The stakes are high. No crocodile tears!

The stakes are very high. Climate change is accelerating, inequality is at historic levels, unemployment is rampant and many countries are bankrupt. The financial industry continues to teeter on the brink of collapse, threatening the entire global economy. And despite all this our political system has proved incapable of effecting the structural transformations necessary to bring about real change. The time is right for a new approach, a new progressive system and a new economy. Having more of the same failed medicine is clearly never going to work. We cannot simply shed crocodile tears.

The plan that I have consistently argued, begins with the recognition that a huge amount of people around the  country understand that the system is broken, and that we must work to replace it with something different. Many of these epeople are already campaigning through blogs and social networking and some are now beginning to work in their local communities to bring about change; whilst others campaign at meetings. Others are just waiting for an opportunity, which we must provide. My hope is to bring these people of all ages together with other progressive organisations to build a movement to propel us all towards a new economy. We can achieve a sustainable and fair economy and our blogs can act as a catalyst for change. We cannot continue in a state of denial- our future world and today’s environment is at stake.

Say No to Privatisation!

The government’s obsession with forcing competition in the NHS continues despite continuing opposition from all walks of life. Huge petitions have been organised and I am pleased the organisation I support helped in this process.

NHS clinical commissioners interim president Dr Michael Dixon, who helped draft the Health and Social Care Act, expressed dismay at section 75 regulations that will force competition in the NHS and give rights to private companies.

Dr Dixon warned GPs risk taking “their eye off the ball” and getting “bogged down” in whether or not they are being competitive.

Dr Dixon also pointed out that clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) may have to defend expensive legal claims from private companies for not having put services out to tender.

“It is going to make everyone watch their back and a whole industry of people who challenge things back and forth as to whether they have been sufficiently competitive or not, and opens the window to providers to challenge the CCGs,” he said.

A rethink of section 75 has now been announced, but we must all keep up the pressure on our politicians and Government to abandon these proposals in their entirety. Say no to privatisation and please continue to defend our very precious National Health Service. Please at least do your bit and sign a petition. We have little time. Thanks.

New danger zone!

World markets have entered a “new danger zone”, according to the president of the World Bank. Robert Zoellick,  investors had lost confidence in the economic leadership of several key countries.

“What’s happened in the past weeks is there is a convergence of some events in Europe and the United States that has led many market participants to lose confidence in economic leadership of some of the key countries,” Mr Zoellick said.

“I think those events combined with some of the other fragilities in the nature of recovery have pushed us into a new danger zone. I don’t say those words lightly.”

The eurozone faced more serious problems, he said, with a lot of member states “moving from drama to trauma”.  There are other major signs of a mounting housing crisis.  Further words of gloom and despondency, which unfortunately have been the common thread throughout this blog.  I have offered both a prognosis and a diagnosis to the current economic crisis and have tried to evaluate the current state of economics.  Urgent action is clearly now required within this societal system; but leadership, the required knowledge, or indeed the desire to radically change is sadly lacking. We continue to worship a unfettered market even thought it has abysmally failed and can only continue to fail.

For these reasons, I am concluding this blog and it’s posts to commence a fresh one offering a new economic zone.  Hope you have enjoyed at least some of the posts.  Thanks for the e-mails.                      Ivor Timson  MSc (Econ)

Banks and Bombs!

British banks, including the two that were bailed out by taxpayers, are investing hundreds of millions of pounds in companies that manufacture cluster bombs- despite a global ban outlawing the production and trade of these weapons.

The Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Lloyds TSB and HSBC have all funded makers of cluster bombs, even as international opinion opposes such a weapons system that routinely maims or kills civilians and children.

Oliver Sprague, an arms expert at Amnesty International, said: “High street banks like Royal Bank of Scotland are making a mockery of UK law by shamefully investing in companies that make weapons the UK Government and 108 other countries have clearly and quite rightly banned.”

Oh dear, it really would be good to post something positive about our society and the banks. So I am taking a month off, to search for some more cheerful news. Enjoy the rest of the summer.

Could no resist adding the following words about the UK’s recent disorder:

Making poor people poorer will not make them less likely to steal. Making them, or their families, homeless will not promote respect for the law. Trying to shut down the Internet in neighbourhoods would be a major violation of civil liberties and a threat to safety, denying vital information to residents.

Britain’s urban areas need urgent attention from the Cameron government, not just punishment. His government’s wrongheaded austerity policies have meant fewer public sector jobs and social services. Young people suffer an employment rate of twenty per cent. The poor are generally more dependent on government than the affluent, so they have been hit the hardest.
What Britain’s sputtering economy really needs is a major stimulus, not more budget cutting. Unfortunately, there is no sign that Mr. Cameron has figured this out or learnt anything from the past.

Fair play is a value we should retain and be proud off!