This is the next in Ryan Chapman's series on the impact of austerity, the time with my friend, the great Steve Keen, as the featured economist:
SUB: Austerity Britain pt.2 - 'Education'
Austerity Britain is a series of short films challenging the claim that "we're all in this together" and exposing the 'culture of cuts' as a counter-productive ideological obsession.Part two focusses on education, where austerity translates into devastating cuts to school funding and the closure of children’s centres.https://wheredoivote.co.uk
Posted by SUB Productions on Mittwoch, 7. Juni 2017
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It seems such an obvious and simple ‘policy’ to understand, doesn’t it? Austerity means … erm … austerity. You don’t have to be an economist to get it. For anyone who doesn’t actually know the meaning of the word all they have to do is Google it. Austerity is not just a bad idea it’s a dangerous one too – http://ideas.time.com/2013/04/18/why-austerity-is-a-dangerous-idea. So why do people – including the more vulnerable – fall for it in sufficient numbers to deliver 5 more years of it? That’s got to be yet another definition of insanity. They can’t all be masochists.
PS – According to RT, current feed-back from the battleground is not looking good: https://www.rt.com/uk/391234-labour-votes-general-election. Must view the Fred Astaire video again to lift my spirits.
I have to say that I do not think RT a reliable source
Steve Keen appears on RT frequently – I don’t personally consider RT any more unreliable than say Al Jazeera (Qatari petroleum funded). With all stations you have to take agendas into account. RT gives air time to many heterodox economists (Michael Hudson, Keen, Werner for example) does the BBC? Yet you are happy to pay the license.
Their decisions are their own
But I do not trust Putin more than the BBC
But I do not trust Putin more than the BBC
I totally agree but that doesn’t mean there aren’t useful and informative interviews and documentaries. If you compare Al Jazeera with RT News the different agendas become quickly apparent.
Actually, in terms of reliability I would ultimately go for ‘The Real News Network’ and ‘Democracy Now.’
“obvious and simple ‘policy’ to understand”
This is quite good at explaining why (so many ) people do not get “obvious & simple”
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/believe
I could mention quantum mechanics, wave functions etc – most people cannot believe that “things can be that way” – despite using devices which depend on QM. It is likely in the case of economics & “how the world works” that much of the UK population is irredeemable – not stupid – but just not inquisitive enough to look beyond the stupidities in most of the national newspapers. Pity, but that is what happens when you have a press like the UKs, it grooms the population.
Agreed. Like all government sponsored media it has its own agenda. But sometimes it offers a different and helpful commentary on international events. In this instance I only posted the link because it reflects my personal non-factual, intuitive feeling that, in spite of some favourable polling data, it’s not going to be a good night for Labour. A lethal cocktail of UKIP, Brexit, immigration, terrorism, Diane Abbott, today’s DM, the Sun and the rain (lol), and not least the constituency boundaries, will be enough to give Theresa May significantly more than a working majority, even though it will fall well short of the landslide she had hoped for. Osho said “Be realistic; plan for a miracle”. So that’s what I’ll be doing!
Unfortunately, it seems the Tories are seeming very confident today.
Damian Green hinting that they expect to win seats in traditional Labour areas such as the North East which are very much pro-Brexit.
Wouldn’t surprise me, truth be told. It would yet another case of Turkeys voting for Christmas but we’ve seen plenty of this in pretty much ever major vote in recent years.
This being the case, I wonder how these people will feel in a few years time when the economy has been hammered by a combination of Tory incompetence in government and the fallout following Brexit? They’ll probably double-down on blaming the EU and remainers for some incoherent reason or other.
I’ve been fighting the good fight on a football forum I visit, pointing out the utter nonsense emitted by the Tories, how devious and incompetent they are and so forth, but most of the people replying seem to have bought every attack line the Tories and their media have thrown against Corbyn and think he’s some sort of terrorist-supporting fifth columnist aiming to bankrupt the country. I’ve found it particularly difficult to get some people to understand what a shoot to kill policy actually is – most of them are absolutely certain that Corbyn wouldn’t want police to shoot terrorists during an attack!
Oddly enough, when I’ve tried to explain the economics, nobody has attempted to provide a rebuttal and the data is mostly incontrovertable, yet most still seem to think Labour would bankrupt the country.
I suppose you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink. It’s all well and good providing evidence but it’s not easy to change how somebody ‘feels’ even if the truth is on your side.
If RT is correct, it’s time to take to the streets!
I agree with every word you’ve written. I’ve been doing my best to challenge accepted views, but it’s almost impossible. Challenging myths is likely to lead to accusations of “looking down on people” or “not respecting democracy” (ie not accepting other people’s views even if they’re downright lies). I’ve been called a leftie, hard left or a trot! Ahem! I don’t think so!
I’ve been watching John Harris’ voxpop interviews in the Guardian and could cry at the silly stuff some people come out with.
How do you get round being considered elite? When did this argument start?
“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”
Winston Churchill
“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.”
Winston Churchill
I am glad that Keen is a friend of yours!
I think Keen is wearing his Minsky influenced ‘Stability is Destabilising’ T-Shirt -he likes his t-shirts to be a bit unusual.
Does your re-found enthusiasm for Mr Corbyn extend to Mr McDonnell? I seem to recall you were scathing of his policies. Have his policies changed? Or have your views?
Thanks
John has a path still to travel n economic policy
But I am more open minded than I was
Mariner,
I read about that also. What do you expect Green to say? Both sides have to put a brave face on it whatever.
I live in, ‘leafy,’ Cheshire and this evening have come across two Tory voters who will not be voting Tory tomorrow. I know it’s only two; but it’s a start!
I should mention, John, I live just next to an east coast fishing port which has long been a Labour heartland. Given my moniker on this forum, it wouldn’t take Poirot to work out which one!
From my travails on that particular football forum, I think it highly possible that the Tories could win here because people bought so many of the UKIP claims hook, line and sinker and I think pretty much every Kipper will transfer their vote to the Tories because of it.
For such a poor area, this is utter madness from my perspective, but people have their utterly incorrect views and don’t want to stick by them.
My local constituency is traditionally Tory (though it was New Labour) and I have absolutely no doubt it will remain so. Myself and my sisters have had disagreements with our parents about politics (same constituency) as we are certain they will vote Tory this time (and almost certainly did last time and in 2010 as well) and they have basically put their fingers in their ears, not wishing to hear what we say. Traditionally from Labour families but reasonably well-off now. My father, a former accountant, in particular will not listen to me about economics because he thinks he has an understanding of the facts. Even though he doesn’t apparently understand the workings of a fiat currency and has no interest in learning about macroeconomics. My mother has claimed that I am being arrogant and not respecting her views when I attempt to tell them facts that they won’t pick up from the Daily Mail! Maddening behaviour as far as we are concerned, as you may imagine!
I can imagine…
Sorry forgot to mention that this change of habit is entirely down to St Theresa’s​ appalling campaign performance. Even some of them have noted how bad she has been.
But would they go back to the Tories if they’d run a slicker campaign with a more polished leader? It sounds as though they don’t understand the flaws in the ideology. Somehow or other Steve Keen’s message needs to replace No Magic Money Tree as the new orthodoxy. I think that’s key. People can think for themselves of examples they know from personal experience (schools, NHS, children’s centres etc) where more resources are needed and challenge those who claim there’s no money. No matter how many times people read about foodbanks and benefit cuts, etc, they just shrug them off if they’re not affected directly, claiming they care but there’s nothing they can do, because there’s no money.
Re the aims of President Putin. What sort of president would sit complacently twiddling his thumbs as his beloved country which lost 45,000,000 less than a century previous, while NATO/America steadily ringed and encroached onto his very border with missile systems meant to disable any Russian retaliatory efforts?
Who can be blamed for his risky Crimean response which was a lot more effective than Kruschev’s banging the desk at the UN with one of his shoes. We allow America to dictate our policies to our shame and to our peril.
Ooh! Just been reading the letters in our local freebie newspaper. TaxResearch has been mentioned in a letter about unpaid tax. The message is getting out!
Yay!
Thanks
Well, my wife’s school had an election and Labour won an absolute landslide. Only problem is that although it’s a secondary school, it doesn’t have a sixth form so none of them are older than 16!