Losses & profits. Showing up at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland) is profitable or not recommended, it all depends on the context of your trip to the resort of Graubünden. Barely appointed Prime Minister after his victory in the British elections on December 12, Boris Johnson understood the political risk of happening there with the gratin of international finance. He declined the invitation of his chief authorizing officer, Klaus Schwab, and prohibited his ministers from participating in his 50e edition, to be held from January 21 to 24, 2020.
“Voters have changed this government and our party for the better. We must now repay them for their trust by working hard to change our country for the better "He said to his ministers on Tuesday, saying that some of those who voted for the Tories, such as workers in the Midlands or the North of England, did nothing but him " to lend " their voice. The attention paid to the national health service, to which he promised the benefits of Brexit, is more important than "Champagne with billionaires", he decided.
Ten days before the UK’s exit from the European Union, scheduled for January 31, 2020, it was difficult for him to intervene in Davos. In the eyes of the people, the Forum remains a symbol of the endogamy of the world's political and economic elites. French President Emmanuel Macron himself dried him in the middle of the "yellow vests" crisis. Mr. Schwab must be very sorry to serve as a foil, he who struggles to show that this alpine summit has only one goal: "Build a better world".
“100 days” constraint
Has it not been, for ages, the advocate of reducing the wealth gap, gender equality, the fight against global warming, corporate social responsibility? Isn't the Forum a global forum where we can defend just causes, such as the initiative launched by Jacques Chirac in 2005, in favor of a financial transaction tax intended to eradicate AIDS?
There was a time when Mr. Johnson had another vision. "You only have to throw a snowball in a cocktail in Davos and you touch someone from a sovereign fund ready to finance an infrastructure", he released in the Daily Telegraph in 2013. He was then mayor of London and sought to develop the British capital. The man, who has not changed his opinion, is now facing the constraint of the "100 days", during which he must revive a struggling economy. Davos will wait. But those around him have warned that he will be back in January 2021. Mr. Schwab, put the champagne in the fridge.
