This is straightforward Labour Party evangalism, for which I perhaps ought to apologise, but I (and I reckon that many of our readers might well) agree absolutely. It is a counteraction to the untruthful Tory idea that immigrants are a problem, when in fact immigrants are invariably younger and more active than most and do… Read more
Category:
Economics
Economics Theory
Labour is showing that the economy comes second to the planet
The recent John McDonnell speech in Liverpool, on ‘Borrowing to invest’ suggesting City financiers can no longer prescribe government financial terms seems to be Labour really setting out who is in charge: The days of the City dictating the terms to the rest of the country are over. The finance sector will be brought in… Read more
The household fallacy
It’s election time and the household fallacy is back in vogue. On Radio 4s “Any Questions” this week a lady asked (more eloquently then my version, go to 14.45 minutes in), how are we supposed to teach our children about counting their pennies when politicians are promising to spend on this, that, and t’other? The… Read more
Bullsh*t bureaucracies
There is an interesting short video below where David Graeber’s ‘Bullshit Jobs‘ and the NHS meet. What I take from it is that whilst bureaucracy helps to separate power and responsibility, it is the preserve of educated middle classes (so called) who feel decidedly uncomfortable in their bullsh*t jobs. But of course, paying them off… Read more
Billionaires don’t add up
I have encountered an article from the Daily Express and I don’t often link to them – this is, I’m fairly certain, a first – discussing Emma Barnett’s Radio 5 programme, in which the Labour MP for Brighton Kemp Town, Lloyd Russel-Moyle, suggested that there should not be any billionaires in Britain. Shock, horror and… Read more
A government can never ‘over’spend…
Spending is literally what governments are for. Governments may not tax back sufficient of their expenditure to prevent inflation, but the level of inflation is a democratic choice. It cannot be ‘over’spending for exactly that reason. I thought the explanation (below -just over two minutes) of how the BBC has, helped, over the last decade,… Read more
Social housing developments
One might have thought housing was a human right. Yet it appears that under Tory Austerity Britain those who are homeless are worthy simply of variable compassion – rather than a severe look at our economic system. Nevertheless, finally, many councils have woken up to ‘other financial channels’, rather than being slavishly directed by government… Read more
Harnessing the power of the Post Office
I’m well aware of the alleged recent increase in wealth but it seems to be overwhelmingly and generally concentrated only in the top 1%. Yet with the recent demise of another payday lender, QuickQuid, shouldn’t we be trying to increase the power of all that 99% of the poor? Of course to suggest that wealth… Read more
Time to realise that the EU doesn’t need us
Tony Blair was last night speaking, very sensibly I thought, on the ‘Westminster Hour’ on Radio 4. He said the more and more he thought about Brexit the worse it actually got. That opinion resonated loudly with me. After pointing out that if Parliament prevents the UK government leaving without any deal in the sense… Read more
Libra is not so free
It seems that Facebook’s intentions have been unwittingly exposed in this article. Zuckerberg cautioned that the U.S. might lose its “financial leadership” on the world stage if Libra is not allowed to launch, noting that “China is moving quickly to launch similar ideas in the coming months.” Of course China – or at least its government… Read more