This is a word that Labour Party members often seem to use as a substitute for goodbye – or even hi! Quite why I don’t understand. But I wish they wouldn’t… It is certainly true that we need more solidarity in our communities – but in English it is unusual for an abstract noun to… Read more
Wrong number…
I’m a sometimes friend of Russ in Cheshire… He’s written an excellent speech that Boris Johnson (linked again here) should have given. And yet the Prime Minister and his Civil Servants haven’t. I’m sure the Civil Servants are capable of writing a better speech than Johnson gave – but they do need ministerial approval. We… Read more
The right to work (or not)
I enjoyed this (below) which is apparently doing the rounds in the USA – though in the UK it is also, by all accounts, those hyper wealthy Tory backers who want the lockdown unlocked pronto: These wealthy Conservative backers have got, as a result of Johnson’s softening – or is it the Daily Telegraph’s hardening?… Read more
Practical problems for universal income
My recent encounters with the New Economics Foundation lectures lead me to highlight some more of the ideas of Eric Lonergan. For he is, unsurprisingly in the country’s current predicament, in favour of a monthly cash handout (as I understand it as long as the lockdown lasts) to everyone to ensure the economy doesn’t collapse… Read more
Different interest rates for different purposes
I have just attended what I suppose is called a ‘webinar’ by the New Economics Foundation. There was all the normal ‘lockdown’ stuff that will be familiar to all readers, though I did detect a striking interest in Direct Monetary Financing even if nobody seemed actually to overtly suggest it was the way forward. There… Read more
UBI trial finds money inhibits our resources
It has been given little recognition but Finland has issued its report on its Universal Basic Income (UBI) trial of 2017/18. Actually, given the results, it doesn’t matter that the the trials were, in my view somewhat flawed, and it was not randomised as you had to be unemployed to receive it. So in effect… Read more
An MP shows up a ‘no thought’ PM
I draw attention to this in case readers haven’t seen it. It seems to me to show up particularly effectively our current Prime Minister for the part-time dilettante that he is: My conclusions are that this is genuine, thoughtful and decent. Regrettably none of these, I suggest, could currently be said to reside at No… Read more
Local government has been sold down the river..
In spite of the Conservatives ‘levelling up’ there seems very little desire to reinvigorate local control. Indeed this current government seems positively in fear of local control- as would appear to be indicated by their loose rhetoric to ‘do whatever it takes’ yet all local government finds it difficult to get their rightful allocation of… Read more
Can government afford debts? Try credit creation
“All money is debt” says Ann Pettifor in an interesting talk with Paul Mason and Molly Scott-Cato, economists all, on XRTV. And yes the XR is the XR we know – and mostly love. I have to say I think Gail Bradbrook, even if she may not consider this her core skill, does a much… Read more
Future government austerity unlikeley
There is much anxiety on Tax Research UK about how austerity may be just around the corner and will be used by the Conservatives as a means for ‘payment’ of the current significant bail-outs to pretty much everyone. They just have it ingrained in them. Yes they probably do – even though Johnson has said… Read more
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