It was a moment of pure pleasure to be joined in the LBC tent on College Green yesterday by Caroline Lucas MP, co-leader of the Green Party.
Caroline suggested the Autumn Statement missed three issues. The first was climate change. The second was what to do about this locally. And third the fact that tackling this issue would deliver economic transformation for the UK.
I made clear I had co-authored with Carioline and then joined in, mentioning the need for flood defences, that innovative finance (Green Infrastructure ISAs, local pensions using local bonds and, of course, Green QE) could be used to fund this.
It was great to actually put ideas on the table. If only someone was listening because right now however much Philip Hammond spends on R&D he won't get near ideas as good as these.
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I’m listening fwiw.
Seems to me the Labour Party should start listening again.
In terms of winning an election whoever is going to implement Green QE (other than the Tories) needs to be as crafty and strategic as the Tories in terms of electioneering.
By that I mean they need to strategically aim policies that will achieve these ends whilst hurting the Tories, e.g.:
i) Lack of investment in Flood defences is a very sore subject in many rural Tory heartlands (e.g. just ask Councillors at places like Surrey). Therefore big investment and a real strategic plan for tackling flooding would be a vote winner in those places.
ii) Ban on fracking – again – this is a sore subject in many rural Tory heartlands and would be a vote winner I feel. I don’t see any particular support for fracking from anywhere except big business.
iii) Investment in local communities – again – sustainable investment in local communities would be a vote winner in many blue constituencies – things like local transport schemes, more investment in high speed broadband, money available for community schemes.
These are the types of things Labour/Lib Dems/Greens/whoever need to start strategising about if they are going to win an election. It is there for the taking. That along with targeting pro-youth policies and they can start to carve apart Tory support. You have to just offer something for all.
Agreed
I agree with John F and Benzo.
On flood defences, Corbyn was spot on in his letter to David Cameron back in January:
“The National Audit Office has estimated that for every £1 spent on flood defence, at least £8 is saved elsewhere. As we face billions of pounds worth of flood damage, we can now tangibly see the effects of the false economy that is your government’s austerity”
This is the sort of messaging (austerity = false economy) that must be repeated ad infinitum, while at the same time teaching the electorate that public spending is often self-funding by increasing growth, improving productivity, or making savings elsewhere. Tangible examples like the above, which are convincing, must always be provided.
I hesitate to add that exploiting the anti-welfare and anti-immigration sentiment could gain additional support for housing policies (lower rents = lower housing benefit bill) and education investment (more skilled UK workers = less reliance on and competitiveness of migrant workers).
The word ‘potential’ should be used. We have huge potential, and it’s being wasted by false economists.
The NHS and Social Care are also going to fall apart without additional investment. The STPs coming into the public domain now are not going to make many people happy- lots of beds/ community hospitals shutting / services being moved to a bigger hospital etc. Not sure quite how to spin this re economy but it is unlikely to enhance the publics view of the Tories.
All the posts make great points. There is so much to be done and no will to do it.
I can’t recall living in such a moribund, divided country – it’s even worse than just after Thatcher’s abortive experiment with full on neo-liberalism in the early 80’s.
At least Thatcher had an excuse because those ideas were new and gaining ground. And at least the Tories then tried to at least use money for regeneration and stuff like that to try to paper over the cracks they had caused – at least they looked as though they felt responsible!
But this new lot of Tories have taken laissez-faire to new levels of indifference and given that neo-liberalism has had a enough time to prove itself (and failed) this bunch of Tories have no excuses – they are well on their way beyond redemption in my view.
And then you look at the Labour party………………….talk about missing an open goal.
Re: Basic Income
By chance yesterday evening I heard Richard Murphy on LBC give an excellent introduction on the Basic Income which as far as I understand it may be trialled in Scotland. This is a very important concept (along with Green QE). But it is only the beginning towards a far more advanced economic system known as Transfinancial Economics which is still in the process of development. Also, right at the beginning of the LBC interview he made it plain that he was not a member of the Labour Party.
Unfortunately, at present I cannot find a link to the above LBC interview…
Thanks for the comment
I have to admit that I felt I did that one quite well (I do not always feel that way after an interview) and that the LBC interviewer was booth good, interested and intent on providing a fair hearing