Mariana Mazzucato is a name to strike fear in the heart of anyone slightly shaky in their masculinity or grasp of the figures. You are snoozing through Newsnight as usual, then wham! This economics professor comes on to a panel debate and casually argues to the death with Evan Davis and any other hapless economist.
It is clear that Britain does not build women like Mazzucato. In terms of her looks, she is a dead ringer for Sandra Bernhard, with a tinge of Katharine Hepburn. Her American-accented voice is deep and loud, her speech rapid-fire. But her pugilistic streak probably comes from her Italian heritage. As soon as Mazzucato begins to rip pinstripe from pinstripe, social media lights up. It’s a prize fight. In the