Economy

Have you heard that ice cream causes murder or that global warming has led to an increase in piracy? Apparently in Maine, consuming more margarine leads to more divorces, while increased US spending on science, space and technology results in increases in suicides by hanging, strangulation and suffocation.  Actually, these …

Putting a positive gloss on the news is especially important as we attempt to recover from a pandemic.  And if that positive gloss is green in colour, so much the better. And so yesterday we were treated to the news that: “More electric vehicles were registered than diesel cars for …

The increase in oil prices is filtering through to consumers according to the BBC: “Petrol prices have reached an eight-year high after nine straight months of rises… the average price of a litre of petrol is now 135.13p, a level not seen since September 2013, as rising oil prices push …

Unlike the majority of European states, the UK is much more dependent upon occupational and private pensions... which is fine on an infinite planet where a growth rate of five percent or more can continue forever.  Unfortunately, that is not the planet we live on.  And much of the supposed wealth locked up in pension funds was used to keep the global economy from collapsing after the 2008 crash.

A little over a year ago, there was a meme circulating on social media that went something like this: Replace ‘The Economy,’ with ‘rich people’s yacht money:’  How can we respond to Covid without damaging rich people’s yacht money?  How can we respond to climate change without damaging rich people’s …

Inflation is back in the establishment media headlines, as prices are rising across the economy.  But rather like generals fighting the last war, business and economic journalists are dusting off models of inflation last used in the early 1980s.  The idea, for example, that “inflation is always a monetary phenomenon” …

Yesterday I wrote about the way a lack of short-term stability was impacting the economy.  Because of the lack of a defined end state for the pandemic and as a result of the ongoing threat of further government lockdowns and restrictions, businesses cannot make investment decisions and households cannot decide …

Fifteen months ago, those of us who cautioned against a blind rush to lockdown the economy were accused of “putting profits ahead of people’s lives” (I am in the at-risk, “shielding group” by the way). Today, the early manifestation of the economic crisis we warned about is appearing in the …

A year ago, with the jet stream firmly to the north of us, the future looked bright.  Lockdowns had an “off school early” feel to them, as millions of non-essential workers were sent home either to work via the internet or to spend their days binge-watching Netflix.  Just the fact …

Back at the beginning of the pandemic, anyone who cautioned against a widespread lockdown was accused of putting corporate profits ahead of human lives.  And in the UK at least, public support for lockdowns as a means of safeguarding the vulnerable has remained solid to this day.  Nevertheless, and despite …