August 23, 2010 – 12:43 pm by Tony Weekes
Three events in the autumn of 2009 gave me some hope that Friends were prepared to look at causes as well as symptoms. I have in mind the two meetings on the theme of Zero Growth (at Friends House, 26 September and at Woodbrooke in late October), and the launch of Quakernomics.
It will already be [...]
June 24, 2010 – 9:19 am by Tony Weekes
… to establish an informal Quaker Economics Group.
“Quakernomics” was launched around the time of the first Woodbrooke/QPSW “No Growth Economy” meetings (at Friends House, 26 September 2009) It began well and has had (at the date of this posting) over 5000 visits. But has never really fulfilled what some of us hoped it would become: [...]
June 20, 2010 – 8:03 pm by Tony Weekes
… but, reading this morning’s newspapers, it seems that ‘reducing the budget deficit’ has now replaced ‘restoring economic growth’ as the principle (if not the only) objective of public policy.
One problem is that I do not think that the measures proposed by our Chancellor can achieve the objective he desires. The present system (it hardly [...]
June 9, 2010 – 10:31 am by Tony Weekes
Tagged sustainability
On the wall of my mother’s bedroom were the words of the serenity prayer: “God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change and the courage to change the things I can….”
As our political leaders ignore the serious proposals for a new economics and a new economy – wheeling out, once again, [...]
May 18, 2010 – 11:33 am by Tony Weekes
Two items catch my eye from browsing the internet this morning (18 May). One from the Guardian: Graeme Wearden, in an article entitled Inflation hits 3.7% in April, quotes an economist with a City finance house, who argues that “ … recent fiscal and monetary policy means it is inevitable that the UK will suffer [...]
May 4, 2010 – 11:18 am by Tony Weekes
I am somewhat embarrassed to find myself on my soap-box once more. But – as I have said many times – the trivial nature of the public debate leaves me in some despair.
The government borrowing requirement – caused by the shortfall between revenue and expenditure – has ‘put money’ into the economy. That money has [...]
April 26, 2010 – 9:02 pm by cyn
At last this last week we got a vague glimpse of the ‘elephant in the room’ whose overpowering influence we have all felt for the last how many years, though it remained unnamed - the IMF! And on the same day as the IMF announced they were proposing taxes on banks – just like they decided more [...]
April 26, 2010 – 9:19 am by Flying Stag
In this contribution, I refer in particular to the posting by Dave Milner on 9-2-2010 on the thread ‘Zero Growth Economy – A New Paradigm’.
The recent Channel 4 series “Beautiful Minds” has brilliantly demonstrated the value of original thought which spans the boundaries of the recognised academic disciplines, and which indeed does not acknowledge that [...]
April 16, 2010 – 6:05 pm by Tony Weekes
“… to avoid a ‘double-dip’ recession”. Not – notice! – to start to take action on resource depletion, climate change, poverty …
I couldn’t bear to watch the much vaunted televised “leaders’ debate”, but I have read the newspaper reports. There appears to have been no new ideas, just the same old stuff about “getting the [...]
April 13, 2010 – 1:32 pm by Tony Weekes
Tagged climate
… with a temperate climate; occasional storms and flooding, cold winters, periods of drought – but nothing really devastating. There is the capability to grow crops which provide food and fuel.
There is a small disaffected minority, but generally people are prepared to contribute to the common good. There is a diversity of skills and standards [...]
