Jeremy Corbyn has an article in The Times on climate change today in which he says (paywall):
To do that, we need a state that invests. We need an entrepreneurial, nimble state that neither wages war with markets nor bows in their presence, but shapes them. It is the rules set out by the state that allows markets to flourish.
I agree, entirely, as I do with this:
But governments should not be the only actors on the stage; they cannot achieve this world alone.
All of this must be driven by democracy in the production of energy, following Germany's lead, in which an energy market previously dominated by four big corporations has been transformed into one with two million citizen-suppliers. Democracy in developing energy jobs: three quarters of all jobs in Germany's energy transition are now involved in turning homes into “energy-zero buildings”.
That sounds like a call for a Green New Deal to me. Note least because it remains one of the most coherent strategies for a post 2008 economic narrative yet written.
Thanks for reading this post.
You can share this post on social media of your choice by clicking these icons:
You can subscribe to this blog's daily email here.
And if you would like to support this blog you can, here:
Is this article available some where other than behind Murdoch’s paywall? I’ve checked a few possible locations, but nothing. Perhaps Mr. Corbyn is reaching out to the climate sceptics, necocons and long-standing Tory supporters who subscribe to Murdoch’s organ of misinformation.
The sampler you’ve provided sounds wonderful, but Britain is not Germany.
I can’t risk using more
I understand the risk to which you are exposed and am grateful that you’ve flagged this up. I expect Labour and its leader are precluded from posting the article elsewhere until Murdoch considers he has extracted sufficient dosh. However, it is important for Labour to develop its policy on energy. Apart from the waffle produced for Jeremy Corbyn in his election campaign Labour has been largely silent since Ed Miliband proposed his energy price freeze to allow the market to be reset. The deliberately long-drawn out Competition and Market Authority’s energy investigation which is intended to ensure that small businesses and households will continue to be gouged by the energy suppliers rumbles on – and the outcome is likely to be a government and energy industry-pleasing fait accompli.
I think that Jeremy needs to deal with the PLP before he tries to do anything else to be honest.
I’d take the view that by introducing the best ideas and policies the PLP will sort out itself!
I’m afraid that I do not share your optimism on that one (unless you were making a joke or a sarcastic aside – and I’m happy with both BTW).
Everybody is talking about Corbyn and the behaviour of his backers. No-one seems too concerned with the blue Labour contingent who as far as I am concerned just want to hold onto their status within Parliament (even though they lost the election) and whom still think that the only way to beat the Tories is to copy them verbatim . In other words – increase and even release more market principles into the public sector/society and play with their RAF war planes.
But what stinks even more is that the membership voted Corbyn in and Blue Labour don’t seem to think that this is illegitimate. Arrogance – pure arrogance.
BTW – I’ve voted Green in the last 2 elections so I am being dispassionate in my observations. But I would love to see Corbyn freed up and able to lead policy rather than lead debate because as long as that keeps happening, the Tories will ruthlessly exploit this to their own end. And people in this country will continue to suffer.
Also, Corbyn is right to try to appeal to those people who do not vote anymore – he is right to try this even if he risks not being voted in putting aside the simple desire for power that dominates Blue Labour and their corporation/USA pleasing stance on all most everything they do. That is what marks him out to me as a very unorthodox politician – and more the better for it.
Sorry – meant to say that Blue Labour DO find the membership vote for Corbyn illegitimate!
“We need an entrepreneurial, nimble state that neither wages war with markets nor bows in their presence, but shapes them”
Sounds like (at long last) something is filtering through from Mazzucato et al-we could do with a bit more of this in regard to deficit mania and the ‘living beyond our means’ meme the Tories wheel out on every occasion.
Like Paul I’m not willing to donate a bent farthing to Murdoch’s hideous rag.
Couple of comments on Germany.
Banks in Germany fight over funding good projects & debt finance/interest rates for “good” projects tend to be around 0.5% (this is based on 2015 output from an EU funded projects – & confirmed by my conversations with reprtesentatives of kfW – who said that this was the case). That is one reason why German RES projects are very low cost and have low LCOEs (levelised cost of electricity) – compared to the UK. The Germans have ambitious plans for low energy housing – but have not made much progress (& there is some resistance from the building sector – which should sound familiar).
That said: energy rennovation of buildings has the potential to be a very long term (30 year) large-scale (100,000 jobs) employer of medium skilled labour – not everybody has the brains to be an engineer – but there is no reason why interesting and varied well paid work that is socially/environmentally very useful if not vital could not be made available. Finance – how to capitalise the long term benefits/savings arising from energy rennovations of buildings – is the only question to be answered. I do not belive that the Tories have any interest whatsoever in answering this question.
The finance is from a National Investment Bank
There is a demand for bonds right now
And if not, use PQE
one word of caution about Germany’s approach to reducing their Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
Germany has converted over 2 million hectares of farmland to grow “energy crops”, mostly Maize. Maize is one of the most environmentally damaging crops that can be grown in North West Europe. Maize for biogas is rapidly increasing in England too – this year 40,000ha will have been grown; the heavily subsidised Maize biogas industry aims for it to increase to 200,000ha by 2040. The environmental damage caused by this much maize(on top of the other maize grown to feed cattle) would be unimaginable, especially the consequences for increased urban flooding.
When considering how to tackle reducing our contribution to climate change, we need always to consider the environmental impacts of the decisions we take.
I am not aware of this risk
What is the cause?
which risk Richard? The flooding issue has been covered here
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/17/farmers-uk-flood-maize-soil-protection
here
https://anewnatureblog.wordpress.com/2014/02/06/lost-in-the-drainage-maize/
and here
http://www.soilassociation.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=DSJZR8S7YU4%3D&tabid=2445
since the Somerset floods 18 months ago, even more maize has been planted, particularly in the south-west.
Good point-there are better ways of creating bio-fuels from local waste rather than the mass planting of bio-fuel crops.
See the film Real Value (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez3CWXQrgVo) and watch from circa 30.50 – 34.20
The issues around maize growing contributing to flooding via soil breakdown, aided in part by the government’s ‘bonfire of regulations’ which means farmers can ignore soil conservation measures, were highlighted in this George Monbiot piece written during a previous round of devastating flooding. Any bets the government still isn’t taking heed of the evidence?
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/17/farmers-uk-flood-maize-soil-protection
Thanks
Missed that