Skip to main content

Robert Skidelsky

Robert Skidelsky

Writing for PS since 2003
216 commentaries

Robert Skidelsky is a member of the British House of Lords, Professor Emeritus of Political Economy at Warwick University, and the author of a prize-winning three-volume biography of John Maynard Keynes. He began his political career in the Labour party, was a founding member of the Social Democratic Party, and served as the Conservative Party’s spokesman for Treasury affairs in the House of Lords until he was sacked for his opposition to NATO’s 1999 bombing of Kosovo. Since 2001, he has sat in the House of Lords as an independent. He has also served as a non-executive director of the American mutual fund Janus (2001-11) and the private Russian oil company PJSC Russneft (2016-21). He is the author of The Machine Age: An Idea, a History, a Warning (Allen Lane, 2023).

Sort by: Show:
  1. The Language of Political Control
    skidelsky200_Getty Images_speech Getty Images

    The Language of Political Control

    Apr 19, 2024 Robert Skidelsky views recent linguistic innovations as manipulative efforts to compel “correct” thought and perception.

  2. Post-Capitalist Pessimism
    skidelsky199_In Pictures Ltd.Corbis via Getty Images_capitalismprotest In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images

    Post-Capitalist Pessimism

    Mar 21, 2024 Robert Skidelsky laments the absence of a redemptive political vision adequate to the public's growing economic disillusionment.

  3. The UK Labour Party’s Green-Energy Debacle
    skidelsky197_Leon NealGetty Images_UKgreen Leon Neal/Getty Images

    The UK Labour Party’s Green-Energy Debacle

    Feb 19, 2024 Robert Skidelsky explains why the threat of climate change outweighs the risks of increased public spending.

  4. Robert Skidelsky on Keynes, AI, the future of work, and more
    mmuniz2_Malte MuellerGetty Images_AIrobot Malte Mueller/Getty Images

    Robert Skidelsky on Keynes, AI, the future of work, and more

    Feb 6, 2024 Robert Skidelsky argues that the best way to secure supply chains is peace, highlights three grave risks posed by artificial intelligence, challenges the notion that science and religion should be regarded as opposites, and more.

  5. Britain’s Post Office Scandal and the Rule of Law
    skidelsky195_ Dan KitwoodGetty Images_post office Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

    Britain’s Post Office Scandal and the Rule of Law

    Jan 18, 2024 Robert Skidelsky explains why Western countries are finding it increasingly hard to address official misconduct.

Follow Robert Skidelsky

Never miss a commentary by Robert Skidelsky

  1. nishtar8_AMAURY HAUCHARDAFP via Getty Images_africavaccine Amaury Hauchard/AFP via Getty Images

    Fifty Years of Immunization Success Call for 50 More

    Sania Nishtar touts the remarkable results of global collaboration on routine vaccination and foresees continued progress.
  2. GettyImages-2149550584 Photo by MARK PETERSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

    Trump on Trial

    From a long list of criminal indictments to unfavorable voter demographics, there is plenty standing between presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump and a second term in the White House. But a Trump victory in the November election remains a distinct possibility – and a cause for serious economic concern.

  3. woods56_Alex WongGetty Images_georgieva Alex Wong/Getty Images

    The IMF Chose the Right Leader the Wrong Way

    Ngaire Woods thinks the Fund’s process for selecting its managing director is woefully out of step with today’s world.
  4. bildt122_Mikhail SvetlovGetty Images_trumpputin Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

    Trump Is Putin’s Only Hope Now

    Carl Bildt considers the implications of Ukraine finally receiving the Western military aid it has been waiting for.
  5. frankel159_Getty Images_customer service Getty Images

    How to Rebuild Trust in Public Institutions

    Eleanor Carter & Carolyn J. Heinrich highlight the value of face-to-face interactions at a time when governments are phasing out in-person services.
  6. isenberg1_TIMOTHY A. CLARYPOOLAFP via Getty Images_trumptrial Timothy A. Clary/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    Is Trump Above the Law?

    Nancy Isenberg

    Contrary to what former US President Donald Trump would have the American public believe, no president enjoys absolute immunity from criminal prosecution. To suggest otherwise is to reject a bedrock principle of American democracy: the president is not a monarch.

    explains why the US Supreme Court must reject the former president's claim to immunity from prosecution.
  7. deryugina1_BEN BIRCHALLPOOLAFP via Getty Images_ukraineflagsoldier Ben Birchall/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    Ukraine Is Far From Doomed

    Tatyana Deryugina & Anastassia Fedyk

    When comparing Ukraine’s situation in 2024 to Europe’s in 1941, Russia’s defeat seems entirely possible. But it will require the West, and the US in particular, to put aside domestic political squabbles and muster the political will to provide Ukraine with consistent and robust military and financial assistance.

    compare Russia's full-scale invasion to World War II and see reason to hope – as long as aid keeps flowing.
  8. glennerster2_Scott OlsonGetty Images)_vaccines Scott Olson/Getty Images)

    The Pandemic Financing Developing Countries Need

    Rachel Glennerster urges multilateral development banks to establish mechanisms that enable at-risk vaccine purchases.
  9. krueger74_AFP via Getty Images_nigercoup AFP via Getty Images

    The Geopolitics of Africa’s Debt Crisis

    Anne O. Krueger urges developed countries to back efforts by the IMF and the World Bank to promote growth-enhancing reforms.

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification

To receive email updates regarding this {entity_type}, please enter your email below.

If you are not already registered, this will create a PS account for you. You should receive an activation email shortly.