From today's Observer. I am a signatory:
On 8 June, voters will go to the polls for perhaps the most important UK general election since 1945. The importance arises in great part from profound differences in economic policy, reflecting different views of the nature and health of the British economy.
The Conservative manifesto calls for continued austerity, which will tend to slow the economy at a crucial juncture, against the backdrop of Brexit negotiations. Their spending cuts have hurt the most vulnerable and failed to achieve their intended debt and deficit reduction targets.
In contrast, Labour's manifesto proposals are much better designed to strengthen and develop the economy and ensure that its benefits are more fairly shared and sustainable, as well as being fiscally responsible and based on sound estimations.
We point to the proposed increases in investment in the future of the UK and its people, labour market policies geared to decrease inequality and to protect the lower paid and those in insecure work and fair and progressive changes in taxation.
There is no future for the UK in a race to the bottom, which would only serve to increase social and economic inequality and further damage our social fabric. On the contrary, the UK urgently needs a government committed, as is Labour, to building an economy that really works “for the many, and not only the few”.
Dr Adotey Bing-Pappoe, lecturer in economics, Alan Freeman (personal capacity), Alfredo Saad Filho, Professor of Political Economy, SOAS University of London, Andrew Cumbers, Professor of Regional Political Economy, University of Glasgow, Andrew Simms, author of The New Economics, co-director New Weather Institute, Andy Ross FAcSS, Visiting Professor, Birkbeck University of London , Andy Kilmister, Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics, Oxford Brookes University, Ann Pettifor, Director of PRIME Economics (Policy Research in Macroeconomics), Dr Antonio Andreoni (PhD Cambridge), Senior Lecturer in Economics, SOAS University of London, Anwar Shaikh, Professor, New School for Social Research, USA, Arturo Hermann, Senior research fellow, Italian National Institute of Statistics, Rome, Italy, Professor Ben Fine, Department of Economics, SOAS University of London, Robert Rowthorn, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Cambridge., Bruce Cronin, Professor of Economic Sociology, Director of Research, Director of the Centre for Business Network Analysis, University of Greenwich, Dr Bruno Bonizzi, Lecturer in Political Economy, University of Winchester, Carlos Oya, Reader in Development Studies, SOAS University of London, Carolina Alves, PhD Economics, Carolyn Jones, Director, Institute of Employment Rights, Cem Oyvat, Lecturer, University of Greenwich, Christopher Cramer, Professor of the Political Economy of Development, SOAS University of London, Ciaran Driver FAcSS, Professor of Economics, SOAS University of London, Professor Colin Haslam, Professor of Accounting and Finance, Queen Mary University of London, Costas Lapavitsas, Professor of Economics, SOAS University of London, Cyrus Bina, Distinguished Research Professor of Economics, University of Minnesota, USA, Dr Dan O'Neill, Lecturer in Ecological Economics, University of Leeds, Daniela Gabor, Professor of Economics and Macro-Finance, University of the West of England, Daniele Archibugi, Professor, Birkbeck College, Professor Danny Dorling, University of Oxford, Writer and Academic, Dean Baker, Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Washington, DC, Dr Deborah Johnston Pro-Director (Learning and Teaching) SOAS (University of London), Diego Sánchez-Ancochea, Associate Professor in Political Economy, Director, Latin American Centre, University of Oxford, Dr Dimitris P. Sotiropoulos, The Open University Business School, Elisa Van Waeyenberge, Lecturer of Economics, SOAS University of London, Dr Emanuele Lobina, Public Services International Research Unit, University of Greenwich, Dr Faiza Shaheen, Economist (in a personal capacity), Frances Stewart, Professor of Development Economics and Director, Centre for Research on Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity, University of Oxford, Gary Dymski, Professor of Applied Economics, Leeds University Business School, Geoff Harcourt, Honorary Professor, UNSW Australia, Gerald Epstein, Co-Director, Political Economy Research Institute, and Department of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA, Dr Giorgos Galanis, Lecturer in Economics, Goldsmiths University, Gregor Semieniuk, Lecturer in Economics, SOAS University of London, Guglielmo Forges Davanzati, Associate professor of Political Economy, University of Salento, Italy, Dr Guy Standing FAcSS, Professorial Research Associate, SOAS University of London, Ha-Joon Chang, University of Cambridge, Hannah Bargawi, Lecturer in Economics, SOAS University of London, and Research Partner, Centre for Development Policy and Research, Dr Hassan Hakimian, Reader in Economics, SOAS University of London, Professor Dr Heiner Flassbeck, former Chief Economist of UNCTAD, Geneva, Heikki Patomäki, Professor of World Politics, University of Helsinki, Howard M. Wachtel, Professor Emeritus of Economics, American University, Washington, DC, USA, Howard Reed, Director, Landman Economics, Dr Hugh Goodacre, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Westminster, Teaching Fellow, University College London, Hugo Radice, University of Leeds., Hulya Dagdeviren, Professor of Economic Development, University of Hertfordshire, Ilhan Dögüs, Department of Socioeconomics, University of Hamburg, Germany, James K. Galbraith, Professor of Government, University of Texas, USA, Jan Toporowski, Professor of Economics and Finance, SOAS University of London, Dr Jane Lethbridge, Public Services International Research Unit, University of Greenwich, Jeanette Findlay, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Glasglow, Jeff Faux, Founder & former Director, Economic Policy Institute, Washington D C, Dr Jeff Powell, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Greenwich, Dr Jeff Tan, Economist, Aga Khan University in the UK, Jeremy Smith, co-director, PRIME Economics (Policy Research in Macroeconomics), Dr Jo Michell, Senior Lecturer in Economics, UWE Bristol, Professor John Grahl, Economics Department, Middlesex University, John Palmer, former Political Director of the European Policy Centre, Dr Johnna Montgomerie, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Deputy Director of the Political Economy Research Centre, Goldsmiths University of London, Jonathan Dawson, Coordinator of Economics, Schumacher College, Professor Jonathan Michie, Professor of Innovation & Knowledge Exchange, University of Oxford , Dr Jonathan Perraton, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Sheffield, Jorge Buzaglo, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Stockholm, Sweden, Dr Julian Wells, Principal Lecturer of Economics, Kingston University, Kate Bayliss, Research Fellow, Economics Department, SOAS University of London, Professor Kate Pickett, University of York Champion for Research on Justice & Equality, Dr Kevin Deane, Senior Lecturer in International Development, University of Northampton (personal capacty), Dr Kitty Stewart, Associate Professor of Social Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, Klaus Nielsen, Professor of Institutional Economics, Birkbeck University of London, László Andor, Associate Professor, Corvinus University, Hungary, Leslie Huckfield, Yunus Centre for Social Business & Health, Glasgow Caledonian University, Malcolm Sawyer, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Leeds, Marco Veronese Passarella, Economics Division, Leeds University Business School, Maria Nikolaidi, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Greenwich, Dr Mario Seccareccia, Full Professor, Department of Economics, University of Ottawa, Canada, Dr Martin Watts, Emeritus Professor of Economics, The University of Newcastle, Massoud Karshenas, Professor of Economics, SOAS University of London, Dr Matteo Rizzo, Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, SOAS University of London, Mehmet Ugur, Professor of Economics and Institutions, University of Greenwich Business School, Michael Roberts, financial economist and author of The Long Depression, Professor Mushtaq Khan, Department of Economics, SOAS, University of London, Professor Ozlem Onaran, Director of Greenwich Political Economy Research Centre, University of Greenwich, Pallavi Roy, Lecturer in International Economics, SOAS, University of London, Paulo dos Santos, Assistant Professor of Economic, New School for Social Research, USA, Paul Mason, economics writer, Prem Sikka, Emeritus Professor of Accounting, University of Essex, Dr Pritam Singh, Professor of Economics, Oxford Brookes University, Radhika Desai, Professor, Department of Political Studies, University of Manitoba, USA, Richard McIntyre, Professor, Chair, Department of Economics, University of Rhode Island, USA, Richard Murphy, Professor of Practice in International Political Economy at City University of London and Director of Tax Research LLP, Richard Parker, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA, Richard Wilkinson, Emeritus Professor of Social Epidemiology, University of Nottingham, Dr Robert Calvert Jump, Lecturer in Economics, Kingston University, Robert Neild, Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Cambridge, Robert Pollin, Distinguished Professor of Economics and Co-Director, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA, Roberto Veneziani, Queen Mary University of London, Susan Himmelweit, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Open University, Dr Sara Gorgoni, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Greenwich, Dr Sara Maioli, Lecturer in Economics, Newcastle University, Dr Satoshi Miyamura, Lecturer in the Economy of Japan, SOAS University of London, Shawky Arif, The University of Northampton, Simon Wren-Lewis, Professor of Economic Policy, Oxford University, Professor Steve Keen, Department of Economics, Kingston University, Professor Engelbert Stockhammer, Kingston University, Simon Mohun, Emeritus Professor of Political Economy, Queen Mary University of London, Dr Sunil Mitra Kumar, Lecturer in Economics, King's College London, Susan Newman, Senior Lecturer of Economics, University of West England, Dr Susan Pashkoff, Economist, Dr Suzanne J Konzelmann, Director, Postgraduate Programmes in Corporate Governance and Business Ethics, Director, London Centre for Corporate Governance and Ethics, Co-Executive Editor, Cambridge Journal of Economics, Tom Palley, Former Chief Economist, US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Tomás Rotta, Lecturer in Economics, University of Greenwich, Trevor Evans, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Germany, Will Davies, Reader in Political Economy, Goldsmiths, University of London, Dr William Van Lear, Economics Professor, Belmont Abbey College, USA, Yanis Varoufakis, Former Minister of Finance, Greece, Yannis Dafermos, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of the West of England, José Gabriel Palma, University of Cambridge, Yulia Yurchenko, University of Greenwhich, Laurie Macfarlane, Economics Editor, Open Democracy, Meghnad Desai, London School of Economics, Clive Lawson, University of Cambridge, Professor Lawrence King, University of Cambridge
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:
Well done and thank you to you all.
But what do you make of the Observers lukewarm endorsement of Corbyn? Seemingly just asking people to vote for anyone but May.
What stupidity. Even at this stage progressives seem to be falling out.
Ridiculous. Oh – and by the way – thanks!
Thank goodness for William Keegan.
I am afraid Obersver leader writer’s don’t recognise radical ideas, despite calling for them
Grauniad has finally accepted that Corbyn and team have acheived something very significant in recent months, with some at the Graun admitting they got it wrong. Corbyn has his limitations at times; but let’s face it in view of 40 years of neo-liberal hegemony and a press, in economic terms, not far off the Tass news agency of the soviet era, something quite significant has happened-which, as the letter above says has some parallels with 1945 when Churchill was heckled.
let’s hope the youth vote and the formerly apathetic turn out in droves -neoliberalism has rendered people apathetic, it was as if the air supply was corporately owned.
It is still likely their will be a Tory victory, but the arrogant buggers have been shaken and warehouses of toilet paper requisitioned by Tory Central Office. They didn’t want people to wake up.
The Graun is positive
The Observer grudging
But, much as I like the Greens Labour is, a few constituencies apart, the rational choice in England and Wales (barring those places where a LibDem vote on the basis of Anything But the Conservatives makes sense).
North of the border I might well think otherwise.
You can always rely on Nick Cohen to write a thinly-veiled attack piece for the Observer on Corbyn/the left as well, of course.
Today’s particular missive seems to promote the myth of vast numbers of benefit scroungers as being truthful and claims that the fight against inequality now promoted by the left is pointless. All while levering in some praise of Rachel Reeves, for some odd reason.
I sense a rather Mandelsonian vibe here – he’d absolutely hate it if a party with a proper left-wing manifesto were to win power because it would prove almost everything he written for decades was claptrap.
(I should note that I feel quite poorly today and I’m drugged up to the eyeballs so perhaps I’m missing something meaningful in thearticle, but I just find it all a rather confused and aimless rant).
I confess I often find Nick Cohen’s version of liberalism hard to follow
Nick Cohen, like Melanie Phillips, only ever talks positively about “liberalism” in order to contrast it with “militant Islam”.
In every other respect they loathe it.
It is a deeply hypocritical & dishonest stance but, fairs fair,they are deeply hypocritical & dishonest people
Grateful for this intervention. I believe our current government is corrupt and not just ideologically driven. That is a cover for what they are really doing – transferring public assets and wealth to the top and leaving us with a massive national debt to sort out.
Hi Richard
back from Mull and Iona- share on my Facebook timeline. Need to ramp up on Progressive Pulse this week!
Thanks Sean
Hi Richard,
Whenever quantitative easing is discussed or the idea of money creation, critics are quick to talk about inflation and 9/10 mention Zimbabwe or Venezuela as examples. But am I right in saying that banks create money everyday when they make loans, which is money creation and they have already created more than 375 billion to date, which theoretically this can lead to inflation of asset bubbles/financial markets,but no one seems to worry. However, when it comes to doing this for the people, for things we actually need, like the NHS, social care, education,everybody gets very upset about the risks of inflation.
From what I have read, we are in a period of deflation, so it is really not possible to spend on our public services without causing inflation?
To answer critics, why is stimulating the economy in this way not undercover socialism?
The current way of doing things is not working, because banks are not lending out new money into the wider economy to stimulate growth. So why must we wait for them to change?
Re your first para correct
And there is no link to Zimbabwe (a corrupt kleptocracy with no functioning tax base) and Venezuela (trapped by the dollar amongst other things)
So yes, it is possible to spend without inflation SO LONG AS we do not push beyond full employment
Is that socialism? Who cares? If socialism is wanting people in decent well paid jobs with great public services and infrastructure so what?
And we don;t have to wait to have it
Richard,
Thank you for this, and for so much insight over e years. Jim
[…] Jeremy Corbyn has grown into the role of Labour leader in ways I could not have anticipated. I owe him an apology. It turns out I was wrong. He can do the job. That’s why I signed a letter to the Observer yesterday. […]
A Scottish artist and film maker has been subject to a cyber-attack that is in effect a form of political censorship after releasing a satirical film about the consequences of a Corbyn victory.
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn- ‘What Was Done’ is a 33 minute political satire that deconstructs the British ruling class and holds the right wing media to account for its propaganda and anti-European prejudice.
The film depicts Britain as country ruled by corrupt neoliberal elites who, after the Brexit crisis are overthrown in a socialist revolution led by Labour Party Leader ‘Jeremy Corbyn’, resulting in the nationalisation of essential services, the return of The Falkland Islands to Argentina and the accession of Gibraltar by Spain.
The film was released online via Bella Caledonia, a Scottish based media platform, on the evening of Friday 28th of April and amassed more than twenty thousand views in 48 hours.
On Monday the 1st of May ALL social media accounts and private email of the films creator and presenter ‘Bonnie Prince Bob’ were compromised.
The film was removed without explanation from YouTube, his Twitter account was locked and his Facebook was removed (permanently).
The filmaker said:
“This film is a work of seditious political satire that undermines the neoliberal and anti-European ethos of the British Ruling Class. Is it just coincidence that I have now been subject to a vicious invasion of my privacy and attempted suppression of my work?”
As a result of this action, members of the public re-uploaded the film on numerous social media platforms, where it continued to be taken down by companies or individuals unknown. Ultimately this was futile and the film has now been viewed over 200,000, responses to the production have been overwhelmingly positive.
“A really enjoyable and occasionallly uncomfortable watch” …. “Sort of Adam Curtis with jokes” – Ian Hislop – broadcaster and editor of the magazine Private Eye
“Amazing stuff. The sniggering hilarity is constantly upset by the disbelief that we have let such a self-serving bunch of Muppets who don’t even know we exist, gain this level of power over our democracy and society.” Irvine Welsh author
“The finest political art to come out of Scotland ever.” — Kevin Williamson -writer and publisher
You can view the film here:
mobile version https://t.co/DJNmWbzRib
youtube: Jeremy Bernard Corbyn ‘What Was Done’ *HQ Official*
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn ‘What Was Done’ *HQ Official*
Bonnie Prince Bob reflects on the political history that led to the appointment of England’s greatest ever P…
For more information call Mike Small on 07736 661 107
See attached poster.
Mike Small
EDITOR, Bella Caledonia
http://mikesmall.strikingly.com
0131 561 7313
@bellacaledonia
Call
Send SMS
Add to Skype
You’ll need Skype Credit