Never was the financial panic afflicting the UK more clearly marked than on Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England’s term chart. He accompanied Rachel Reeves on her bizarre trip to China which accomplished meagre returns.
Taking up office on 16 March 2020, his administration chart has a triple whammy of undesirables at the moment – Solar Arc Mars conjunct Pluto for trapped, scary, stuck; SA Pluto conjunct Saturn for equally blocked and deprived, mountainous obstacles; and SA Saturn square Uranus for tensions and outbursts.
Born 30 March 1959, he has an Aries Sun Mercury in the line of fire of the Solar Eclipses covering late 2024 and most of 2025 for rolling crises; plus a devastating/meltdown SA Pluto conjunct his Neptune this year as well. He will get a lucky break when tr Uranus opposes his Jupiter after mid 2025 and into 2026 squares his Pluto – which may mean a change of chancellor or change of direction for him personally.
His relationship chart with Chancellor Rachel Reeves was destined to come together in a time of high crisis with a yod of Pluto sextile Neptune inconjunct Mars – and that is being rattled on two legs by the eclipses on the Pluto, tr Uranus opposing the Neptune; plus tr Saturn Neptune opposing the Jupiter Uranus composite conjunction from mid 2025 into 2026.
The Bank of England, 27 July 1694 JC, similarly is being assailed by an undermining, loss-making tr Neptune Saturn opposition the zero degree Mars in Libra from April 2025 into 2026 at which point Neptune Saturn square the financial Venus. 2025 also has an uncertain tr Neptune square the Saturn February to early March 2025. Confidence will return into 2026 and towards 2027 and beyond.
Evidently the next major test comes on March 26 this year, when the Office for Budget Responsibility, the official economic watchdog, publishes its Spring Forecast. An emergency Budget cannot be ruled out and she may have to cut her spending plans. ‘Her decision to increase borrowing by £30 billion a year is looking increasingly reckless.’
March 26 is when tr Uranus is back at 24 Taurus squaring RR’s Sun for a major jolt. When tr Uranus moves into Gemini in July 2025 she’s into major catastrophe zone. And that repeats into 2026. Her relationship with Starmer is under stress at the moment with tr Uranus opposing the composite Saturn exactly now to mid March and tr Neptune opposing the Pluto throughout 2025. But the critical time is probably from July onwards with tr Uranus opposing the Neptune, Sun and into 2026 the Venus.
Previous sterling crises have occurred with some repeating astro-themes. Black Wednesday 16 September 1992 had tr Pluto conjunct the SA Mars conjunct the financial 2nd house Neptune; and SA Saturn conjunct Pluto; SA Uranus square the UK Sun.
The 1976 sterling crisis is similar to this one given it happened with the Solar Arc Neptune exactly conjunct the 8th house Mars; tr Pluto was square the UK Sun, SA Saturn was conjunct the financial Venus in the speculative 5th house; and tr Uranus was conjunct the SA Mars.
This time round once the Solar Arc Uranus crosses over the 8th house Mars in 4 months and will be out of the same degree in six months after which the situation may start to ease.
Although tr Uranus will square the UK Pluto in 2026 for an upheaval and reset and tr Neptune Saturn will oppose the UK Uranus from mid 2025 into 2026 for additional worries, it was also expected/hoped that the UK would settle once tr Uranus moved out of the 8th house which is around 2026/27. The unsettled phase from 2021 as tr Uranus rattled up the UK’s four Fixed planets will be over. And tr Pluto is heading to exit the 4th house which has made the years since 2013 challenging and troublesome at an internal domestic level.
Did any commentators vote for Labour?
Great question. No one voted for Thatcher either, the difference being that Labour’s vote was low though strategically effective because of our voting system. Something to think about when people are advocating proportional representation. Ours makes it more difficult for extreme parties to gain power unless of course they are standing under the Labour or Conservative (currently) banner.
Proportional representation is a mess of a different kind. Perhaps Greece had a good recipe: winner gets a bonus. To avoid dysfunctional coalitions. But then no system really works…
I notice the OBR Report on 26 March 2025 is being published when Mercury and Venus are retrograde. Venus will make an inferior conjunction with the Sun on the 23rd March as it moves from being an Evening Star to a Morning Star. Both planets will be Conjunct Neptune at 29 Pisces Conjunct Scheat between 28-30 March 2025. Mercury turns direct on 7 April 2025 at 26 Pisces conjunct Saturn at 25 Pisces and the North Node at 26 Pisces. Venus turns direct on 13 April at 24 Pisces conjunct Saturn at 26 Pisces and North Node at 24 Pisces.
Venus retrogrades are traditionally times of trial, repentance and renewal. They normally roughly last the biblical 40 days and 40 nights representing a time in the wilderness such as that experienced by Moses and Jesus. Interestingly this year the retrograde will coincide with the traditional Christian fast of Lent. One assumes there is going be some major shift at this moment which for the U.K. may involve a reassessment of finances. The fact that Neptune, a retrograde Mercury and Scheat are involved might indicate a potential for miscommunication and even deception leading to real or metaphorical shipwreck. The presence of Saturn and the North Node suggests limitations and restrictions applied with fated consequences. This is all happening as Uranus at 25 Taurus moves within orb of Algol. This looks likely to be a potentially very testing astrological set up
Thanks Hugh – agree it does look very testing. March is an eclipse month too, with a Lunar Eclipse at 23 Virgo on 14th March. That is aligned with the Edgar 973 UK chart’s Jupiter, which squares Saturn in Gemini – legal themes perhaps, or leadership themes? That chart has Sun and Mars 25 Taurus, Mercury 26 Taurus at the MC – finance, land, trade etc could be shaken up by tr Uranus then. By the end of March the tr ‘deceptive actions’ Mars/Neptune midpoint is 26 Taurus, Mars/Nodes 25 Taurus. Finance for the UK’s depleted military or for war efforts (hopefully post-war rebuilding) could be challenging then.
The old UK 1066 chart, meanwhile, has a Pisces Moon, 29 Pisces, square Uranus 28 Sagittarius. The tr Uranus/Pluto midpoint, 29 Pisces, emphasises that Moon, the people, in March, along with the late Pisces line-up at that time. Tempting to say this could manifest in further NHS woes surfacing, since the level of chaos now is concerning. Whatever the ‘message’ it will be emphasised again by the Solar Eclipse in September, 29 Virgo.
The spring financial report is due in March.
The electric grid itself is the biggest hurdle for many countries as the old grid just cannot support electric power storage from new energy sources. Wind turbine has issue with noise pollution and if done in sea will affect marine life and sea birds and maintenance are expensive and high skilled. The last few years have seen some newaterials being tested. Piezoelectric use rain as an energy source. The structure itself is simple but output is not high.
Just beware never say never, so what if electricity is not enough, government can and might pressured the people to reduce their usage just to supply businesses.
Uranus (sparks) in Gemini (ideas, mind, thinking) might bring something new on that front.
The UK progressed Moon will have moved out of Virgo in March 2025 and will be conjunct the UK Uranus in Libra by April 2025 opposing transiting Neptune in Aries. Currently its position in late Virgo is exactly opposite the position in Sagittarius it occupied when the sterling crisis broke in late 1976.
Square its position in 1976?
Apologies yed that should have been squaring its position in Capricorn
Also one of the problems with Starmer’s chart is that we don’t know his birth time which means working out his Asc/Desc and MC/IC is a matter of guesswork, and with someone in a prominent role like that the angles matter a lot.
IIRC Marjorie mentioned that UK/EU relations might also improve after 2026/27. Could this be tied in with the analysis above to suggest at least some loosening of current trade barriers to improve single market access?
Apologies for my post on costs not appearing under the appropriate comment!
Indeed commentators regard this crisis as a rerun of 1974/76. Mr Healy embarked on a give away budget for trade union members and the public sector in Spring 1974, which eventually led to the Sterling crisis in the Autumn of 1976 where Sterling decreased in value from $2.40 to a little over $1.50. There was an intervening share price collapse in late 1974, where shares on the London Stock exchange lost 3/4 of their value caused by the grave deterioration of profitability of UK plc. To redress the political balance, it was the preceding Tory government with their money printing policies, which unleashed a torrent of inflation on the British public. Incidentally, this led to the first house price explosion in British history.
In those days financial shocks did not transmit themselves so quickly due to exchange controls and the unavailability of digital technology.
The parallels with the antics of Ms Truss and Reeves should be self evident
@patritius
Excellent summing up of those two parallel situations, I often hear lessons will be learnt but are they really. It seems Saturn may be giving reminders time and again until lessons are learnt.
I think the major difference in 1976 was that the Labour government had a fairly strong Chancellor in Denis Healey who as a former beach master at the Battle of Anzio in 1944 was probably made of sterner stuff than most modern British politicians.
I agree, but he also took foolish decisions that destroyed him in the end. In addition to the 1974 budget, the 1978 budget was a tax cutting budget, the broad details of which can be gleaned from Wikipedia. The most important measure is often omitted in the literature, namely the separate taxation of husband and wife. Until this date a woman’s income was regarded as the husbands income for tax purposes, which made tax increases doubly painful for working couples. This made a huge difference to ordinary peoples net income. My marginal tax rate in 1977 was 65%, but after this reform, our combined marginal rate of tax fell to 50%. For working class couples the effect felt even more dramatic. Consequently going on strike became cost effective, whereas before workers would have to take into account the tax consequences of strike action. Needless to say the ‘The Winter of Discontent’ was a direct consequence of the budget.
By 1977 Labour had no longer had a majority in Parliament due to by-election losses so Callaghan was running a minority administration. This put a lot of constraints on the governments ability to make policy. It is one of the major differences between then and now.
“Relations with the UK have always been an uneasy balance. The power-struggling yod of Jupiter sextile Uranus inconjunct Pluto is under pressure exactly now from tr Pluto square the focal point Pluto; and will be unsettled when tr Uranus moves into Gemini in July 2025 tugging on one leg of the yod followed in 2026/27 by tr Saturn Neptune opposition the Jupiter – and square the composite Saturn. Nothing that will improve relations and the unrest/suspicion continues almost to the end of the decade.” – Marjorie on China/UK composite, December 2024
I thought the above was interesting in light of this recent Reeves/Bailey trip to China. I noticed that Bailey’s natal Nodes, 13 Libra/Aries are the reverse of the UK’s at 14 Aries/Libra. The fog rolls in with the Bank of China’s Neptune at 14 Libra. It’s probably subtle, but does suggest some confusion at the very least, and ongoing concerns about national security on the other side of those Libran scales of balance and justice.
I just did a quick calculation on a few midpoints( I know – sometimes not good). However, the U.K. 1801 Charts Sun/Pluto midpoint falls circa 6 degrees in Aquarius /4th house opposing the U.K. Moon/Saturn midpoint in Leo in the 10th house. Pluto’s last kick before leaving the 4th house of home?
It is so odd that in the UK the national bank is not independent of the ministry of finance…
It is independent! The Bank of England Act 1998 gave the Bank of England its independence and reformed the structure, responsibilities and functions of the Bank. The fact they did this trip together is not related to independence. The Government quite quickly regretted not controlling interest rates.
But somebody said either here on in that Keir in the woods thread that she, the chancellor, can overrun certain Bank decisions, and she, the chancellor, has a responsibility regarding inflation?
Hi El Aznar
Section 19 of the Bank of England Act 1998.
(1) The Treasury, after consultation with the Governor of the Bank, may by order give the Bank directions with respect to monetary policy if they are satisfied that the directions are required in the public interest and by extreme economic circumstances.
Credit to Professor Richard Murphy on YT.
Many thanks for this new perspective Marjorie.
With so many challenging aspects the path through the dark wood is a Gordian knot.
Hi Marjorie,
Is there any pointer as to whether the Gov’s latest outrageous but self-destructive plans to divert the few billions we have left into transforming almost every level of society with AI will ever even been initiated. Frankly terrifying. As if they’ve all been taking mushrooms or watching Tik Tok 24/7.
Or maybe taking mushrooms and watching TikTok simultaneously?! An interesting question, Lorna. I’m quite bewildered by these “plans”, since AI uses very large amounts of electricity and water. The UK is facing water shortages in a number of areas mainly due to business needs and an increased population. Similarly, the energy needs of AI are extremely high. Both these things must be addressed, along with any social impact etc. Perhaps watery Neptune’s move into Aries will bring some clarity? Or just steam?
“Holistic thinking is key to advance AI with corporate purpose. Our tech titans have opened the AI Pandora’s box, and how we ethically take more social responsibility remains to be seen. This will require more regulation and scrutiny.
In closing, Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General said at the UN Water Conference that “Water is a human right and the common development denominator to shape a better future. But water is in deep trouble.” Forbes.com
Just caught up with your comments on the other thread Jane, but it’s dropped off the page now. Your point about “holistic thinking” is spot on and this is where the government must be in the driving seat as a strong regulator if it is going ahead. They’ll need to enforce transparency about energy and water use and set standards for sustainability in AI development.They must also demand any companies proposing to profit from AI in any way should invest in technologies and practices that offset their environmental impact, such as carbon capture or water recycling initiatives. Thirdly, they must ensure that it aligns with human rights principles, including fair access to its benefits and respect for environmental sustainability. You might argue that all economic activity and indurstry has an enviromental impact. Data centres consume a lot of energy and water, but their physical footprint is much smaller than factories, and they don’t generate hazardous materials at the same scale.
Neptune in Aries also has the potential to steer us toward a future where technology and sustainability coexist – IF it’s developed with thoughtful, holistic leadership.
Thank you also for your points in the other thread about Harold Wilson not quite living up to his hype from his “white heat of technology” speech. I think perhaps the difference may be that Wilson focussed on big prestigious projects, and the lesson learned here from those Virgo transits was practicality and the difference to the lives of everyday, working people – a threshold that perhaps wasn’t met. It is interesting to compare now with the 1960’s as there was that Pluto/Uranus conjunction which has a similar energy to Pluto in Aquarius. Uranus certainly sped things up like travel iwth commercial hovercraft and concorde, but how much these improved most people’s live is probably neglible. Ditto space exploration, I suppose. But these big projects sound great in a speech before reality hits, easy to sell.
AI projects are not so easy to sell. People are suspicious and worried. They dont have quite the same prestige as big single flagship projects, they are more systemic in the improvements they make. If you took away the fear for a moment and told people that it is investing in systemic and broadly applicable technologies rather than risky, high-profile projects, they would probably be very up for it. If Starmer focusses on systemic changes and scalable innovations – like AI-enabled healthcare, green energy grids, and smart education tools – rather than prestige projects. It’s almost like he’s going back to that Pluto/Uranus in Virgo time and doing it in that way. These are more likely to deliver widespread economic and social benefits.
Please forgive typos, speed typing on a tiny keyboard…
thanks Tara. Yes, I do hope scalable innovations are the focus, rather than anything more gung-ho and shouty! Medical AI can be brilliant I know. The whole thing needs much care and thought, neither of which make for particularly glamorous headline material. Starmer could learn from that “white heat of technology” moment in our history, and astrologically he may resonate with that era quite strongly.
Thanks for the explanation Tara. To put the subject of cost into proportion – we spend over £13 BILLION a year (and rising) on treating Type 2 Diabetes. Govt. Statistics say 90% of sufferers are overweight.
Mushroom govts r wrecking havoc globally…mushrooms seems are going to become symbol of tyranny n avarice…how anti climax…something which was promoted for working classes has suddenly become favorite of greedy.
Indian PM goes on whispering in his favorite crony capitalists ears to end all businesses and put all into water …so now even water is going to b dearer and with parched excessively concrete jungle kind India…this seems apocalyptic…
People who themselves didn’t make a single penny are ones ruling as politicians and that is sad.
California fires also are said to have roots into excessive almonds and pistachio farming by a billionaire couple as both these are water guzzlers..
Water n ww3…hope the joke doesn’t come true
No chance at all with the UK energy prices-AI needs vast amounts of energy and clean water-both in very short supply in UK so 0% chance. It’s all bla bla nothing more…as usual. Beats feeding people to the lions-just.
I’m a total ignoramus about AI but, looking on the internet, I note that seawater is being used as a coolant for data centre operations in America with success. I don’t believe we have investigated the use of wave-power for generating electricity to any great extent – a shame – but coastline is something the U.K. has plenty of!
I am as well and about wind power – but from a stance of no knowledge I have never understood why harnessing the power of the ocean has not been better researched. The power of the Atlantic off the north of Scotland could run an electricity grid for all of Europe
I think one factor is the expense of getting the electricity from remote locations to where it’s needed! But wave power is guaranteed – and the sun and wind are not!
Very briefly, from what I recall, the challenges of using tidal energy are the huge cost of the infrastructure and big ongoing maintenance; the corrosive nature of seawater, and ecological impact. There are other forms of wave energy being developed but costs remain prohibitive right now.
It’s not impossible for data centre cooling, it has been used elsewhere, but a lot of special coatings, pumps and maintenance are required to deal with algae and corrosion etc.
More here https://www.energymonitor.ai/tech/renewables/the-mystery-of-the-uks-untapped-tidal-power/#?cf-view
The ecological impacts of massive hydroelectric dams / barrages such as the Severn are catastrophic for multiple river systems. However other technology is possible that is less damaging (arguably less attractive for major developers though, as you can’t put a road on top of them).
Every technological advancement has always been met with a mix of excitement and apprehension. AI is no exception.
Once we start adopting, we will be able to improve over time.
It is better to be open minded about the potential benefits.
There is lot of hype about the benefits and pitfalls of AI in the media. Ultimately, it is about how we use them.
Vedic astrology predicts huge strides in health care and technology in the coming years.