The Poverty of Brexit

My simple approach to the two economic systems are that neo-liberal economics is basically very rich people saying "make the country richer by making ourselves even richer and we will make sure that you get a little of our wealth" this is produced by a market economy and very few rules. Keynesian economics is saying "make the country richer by enriching everyone". This is produced by a mixed economy and higher taxation.

It would be interesting to hear from those that espouse the libertarian model of imposing a completely free market with minimal taxes as the most pragmatic way to govern, why the mixed economies of Sweden and the other Nordic countries work so well.

I think these economies - or some of them - might also answer some of the question about climate change and the global economy.

theconversation.com/why-the-uk-wont-get-a-better-trade-deal-with-china-outside-the-eu-90981

An interesting article about trade.
Rather than thinking about free and fair trade with China should we be thinking of copying them in order to alleviate poverty in this country?

Tegan2 :<Going off at a slight tangent here, but I've just been told that Question Time this week was from Uttoxeter, and the building was full of JCB's [Bamford being a great supporter of brexit, obviously because he must have such problems selling his diggers worldwide #idon'tthink]. Is it not wrong for a BBC programme to have blatant advertising for a company?>

Yes it is certainly wrong, and this is all over the Independent Media on-line.

One of the news reviewers on Sunday with Niall Paterson said the following;

... I also think there is something to recommend Jeremy Corbyn's strategy. It seems to me rather like very gently and slowly and delicately prising the fingers away from somebody clutching a grenade - which is the grenade of the hard, fundamentalist Brexit, for which there is no constituency. Not in parliament, and not in the population. I think this Labour position of very, very slowly, we can see over the past 18 months, of getting a transition on the table, getting a parliamentary vote on the table. All of this is with the help, of course, of others across parties. Conservatives have been involved in this as well and it now looks like they will be achieving something very similar over the customs union, again for which there is no constituency. Not in parliament and not in the population. Nobody wants the Brexit that you (ex UKIP) are advocating. .... that there is no constituency for the kind of freemarket, fundamentalist, race to the bottom that the ideologues are recommending

I couldn’t agree more with that post gg

t.co/s75rkXBt5c

At 1.35 onwards, Femi putting Farage in his place.

Thanks yggdrasil; I avoid QT like the plague these days even though I know I should watch it.

Oh won’t link did you hear it? Is it worth listening to bearing in mind Farage brings me out in spots?

Yes, it's worth listening to Femi not allowing Farage to browbeat him, particularly about the NHS.

t.co/QlVzf3qAEa

Femi twitter link to it, I hope.

"EU migrants make up 5% of our immigrants but 10% of our doctors, so they are literally keeping us alive."

www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/nigel-farage/heated-debate-nigel-farage-our-future-our-choice/

Link to LBC.

I agree with most of Femi's views but I'd rather he didn't just talk about the "under 55s". Plenty of us over 55s did vote Remain and still want the UK to stay in the EU, mostly for our children and grandchildren, but also for ourselves. Don't write us all off please, Femi.

I think it was because Farage kept calling him the voice of youth, as if Farage's experience is superior. I was waiting for the pat on the head.
Femi said he wasn't very pleased with his performance as he had a lot more to say to Farage, but was cut off.

Tom London

The latest joke doing the rounds in Brussels

The mafia make you an offer you can’t refuse
The British Government make you an offer you can’t understand.

This hopeless, miserable government doesn’t know what it wants.

I never say our government any more - it's just the government.
Depressing, isn't it?

Actually, I'm not bothered if Femi does say the under 55s. That's the group he is part of, Our Future, Our Choice.
It's my children and grandchildren he is giving a voice to.
My eldest son is 51, only just in. It's lucky the group did not choose 50 as the cut off.

Remainiacs posted

“Farage, Gove, all of them, they know it is all over and you can see it in their eyes. That is why Farage is talking up civil unrest”

Chris Patten on C4 News this evening.

You either have high access to the European market and high obligations, well reasonable obligations or you have lower access and lower obligations. What you can't have is high access and no obligations. It doesn't pass the laugh test. So if that's the proposal that's put I think it's going to be dead on arrival.

We needed to hear this said loud, clearly and frequently from the Conservatives a long time ago.

Whitewave I have not got an idea about what could be a third 'alternative 'besides Keynesianism and neoliberalism.
I had read the concepts before but Maizie's piece explained them to me in a way I could understand.
I told my son about this conversation and he thinks it's inevitable that another habitable planet will be colonised.

That doesn't pass the laugh test either.

My son has a disembodied voice called Alexa. She sounds like she's from another planet, too.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2018/02/24/why-mmt-a-discussion-with-warren-mosler/

A Q&A about modern monetary theory.

This are some areas to which the U.K. government has signed up to

pbs.twimg.com/media/DW8mrKnWsAAEQ-Y?format=jpg

Barry Gardner on radio 4 sounds like a Tory!!

He needs to get real.