On that issue, the environment, Desai is a decided optimist.

"I very strongly believe the world will tackle green problems, for three reasons," he said. "One, behaviour will change and people will become more energy conscious. Two, prices will change, because of subsidies, cap and trade programmes, etc. Three, technology itself will change, and become more green-friendly."

Of his Marxist past, Desai is unapologetic, though his beliefs have been modified significantly over the years. He pointed to his experiences in the UK Labour Party as having helped him along this journey.

"In my case, it was three consecutive defeats for the Labour Party in the UK general elections (1979, 1983, 1987). I realised that the public was no longer listening to us, that there was a huge disconnect between our party and the public. There was something seriously wrong with Marxist principles. We needed to combine liberal economic reform with progressive social policy. That was the birth of the New Labour."

"You see the same sort of developments in China," he added. "After the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and that's what it was, a complete and utter collapse the Chinese Communists saw the flaws of the USSR's economic model. They also saw the success of Taiwan, this tiny little island that seemingly had no chance to prosper. The Chinese Communists are pragmatic politicians. They said: 'We'll not honour human rights, but we'll embrace capitalism.' So today what you have there is liberal economics mixed with illiberal governance."

Jokingly, he added, "I am the last Marxist. Everyone else is Leninist."