I thought I would summarise what work is in progress here right now.
Significant themes in development are:
- An alternative budget, which will come out in several parts, is now in draft.
- Thoughts on housing reform.
- Issues around a transition to independence in Scotland.
- A guide to using AI. This will be 40 plus pages.
- An outline of a book on the politics of care, which is growing quite fast.
- A plan for a possible Funding the Future event next year,
- The next stages of the quantum series, with several more chapters now under development as the idea has grown like topsy. Jacqueline is doing a lot of the drafting on this at present.
- More 'economic questions'. There is no shortage of ideas.
- More 'economic myths'. Similarly, there is no shortage of issues ot address.
- More glossary entries. Many have been requested.
- Video developments, inclduing more 'walking about', where James is writing scripts at present.
- Tomorrow's video.
Life is not quiet right now.
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Wow!
Don’t forget the marsh and the birds in case a spell of fresh air would be in order!
They will happen
Oh!!!
Richard,
I enjoy the blog immensely and find it a great source of essential political and economic education. One question has always eluded a convincing answer for me.
We have no difficulties in setting a cost for labour in the form of wages, usually below that which the labour is worth. Alternatively, we seem to have no problem in allowing private wealth from individual enterprise to inflate to ridiculous levels that far outweigh any reflection of the contribution or worth of that enterprise. This gives rise to monsters such as Thiel, Musk and Ellison.
Peter Mandelson, in 1998, remarked of New Labour “We are intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich as long as they pay their taxes”. Since Mandelson et al have been intensely relaxed about collecting these taxes we now have a kind of feudal financial system that renders us worker serfs paying obeisance to the tech lords.
These people won’t stop accumulating wealth unless made to do so. How would you enforce a financial initiative that prevented an individual entrepreneur from earning ad nauseum (Musk) and gaining undue power and political influence as a result? Could it be to limit earnings to a multiple of the least paid member of the company? Could it be to insist on paying an environmental/societal cost for the wealth extracted? Could it be to establish a tax investigation force?
I say “force” because, quite simply, (bearing in mind that a serving General openly talked about a coup against a possible Corbyn government) when a challenge of this sort was made on wealth, do you not think there would be a violent and concerted reaction?
Wwe have tackled monopolies in the ast.
We impooised tax rates of 52% on companies and 83% on income tax.
We have had wage policies.
The impossible is impossible until we try it. Then it is possible.
It can hapopen. Don’t believe they will really stage a coup. I don’t.
It does now seem that the weaponizing of antisemitism in Labour was something like a coup. George Osborne said that Corbyn could never have been PM – ‘he wouldn’t get the security clearance’.
Advice re ‘walking about videos’: Where possible frame you, as the speaker, against a static background. When you are pictured with busy traffic passing behind you, this becomes a distraction. Perhaps this is of little relevance to those who are not dyslexic or mildly neurodivergent. Also consider wearing a light colour that will contrast against the background. These aren’t major criticisms, but a minor consideration as you seek to improve your videos.
Noted
If only you were Chancellor, Professor M.
I’m glad you are addressing housing also. To me it is the issue that sits at the very heart of inequality and stagnation, and a concrete offer on housing needs to sit at the heart of an alternative prospectus for Government
Richard, I am really looking forward to your alternative budget. Absolutely! a real platform for some reflection, something concrete, most welcome.
I am work on it, but it it is rather long right now and like most Budgets a bit conceptual to start with.
Ref. your forthcoming guide to using AI…
Have you gone 10 rounds with Elon Musk/X’s / Grok yet? It looks like you would win.
Some interesting results here:
https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/10/31/grok-admits-its-constructed-to-protect-israel/
presumably X won’t be allowing much discussion on Israel banning the ICRC from visiting its Palestinian detainees/hostages/prisoners because ICRC might… (insert Hasbara here).
It’s now just requiring proof reading