The schmoozer of Davos prepares to bare his teeth

In the week of the World Economic Forum Rani Singh talks to Angel Gurría, head of the OECD, who has sharp words on capitalist ‘schizophrenia’ and a coded warning for Gordon

‘Because of the miners’ strike we were all asked to have only one light bulb on. My wife and I had to take baths together in order to economise on heating the water and since then we’ve always taken baths together, for 35 years,’ booms Angel Gurría in a surprising aside, recalling Ted Heath’s premiership. The 57-year-old was then an MA Economics student at Leeds University. He is now secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Gurría’s brightly lit office is in a former Rothschild mansion in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. It is the eve of the annual Davos super-fest when the world’s most powerful political and economic leaders get together to mend the world and to network hard in a sleepy Swiss resort. Gurría is attending, along with the usual suspects: Condoleezza Rice, Tony Blair (holding hands no doubt with his new J.P. Morgan boss James Dimon), Hamid Karzai, Rupert Murdoch, Bill Gates, Pervez Musharraf and — of course — Bono. Gurría is addressing some pet subjects at Davos: fighting corruption, safe water, and financial risk — the last most timely in a week of crash and burn on the markets.

Angel Gurría is dynamic and charismatic in a Latin-American way, leaning in close to make a point, touching my arm frequently and making eye contact throughout the interview. He contradicts me when he wants and I have to interrupt him if his answer is too long. As finance minister to Mexico, he was nicknamed ‘Señor Scissorhands’ because he curbed spending and turned the economy around.