Andy Haldane gave a speech this morning. It’s co-authored with a couple new colleagues of his at the Bank of England (one a former tax lawyer, the other a physicist), and scores higher than average on the Haldane wonkiness scale. It’s about creating common data standards for financial instruments, not exactly the sexiest of possible topics (here’s a Bloomberg summary). But it contains most of the Haldane trademarks: a framework in economic theory, references to the latest in empirical research, grand historical sweep, and crystal-clear explanation. All that’s missing is the subversive element found in the best of Haldane’s work. Today he was endorsing an effort backed by the financial industry. Several times over the past couple years he has called into question the industry’s most basic philosophical and financial underpinnings. Which is an interesting thing for the executive director of financial stability at the Bank of England to be doing.