Thomas Piketty quit as a Labour adviser. "Brexit is 'political suicide'". [View all]

[pampango]

Thomas Piketty, the superstar leftwing economist and author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century, has quit as a Labour party adviser.

He was one of several heavyweight and renowned economists on the economic advisory committee set up by John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor. It seems that his decision was largely prompted by lack of time, but he has criticised Labour’s performance in the EU referendum.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jun/29/brexit-live-sad-cameron-eu-immigration-corbyn-leadership?page=with:block-5773954ce4b03b1c80766537#liveblog-navigation

EU referendum: Star economist Thomas Piketty says Brexit would be 'political suicide'

French author and economist Thomas Piketty has urged the British public to vote to remain in the European Union, saying that a Brexit would be "political suicide" for the country. Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival, Piketty stated that voting to leave Europe in the 23 June referendum would be disastrous for Britain's economy and would lead to further fracturing of the United Kingdom.

"I think it will be very sad for Europe. I think it will be, you know, even worse for Britain. I think for Britain it would be like a political suicide because after this happens, very likely, the next step will be Scotland will get out of Britain, which will then become a very small country basically.

Piketty is in Cannes to announce that his book, Capital in the 21st Century, is to be turned into a film. The book reached number one on the New York Times bestseller list and has sold nearly three million copies worldwide. It explores how capitalism affects the world.

"I would never before have thought that I would come to Cannes because my book was to become a film, so this is an incredible adventure," Piketty said.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/eu-referendum-star-economist-thomas-piketty-says-brexit-would-be-political-suicide-1560057

Pretty cool that his book will be made into a movie.