So what would swear you actually for December? And when

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<v Speaker 1>you say that it was balanced, does it mean that

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<v Speaker 1>one extra data point would it make?

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<v Speaker 2>Well? Actually, by December we'll actually have two because we

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<v Speaker 2>have we have two months off of data between now

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<v Speaker 2>and our December decisions. So we'll have two sets of

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<v Speaker 2>inflation numbers, two sets of labor market numbers, two sets

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<v Speaker 2>of most other numbers as well, So that will be important.

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<v Speaker 1>Governor, you've said that the terminal rate is uncertain, even

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<v Speaker 1>though we're now closer to where the market thinks that

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<v Speaker 1>it is. So when do you know when we've reached it?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, in one sense, of course, logically, wherever it is,

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<v Speaker 2>we must be closer to it. If it's below below

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<v Speaker 2>where policy rate is now, which I think it is,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm afraid. I'm in the school where the uncertainty around

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<v Speaker 2>exactly where it is is very such fintancial, all the

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<v Speaker 2>estimates of it a very big band of uncertainty around it.

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<v Speaker 2>So I tend to look more at the sort of

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<v Speaker 2>the in any given point in time, you know, what

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<v Speaker 2>are the monetary conditions that we're experiencing, and do they

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<v Speaker 2>suggest now? I think the conditions at the moment suggest

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<v Speaker 2>that policy remains restrictive if we've probably we've passed peak restriction,

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<v Speaker 2>I think. But that's not surprising. We've been cutting rates

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<v Speaker 2>in it no surprise that that's what we intended. But

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<v Speaker 2>I think it remains restrictive for the.

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<v Speaker 1>Moment, but could you reach it and not know it.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, again, we'll have to look at what we will

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<v Speaker 2>discern is through the conditions that we see in the economy.

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<v Speaker 2>We have a number of ways of looking at the

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<v Speaker 2>minetary transmission mechanism, and that's how we will do it.

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<v Speaker 1>Governor, you've also said that decisions become closer calls as

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<v Speaker 1>we near the end of the easing cycle. Does that

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<v Speaker 1>mean that we could have bigger pauses in between cuts

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<v Speaker 1>that we currently.

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<v Speaker 2>Have, Well, I think that really depends on course, on

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<v Speaker 2>how conditions evolve. I think the point we're making there

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<v Speaker 2>is obviously the neara you get to wherever this sort

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<v Speaker 2>of neutral rate is, you're going to be slowing. You've

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<v Speaker 2>got you've got to land the thing. Actually, I think

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<v Speaker 2>that's the point we're really making. So you know, as

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<v Speaker 2>we come down the sort of the path you would

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<v Speaker 2>expect some we've got to land.

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<v Speaker 1>It, hope, So longer pauses, Well.

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<v Speaker 2>At some point you'd like to think obviously we're in

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<v Speaker 2>a sort of you know, newtual conditions. I mean that

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<v Speaker 2>will always depend upon the shocks that we're saying. Of course,

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<v Speaker 2>around how those evolved. But you'd like to think we'll

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<v Speaker 2>get to that point. I'd like to think we'll get

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<v Speaker 2>to that point.

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<v Speaker 1>I know the BOE doesn't assume anything about the budget,

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<v Speaker 1>and of course you take fiscal policy as when it's

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<v Speaker 1>set out in the budget. But as governor, what would

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<v Speaker 1>you like to see most in terms of broad fiscal

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<v Speaker 1>impulse from the Chancellor?

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<v Speaker 2>Oh? Well, I'm going to wait for the chancer to

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<v Speaker 2>announce it on the twenty six this month.

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<v Speaker 1>How would you describe your working relationship with the Chancellor? Oh?

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<v Speaker 2>Very good, very good. We talk quite often. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>it's a good relationship.

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<v Speaker 1>There's nothing there's nothing else that you can tell us

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<v Speaker 1>in terms of what you're what you're hoping for. Have

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<v Speaker 1>you have you told her what would be helpful for

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<v Speaker 1>for that budget?

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<v Speaker 2>For you? Honestly, I think it's it's not helpful for

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<v Speaker 2>me to in any sense. You know, you use my

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<v Speaker 2>public pulpit to put pressure on the Chancellor. I think

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<v Speaker 2>it's a very important budget. I think the chance is

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<v Speaker 2>well aware it's a very important budget. Talk about monetary conditions.

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<v Speaker 2>We talk about economic conditions a lot, which we should

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<v Speaker 2>do the government transer should be doing that and I

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<v Speaker 2>think it's important we have those conversations, but I'm not

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<v Speaker 2>going to use my pulpit to in the sense contribute

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<v Speaker 2>to the open debate that's going on.

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<v Speaker 1>Would you say the trend growth rate in the UK

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<v Speaker 1>economy has been reset lower since Brexit and since the pandemic.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, when you look at it, actually it's really going

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<v Speaker 2>back to around the time of the global financial crisis

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<v Speaker 2>that the trend growth rate came down. Now, I'm not, however,

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<v Speaker 2>so convinced that in the longer run, it was caused

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<v Speaker 2>by the global financial crisis. I think that may be

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<v Speaker 2>a coincidence of timing, because I think it's far more

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<v Speaker 2>to do with underlying technological change and innovation in the economy.

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<v Speaker 2>But what we've certainly seen over now sort of about

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<v Speaker 2>fifteen years a bit more is a fall, particularly in

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<v Speaker 2>productivity growth. By the way, the UK cours is not

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<v Speaker 2>unusual in this respectum me and a lot of other

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<v Speaker 2>economies are in the same place. And I think in

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<v Speaker 2>the longer run that does come down to the whole

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<v Speaker 2>question about innovation and the economy, investment in the economy,

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<v Speaker 2>and it does come down to this question about whether

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<v Speaker 2>we're going to see you know, something pretty substantial over

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<v Speaker 2>time come from particularly AI and the sort of the

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<v Speaker 2>whole tech world that's around it.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you worry about AI being in a bubble and

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<v Speaker 1>also do you worry about private credit of like a

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<v Speaker 1>market event? Should I?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, so, I think let's take AI first. It is

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<v Speaker 2>perfectly possible that we could both see AI be the

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<v Speaker 2>next if you like, dial mover in terms of productivity

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<v Speaker 2>in the economy. Yeah, in this world what I call

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<v Speaker 2>general purpose technology, things that in a sense cause innovation

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<v Speaker 2>right across the economy, just like the Internet did about

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<v Speaker 2>steam engines did originally. And it is perfectly possible that

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<v Speaker 2>we could get that very positive results. And it's also

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<v Speaker 2>possible that we could get a bubble because the market

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<v Speaker 2>is having to value the future stream of earnings from

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<v Speaker 2>this innovation, whatever it might be. It's perfectly possible that

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<v Speaker 2>there will be a stream of earning is quite a

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<v Speaker 2>positive stream of earnings, but the market will overvaluate. I

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<v Speaker 2>don't know, but it's something we have to watch for.

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<v Speaker 2>So these things are not in any sense incompatible in

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<v Speaker 2>that respect, so we have to watch the valuation question

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<v Speaker 2>obviously very carefully. Private assets, I think there's nothing per

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<v Speaker 2>se wrong about private assets. I think that's an important

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<v Speaker 2>thing to say. But it is a more opaque world.

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<v Speaker 2>So again we do have to understand that world. And

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<v Speaker 2>we're going to be doing what we are doing a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of work at the bank, and we'll be doing

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of work at the bank. To do that,

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<v Speaker 2>we have to understand that there are while there has

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<v Speaker 2>been something that there's been an increase in non bank

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<v Speaker 2>the non bank world, if you like, relative to the

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<v Speaker 2>bank world. These two systems are heavily interconnected. So the

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<v Speaker 2>banking world is still heavily interconnected. It's the many ways.

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<v Speaker 2>That's the provider of liquidity of course to the system.

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<v Speaker 2>The other thing, you know, I do think it's important

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<v Speaker 2>is obviously had these couple of cases and the so

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<v Speaker 2>we have to judge, you know, where I put it is,

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<v Speaker 2>are they idiosyncratic? Are they the canary and the coal mine?

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<v Speaker 2>And I do think I go back to the financial

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<v Speaker 2>crisis for a moment. I mean, a lot of people,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, before a financial crisis said subprime mortgages are

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<v Speaker 2>too small a part of the world to cause a

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<v Speaker 2>global financial crisis, and that was wrong. It's also the

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<v Speaker 2>case that you can look back now and say, well,

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<v Speaker 2>with the benefit of actually be hindsight, the default rate

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<v Speaker 2>in the US mortgage market wasn't as big as you

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<v Speaker 2>know people sort of feared it would be. But in

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<v Speaker 2>the meantime we had a global financial crisis, and of

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<v Speaker 2>course a lot of that is to do with confidence,

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<v Speaker 2>and of course opacity, you know, is something that can

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<v Speaker 2>be difficult and dangerous in terms of confidence. So again,

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<v Speaker 2>I think it's important that we may ensure that enough

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<v Speaker 2>light is cast on this world that people can remain

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<v Speaker 2>confident about it.

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<v Speaker 1>Just a quick final question, Nigel pharaohs to us speaking

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<v Speaker 1>about you, that this is a quote he's had a

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<v Speaker 1>good run. We might find someone new.

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<v Speaker 2>What do you say to that, Well, I made a

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<v Speaker 2>commitment to serve out my whole term. That's what I

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<v Speaker 2>intend to do, and there's no desire to change. I've

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<v Speaker 2>read you know. It was the cordial meeting we had.

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<v Speaker 2>You may have seen the letter that I wrote following

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<v Speaker 2>the letter that Richard Tice wrote to me, and I

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<v Speaker 2>wrote quite a long letter back explaining particularly these two

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<v Speaker 2>issues QT and interest on reserves. There are some differences

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<v Speaker 2>of you, but we had a vercordial meeting. I intend

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<v Speaker 2>to serve out my full term as governor