September 20, 2011 – 5:26 pm by Sue
The Vickers Banking Commission Report – 12 Sept 2011 – completely ignores the most fundamental problem with the modern banking system – the fact that 97% of the money in circulation in the UK is created as mere numbers on computers when banks make ‘loans’. The most shocking aspect of this abhorrent fact is that [...]
August 6, 2011 – 1:50 pm by Tony Weekes
Well, some do … but not the ones who shape public opinion or provide advice to the governments and the financial services sector. Browsing – and quoting selectively from a posting on the BBC’s website (www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-14424773) – I find the following extraordinary statements: “The demand side of the UK economy has collapsed totally,” said Northern [...]
June 18, 2011 – 5:52 pm by Tony Weekes
I made a posting on 24 February (entitled The Movie “Inside Job”) which said that the version on a UK compatible DVD would be released on 8 March. It was not, in fact, available until earlier this month (June 2011). The earlier date refers to an offer from one retailer who would take prepublication orders at a [...]
June 16, 2011 – 6:34 pm by Tony Weekes
I returned home this afternoon to find an e-mail with a question from a friend who is the director of an environmental NGO. He wishes to respond to a “consultative paper” on whether Northern Ireland should be allowed to set its own rate of corporation tax. The standard argument – now firmly part of the [...]
June 12, 2011 – 9:49 am by Tony Weekes
The following – which I came across while searching for something else – are selective quotes from an essay by J M Keynes entitled National Self-Sufficiency (1933). I recommend the whole article, which can be found at http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/interwar/keynes.htm. “The nineteenth century carried to extravagant lengths the criterion of what one can call for short ‘the [...]
June 6, 2011 – 11:41 am by Tony Weekes
This is the title of a thoughtful paper by the American economist Julie Nelson. It is available for free from the website of the Global Development and Environment Institute (GDAE) at Tufts University (Massachusetts): http://www.ase.tufts.edu/gdae/Pubs/wp/11-02EthicsandEconomists.pdf. It’s well written, but needs to be taken slowly. More GDAE papers – including others from Julie Nelson – can be [...]
May 31, 2011 – 5:17 pm by Tony Weekes
An article in last Saturday’s (28 May 2011) Irish Times newspaper No light at end of the tunnel for Greece means dark clouds on Ireland’s horizon presents a discussion of the economic problems of Greece – with some speculation as to what might be in store for the Irish Republic. The views attributed to the [...]
May 25, 2011 – 11:34 am by Tony Weekes
A few days ago, I attended a presentation which took this as its title and theme. We were addressed by a senior politician from the UK government, and by civil servants charged with policy advice and implementation. It was truly appalling! ‘Economic growth’ driven by ‘inward investment’ would solve all the problems. A bigger financial [...]
April 12, 2011 – 11:01 am by Tony Weekes
The IBC issued an interim report on 11 April. It is a disappointment for many of us who are hoping for a move away from a “casino financial industry” to what we need for the times we are in. A short critical discussion in video format can be found at http://www.positivemoney.org.uk/2011/04/independent-commission-on-banking-reports-back/
March 31, 2011 – 12:57 pm by Tony Weekes
Tagged green
One of the points which we all must grasp is that “the economy” and “economics” – the ‘lens’ through which we judge success and failure – are, to a great extent, human constructions. We have entrusted the development and maintenance of this lens (the more commonly used word is paradigm) to a group of people [...]
