Info, news & debate
Economy
Mutual credit and economic crashes: interview with Laurence Anderson of Tradeswap, Australia
Today I’m interviewing Laurence Anderson of Tradeswap – a mutual credit network in Australia. I’m very interested in what you’re up to Laurence, because as you know, a group of us are trying to set up mutual credit networks in the UK, with a view to building a global credit commons.
Naresh Giangrande, co-founder of Transition Network: the future for local economies, Part 2
This is a continuation of an interview with Naresh Giangrande, co-founder of Transition Totnes and the Transition Network, on the future for local economies post-covid. Part 1 is here.
How can people keep working if the economy crashes and there’s just no money around?
Imagine that there’s an enormous economic crash coming. Say, the biggest economic crash in history. Outlandish, I know, but just give it a try.
How accountants can use mutual credit to support small businesses during the post-covid slump
Are you an accountant? Do you have an accountant? Do you know an accountant? If you could bring this article to their attention, we think they might find it interesting – it’s an idea that can be very useful for accountants, to help keep their small business clients afloat during the post-covid economic slump.
Trying to make a living on an organic smallholding: Paul Jennings, ‘One-Planet’ smallholder
This is part 2 of an interview with Paul Jennings, who has built his own straw-bale house and lives with his family on a smallholding in Carmarthenshire in Wales. They were able to build their house via the One Planet Development (OPD) policy in Wales. Here’s part 1 of the interview.
Water For Rojava international solidarity fund
Dave Darby shares news of a crowdfunding campaign launched by the Solidarity Economy Association to rebuild vital water infrastructure in North and East Syria.
Chris Cook’s tour of the oil markets: from Nixon to Trump
Today I’m talking with Chris Cook, who designed and built the Iranian Oil Bourse (see Wikipedia for a timeline of the events Chris describes), which could help move the world away from the petrodollar. We’ll be talking more about that later.
Community wealth building & mutual credit: a match made in heaven?
This is the third in a series of articles about community wealth building and mutual credit, by Dave Darby and Dil Green of Lowimpact.org and the Open Credit Network.
Mutual credit – a lifeline for small businesses
This post follows on from yesterday’s, about community wealth building. Tomorrow, Dil Green explains how community wealth building and mutual credit could be a match made in heaven.
‘The Case for Community Wealth Building’: review
This is the first of three articles in three days about ‘community wealth building’ (CWB) and mutual credit. Today we’re explaining community wealth building, and reviewing a book: The Case for Community Wealth Building. Tomorrow we’ll blog about how mutual credit can help post-Covid communities, and on Monday, Dil Green continues the theme, explaining how …
Interview with Brian Czech: the impossibility of a perpetually-growing economy
Today I’m talking with Brian Czech, the president of CASSE (Centre for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy). He served in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from 1999-2017, and as a visiting professor of natural resource economics in Virginia Tech’s National Capitol Region. He is the author of Supply Shock, Shoveling Fuel for …
Our policy on keeping animals & eating meat
Our topics include vegetarianism and veganism, but also keeping animals (for meat, dairy, eggs, honey, wool, leather, work etc); and also fishing and hunting animals in the wild. Is this incongruous? As a sustainability / new economy organisation, should we be promoting only veganism, rather than the keeping and/or eating of animals?
Naresh Giangrande, co-founder of Transition Network: the future for local economies, Part 1
This is part 1 of an interview with Naresh Giangrande, co-founder of Transition Totnes and the Transition Network. Part 2 is here.
How small farms offer big solutions as global issues turn focus to home
With just under three weeks left until the Ecological Land Cooperative 202 community share offer closes, Lauren Simpson shares an update on progress so far, complete with a new film.
The alternative to the current money system: Tim Jenkin, Matthew Slater & Dil Green
Here I interview Tim Jenkin, Matthew Slater and Dil Green (and Keith the cat, briefly, until he got bored – see video) about the money system, the problems it causes and what could replace it. Fascinating insights from three people who have spent an enormous amount of time thinking about the money system.
Post-covid: ‘getting back to normal’ is suicidal – here’s the alternative
“For those who dream of a return to “normalcy”: normalcy was standing on the tracks watching an oncoming train & arguing about how fast it was going. Something just banged into us & sent us sprawling. It hurt. A lot. Now let’s get up, but NOT get back on the tracks again.” – David Graeber
Post-covid: ‘getting back to normal’ is not just a bad idea – it’s suicidal
There’s been a lot of talk about ‘thanking’ coronavirus for giving us the breathing space to re-evaluate, and for giving nature some breathing space too. This isn’t one of those articles. I don’t find it compassionate to thank a virus that’s killing thousands of people, and closing millions of small businesses, allowing Amazon to hoover …
Keeping small businesses alive during the coronavirus / economic crisis
The coronavirus crisis is causing an economic crash that will only get worse. Research has indicated that a shortage of money will mean that up to a million UK small businesses may close in the coming months. To prevent the devastation of small businesses, and therefore our communities, there needs to be an alternative means …
Surviving the Future: an online course for our times
Our friend Shaun Chamberlin of Dark Optimism shares news of Surviving the Future: conversations for our time, an eight week online gathering which he will be co-facilitating on behalf of Sterling College, starting on Monday 6th April.
Building the new economy: how to keep local economies trading in the economic slump caused by the coronavirus
This is the last of six articles this week about how we can keep local economies afloat during the coming economic slump. There is already a scarcity of money, as the coronavirus crisis forces businesses to lay off workers, and sole traders to give up. But it will get much worse. How can we keep …