A recent comment from RobertJ on this blog made me smile, and then made me think. He wrote of Funding the Future:
Topsy has growed a lot!
It has. Funding the Future began as a blog. It still is that. But it has also become something more: a platform with different kinds of output, designed for different audiences and different ways of learning. And RobertJ's point was simple: that changes what we can do with it.
He suggested that we should perhaps have a thread here in which readers discuss how they use the material produced here, whom they send it to, what format they choose, how they judge what will work, and what they have learned from experience. Robert called it evangelism training in church terms, campaigning in political terms, marketing in commercial terms. But the label does not really matter. The task does.
He was also absolutely right to highlight something else, which is that we all have different circles of influence. Some readers will never speak to anyone in the City. Others might. Some will mix daily with people who lean towards Reform. Others will spend time in academic, union, church, or voluntary-sector environments. The point is that none of these networks is trivial. Most politics spreads not through speeches, and most certainly not through political parties, but through repeated conversations between ordinary people who trust each other.
Robert gave good examples of how this works. He noted that a phone call to a customer support worker at a large pension provider turned into a discussion about risk and politics, and the person he spoke to was interested enough to write down my name and Funding the Future. He also mentioned writing to his MP about the politics of care and sending a PDF. He is even redesigning his email signature to include a link to the site, and, importantly, he wants to choose the right link.
That, in itself, makes the case. There is a great deal of material here now, and if it is to be useful, it needs to be easy to deploy. It also needs to be used in the right format.
Some people will read a blog post. Many will not.
Some will watch YouTube who will never read anything longer than a paragraph.
Some will take a PDF seriously who would ignore a link.
Some need short arguments they can forward in seconds.
Some need a calmer explanation, because they are defensive or distrustful of anything that sounds political.
So I think Robert is right: Funding the Future is now not only something to read. It is something to use. And learning how to use it better is something we should do collectively.
So I want to ask readers directly, how are you using the material here, or how might you do so? I am looking for answers to questions such as:
- Who are you sending material from here to?
- What have you found that works, and what does not?
- What links, formats, or resources would make it easier for you to share this work effectively?
That's because if we want ideas to spread, we have to help them travel. And that is now part of our job.
I am not doing a poll: that is too restrictive. Please share ideas instead.
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Excellent suggestion from Robert. For my part I tend to send your blog posts and videos to a small group of friends who then share it with others. I post the same to Facebook and finally I discuss much of the content with my son who works in a large housing department of a local authority in N.E. England. My biggest difficulty in convincing him of the value of MMT is his age and that he had only ever known life inside of the Neoliberal system. He can see the importance but finds it almost impossible to accept the change is possible. Neoliberal is deeply ingrained in his generation. Perhaps something you might think about?
Thanks
And agreed
We reach older people, in the main.
A couple more thoughts, it’s natural for younger people to reject ideas about ‘the way things used to be’ – pre neo-liberalism – because the world has changed etc. Also I think there is an element of jealousy towards the older generation – our generation had it good and we messed it up for future generations – ignoring the fact that it was deliberate economic strategy and political will that created positive policies in the first place. These are kind of undercurrents rather than developed ideas but they help prevent younger people from thinking outside of the neo-liberal box.
I share content from here quite regularly on my personal Facebook page and in a couple of political groups I’m in on there.
I quite often drop the name Richard Murphy into conversations I’m having with various people about how we can make the world a better place.
Thanks
I have contact with two councillors of different parties and use the arguments you make giving the source. I suggest they discuss the ideas with colleagues.
I also post the taxing wealth report wherever I see the question of ‘where do we find the money?’.
My MP is not sympathetic to FTF ideas but the recent projections of the next election have us down as a reform gain. It could concentrate the mind.
Being retired I have fewer day contacts.
It is not very much but the more of us do something, it will have an effect. I like the idea of a tipping point where things suddenly change and people grab at new ideas.
I site the ideas and material frequently on my local Facebook “politics” page. Ostensibly it’s a “local politics” page, i.e. for discussing the local parish and county council, but of course it gets used to discuss national issues and their consequences for the locality.
I think it would be interesting to have a Facebook group for this – perhaps a private one. It could be used for someone to propose an analogy or explanation they’ve thought of, which could then be refined using feedback from others. Once “complete” or “valid” we could then use it with confidence “in public”. Or we could realise it’s incorrect…
That’s difficult to do here with the 400 word limit.
In parallel to that there could be a public Facebook group hosting copies of the articles or links to them. The reason for that is that the most effective media to link to from Facebook is another Facebook page.
Noted.
I am appreciating suggestions being made. We will look at them all – and more that we have.
I use the content to give me an understanding of why Britain has gone from bad to worse. Whilst there is much i agree with, something our views differ and I think that’s healthy and a way to debate.
I have suggested you site to others and to make a comparison to Gary Stevenson who has similar views on taxing the wealthy but from differing sperspective on what money is.
I use your content in discussion with others as a different point of view and how it is an explaination of why Britian and most of the world is in the present state.
Don’t often view your Youtube only because I seldom view Youtube. I find you bird watching a interesting facet of you and consider it make for a more grounded peron. Carry on the great work you are doing and I agree that putting a link to this page on my web site would be useful to others.
Thanks
I’ve always thought that you need one introductory YouTube video that introduces the topic.
Most people have no idea that there are economic myths, and alternatives, and that knowing this enables governments to make policies that benefit and care for people.
Then, where can I corroborate and find out more information.
That’s an idea….
A couple of days ago I came across an American campaigning organisation for over 60’s called “Third Act” and signed up to a webinar which included Rebecca Solnit as a speaker.
She was extremely positive about the possibilities for, and level of resistance in the states at the moment and the potential for change through small acts.
It is a network of groups across many states that helps and advises on a number of issues including installing solar, moving finances to more sustainable and ethical companies, writing letters eg to encourage divestment, organising protests, etc. I tried to add a link but for some reason it wouldn’t copy, but it’s easy to find, just search for Third Act.
I was wondering if we need something akin to this – to create a network to promote a politics of care in a more proactive way in our own constituencies as it were.
Not sure how this might work but just thought I’d put it out there.
I should have added that I wasn’t suggesting a network only for over 60’s! Even though many of us are..
Some really good suggestions – thanks very much.
I once bought friends and family Stephanie Kelton’s book and some of yours too. No one has ever raised the contents with me. It could be me, it could be that people don’t read. But I thought I was sharing with them ‘ the art of the possible’. The cost of living has put a stop to that.
I find the only opportunity I have to talk about the issue is where I am is when the subject of boats come up. And then I have to be really careful – always first acknowledging the pain, then trying to address the real cause of the problem, to what we could actually do. All in a really too brief moment. I never resort to talking about racism or anything like that, that makes me look judgemental. That just causes shutters to come down.
In other conversations what is clear is that there are those who acknowledge fear and then think that we are being sensible if we accept the status quo because the if we don’t it will get worse.
It does make me wonder you know, to what extent authoritarianism (with austerity) has been running this country since Thatcher pivoted the Tories towards Neo-liberalism. It is had been incremental for some time, and now I think the end game is approaching. But because the forces that are unleashed are so chaotic, even the Tories have no control over what they have instigated and face being swept aside themselves – and if not them, certainly Labour.
Thanks
I like links to the articles you reference in a given thread.
I like links to the podcasts and TV shows where you make a guest appearance in the threads where they are referenced as I like seeing your interactions with other commentators.
I use the information when talking with people, usually at work. If they want to know where I got it from, I point them at the blog and the Youtube channel. I occasionally share articles on Facebook as it’s the only social media I have, but that is rare. I subscribe to the ‘less is more’ so I don’t flood people with information.
Today I had positive face to face opportunities to mention the politics of care and your name and FTF to about 5 people, one a v interested gas engineer servicing our boiler, and then at a small men’s group at church. All involved positive conversations, and hopefully will result in visits, initially to the blog.
The most useful thing for me right now is “the politics of care” post & pdf.
It’s not easy to reject an offer to share about “a politics of care”. That’s a great title. We often chat with others about politics being broken or a mess or corrupt – so this offers a positive follow up. I ask “would you be interested in hearing about a politics of care?” then I mention Richard, his work on tax justice/transparency, and this blog – and that it has a blog, long and short YouTube videos and pdf transcripts.
I found everyone else’s comments both helpful and exciting.
Things are on the move.
Thanks, Robert.
In posts and comments across various platforms I’ll link, as appropriate, your posts or videos to support and expand upon my position or the introduction of an idea or a technical arguement e.g regarding creation of money. Finding the best link can take some searching.
In some of the more political and progressive groups I’m it’s clear your name/Funding the Future has high awareness.
In time, a series of Politics of Care ‘primers’, perhaps crafted to appeal to different audiences/sector e.g. health, adult social care, housing and student, retired, local political activists etc. might be helpful take the idea of Politics of Care forward.
Thanks
This is a sincere suggestion.
If there was something concise and accurate I could print pout for myself….. and eply something like the Jehovas Witness or Scientology model? Yes, I know… but…….
Literally take it with us and just start talking to strangers…..
Again, sincerely, not a jest…….
We need to talk to all kinds of people.
People are door knocked by canvassers for political parties…. why not by people with a real ‘message’ and a genuine invitation to discuss and develop ideas?
Noted.
On what? The politics of care? The economics of care? Modern monetary theory? All together?
‘HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PAY FOR IT?’
Should be the title.
The answer should fit onto a single piece of A4 paper folded in half that you read from front to back like a booklet.
It should have some colours and some diagrams.
Downloadable pdf.
Any of us can print that on a fairly cheap home printer.
When the team of people I was with delivered leaflets in the run up to the independence referendum we didn’t just put them through the door.
We knocked on the doors and talked to anyone who answered.
Those who didn’t answer got the leaflets through their letterbox.
Let’s get out and meet people.
🙂
One page? Wow, that’s a challenge!
Suggested workings welcome, from anyone.
‘Politics of Care”, Economics of Care”.
Is this the beginning of a brand?
Can anyone add to these?
Responsibility of Care?
Ignorance of Care ??
Poverty of Care?
Power of Care
Morality of Care
Hunger for Care
The Want of Care
The Asset of Care
The Yields of Care
Inequality of Care
Equity of Care
Security of Care
Noted 🙂
First, a big thank you to both you and RobertJ, this crystallised a lot for me.
I try to read this blog everyday, most if not all of it. As a U3A member, I’m always looking for new ideas/topics for discussion, or simply order/reorder thoughts – some then evolve into discussions. Both articles and comments are invaluable against which to test my own ideas. However a forum to which we can contribute the starting proposal would be far better, given its inherent flexibility to allow for a further, perhaps lengthy, on-going exchange (if that’s what you had in mind).
Funding the Future Forum – Feeling our Way Forward Together
Noted. This seems to be an emerging theme.
Does this require me to repost my content to Facebook? Or would a link, or precis, be enough? Any thoughts?
Sorry to leave a reply so late, but I’ve been a little busy elsewhere.
I’m also sorry to say that, from a personal choice I made when Facebook first started, I’ve never gone near it, nor will I ever. Just to say that the answer to “Why?”, cannot be printed.
However, whatever choices are made, I can see that the problems of moderation must be significant and ever-present. I wonder if the unmodified posts were put on a Substack, the discussion could then occur beneath the item. Also, perhaps a way could be found for a contributor’s post to initiate a discussion, perhaps emailed to a new address provided by you, could be then put up on a new Substack post for anyone to read a comment as they wish. The author could obviously respond freely.
However, it is perhaps significant that there are some Substack authors who have recently moved off to a site called Ghost. Medium is another option perhaps. With all these options, I am unsure how any post once on public view can ever be ‘switched off’ from comments or where responsibility lies for the content. Is there a time-out mechanism?
But I am reading a lot into your original post, and may be I am misinterpreting or overextending your original intent; sorry if I am.
Your comment is valuable.
I assure you, all comments will be thought about – and discussed – here.
So, thank you.
I think a useful resource would be some sort of biographical information on yourself Richard to give context and increase credibility. I thought your podcast with Zack would have benefited from some sort of introduction on your history and background .
I try and spread the word with my contacts in the charity sector.
Noted. I get that. It is on the blog, but would this work?
If not, tell me what would.
Richard Murphy is currently Emeritus Professor of Accounting Practice at Sheffield University Management School, a regular blogger at Funding the Future (http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/) and YouTuber (https://www.youtube.com/@RichardJMurphy). He is also an economics columnist on The National newspaper.
Richard was formerly a Professor of International Political Economy at City, University of London, and was a chartered accountant in practice for more than forty years alongside these other activities.
As a co-founder of the Tax Justice Network, he created the system of country-by-country reporting that has transformed the way in which multinational corporations are taxed to bring to an end their abuse of tax havens.
Richard combines practical and real-world experience of economics, political economy, accounting and tax, which he uses to explains how he thinks the real world works, with a particular bias towards meeting the needs of those outside the top 10% of income earners and wealth holders.
Yes that’s good.
I think a pinned video short on your channel would help clarify with people who view .Plus trying to get an introduction when you appear on a podcast .As always the messages need to be kept being conveyed regularly.
The problem is that people, by and large, aren’t at all interested in politics or economics. Sure, they all have opinions. But most won’t ever research them. Their opinions are all visceral. My belief is that facebook may be the most important starting point in changing the narrative. I spend considerable time on it – sad, I know. I see so many crazy, unsubstantiated views on there that often I refrain from
arguing simply because I don’t have time to offer up individual answers to the points raised. It strikes me that the average Joe will only read a couple of sentences max, if you don’t grab his attention immediately.
I remember when you used to do the odd poster(?) which I liked. Quick, to the point, and hard to avoid. I posted some of those on F/B to good effect. Could you perhaps look at doing a series of quickies answering certain widely debated/accepted topics. Apologies for trying to up your workload – I know it can take longer to write a concise piece than a comprehensive article. I’m envisaging a series of business card-sized blocks that we can all store on our phones ready for immediate social media action. They would reference FTF, perhaps a relevant link, and be signed off by your good self.
Below is a paraphrased answer to an often-asked question by the right, which I have stored on my computer for such use. Funnily enough, it was written by a bloke called Murphy!
Q. Where has socialism ever worked? A. How about the UK, post war? – The creation of the welfare state? The biggest modernisation of British industry in a short period in this country’s history? Council housing? Full employment? Rising prosperity? A fairer society?
Other ideas might be:
Is the BofE really independent?, followed by a copy of para 19 of the Act, and the statement that such a wholly-owned government institution can’t possibly be considered independent.
Maybe a suggestion that people arguing for both increased growth and a cut in public spending should look at the following GDP formula….. and ask themselves how the two ideas are compatible, short of a miracle in today’s economic conditions.
Just an idea, but I really think that producing simple, framed, punchy, easily-understood messages is the way to get traction on such platforms.
Thanks for your contribution.
One of the problems I find, is that when people try and check whether there is anything in Modern Money Theory, they ask someone who may be in finance, or economics, and because they don’t know enough to assess it, dismiss it out of hand. I think we see that it in many podcasts; we all know people who should know better, but don’t. We all know “It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.”
Agreed
‘How to campaign’ has so many ramifications, not sure am up to saying much useful today. Its difficult not to get overwhelmed by despair.
Your ‘headlines’ each morning could well function as a go to for any politically engaged consumer of main stream media . I certainly use it that way (not youtube) – even though I can often anticipate broadly what you might say – you often boil things down to essentials in a really valuable way.
There are quite a few leading political economists that have gone beyond neoliberalism and take on board all or bits of MMT. One aim of a campaign might be to get MSM and BBC to acknowledge that such a school of thought exists, so that you are not seen as a lone wolf howling in the wilderness , but a leading member of an alternative school of thought.
The unspoken implication of most economic news is that ‘there is no money’. I cant see this changing until there is sufficient constitutional reform to get big money out of politics, (that ought to be the spearhead of any campaign) and independent public bodies – like BBC, NHS – become truly independent with transparent management appointments and no government interference.
Thanks
I was discussing with my accountant how the country’s economy is not like a household and why. It appeared to be news to her, as she firmly believed in the household analogy. So, I sent her a link to your video explaining how it really works. I haven’t followed up on it yet, but I will.
Thanks
All of my distribution of the info on this blog is very selective and pretty much limited to economics – MMT, the market, bonds etc. It is primarily aimed at getting all my friends, family and ex-colleagues considering how and why we have ended up where we are and for them to try and shake off a lifetime of socioeconomic and political conditioning that has limited their understanding of political economy to Thatcher’s edict that there is no Government money, only tax payers. Is what I am doing working? Yes, to a degree but slowly slowly. The phrase ‘Politics of Care’, however, is starting to resonate. My family, friends and ex-colleagues are a very mixed bunch – old hippies, retired forces, very successful business people, social workers, teachers, lorry drivers – I could go on. Some lean quite heavily to the right, voted for Brexit and plan, I suspect to vote Reform. Others are very left leaning and are just confused at the moment. All, however, are caring human beings, are angry with the way the country has and is being managed and just want everyone to get along. not much of an ask really!
🙂
I spread the word through everyday conversations backed up the confidence of the material from this blog
I share links to various blog posts with my son who is studying politics and he is absorbing the ideas and discussing in his course
I read the blog daily. Not a big FB user but watch the videos every few days or so in batches
I refer to the tax options in your Taxing Wealth report (brilliant document) with friends of a political bent
What you do so well is give recommendations for actions backed by knowledge. This is so rare
I think YouTube and TikTok (I done use) are where the audiences are
Thanks
A quick comment:
Since posting my last response to you, I have spent a little time trying to understand where, on sites like Substack and Medium, liability lies should any defamatory statements be posted. Not being a lawyer, I have to say that I don’t find the situation to be totally clear, nor how posts could be taken down by the person who posts the main item. It seems much clearer when someone owns the website that hosts everything and can ensure full moderation before anything is posted.
I drop it comment section so more can see it.
Extract that that might spark relational experience , and then the link…
And of course a huge name drop.
The Brand is you…
There are opportunities everywhere.
I have started prepping note of some key points so can just copy and paste.
where I see people In.the public arena seeming to repeat some top line message that seems to be from you, or the 2% tax on assets wealth tax, I like to drop in there as I’m not perceiving they are getting the message across,
And talk to people in person. Including the mean wing press head lines.
Younglings the seem to like it short and snappy.
Then might delve into if it spark their interest.
I post a link from YouTube in Mastodon occasionally when it is pertinent to need stories.
This usually results in quite a bit of discussion.
Recently there are no posts from you.
I know there are automatic reports to different media, is it not possible with Mastodon.
If not would you like me to post everything of yours perhaps?
Please do.
I tend to forget Mastodon – and perhaps I should not. It also has / had quirks I have never learned.
Autocorrect!
News stories!
Auto reposts!
I often attempt to share your videos and yesterday a screen grab (currency issuing governments cannot run out of money…) directly with my siblings but i worry about fatiguing people.
I replied to an MSP flyer mentioning the politics of care (reference the work of Richard Murphy) as an overarching need.
People seem to have little attention and a bias towards thinking economics and politics isn’t ‘for them’. As a result capturing their interest seems to need immediacy in the first instance. Especially might work in linking to an immediately tangible issue (eg trash in the street).
Thanks
Noted
All these comments are genuinely influencing my thinking.
Hi everyone,
I have drafted a 1500 word text for the single sheet of A4 paper leaflet I proposed.
Clearly this is too long and there is one short section still missing on ‘debt’ and how bonds work, so still a work in progress….
In the meantime though, if there were any volunteers to fact check my effort at explaining MMT in plain English I’d be very grateful.
I’m not sure if there is a facility for direct messaging via the website?
I’m reluctant to paste my email address directly into the post because you end up with so much spam, presumably from AI data scrapers finding and selling any email addresses they find on the internet.
Perhaps you could facilitate this Richard if I’m lucky enough to get a volunteer?
🙂
Send me the draft and let’s see what can be done…
I read your blog every day and find it consistently interesting and informative, particularly your explanations of money, debt, and how governments and banks actually manage money. That understanding has been genuinely helpful for me, and it is reassuring to feel connected to a community of like-minded people.
I also very much appreciate the definitions and PDFs you have made available. They are an incredibly useful and accessible resource.
I have major concerns about the environment and inequality, and what I value most here is how clearly you show the connections between these issues and the way our economic system currently operates. Seeing how money, markets, affordability, public services and environmental outcomes are all linked has helped me make sense of what can otherwise feel like a disconnected set of crises.
This post has nudged me to think about sharing more of this material with friends and family, because the clarity it provides is rare and much needed.
Thanks!
Would petitions on Change.org or 38 degrees help increase reach? The petition could be (for example) to demand an answer from the current PM or Chancellor as to why they (deliberately?) misled the public about the household budget, for example. A brief, catchy narrative maxxing on the outrage could hook people long enough to get them to sign/ share. It might go nowhere but it wouldn’t take much to set up, so there’s not much to lose.
Do those organisations have impact any more? It could be worth a try, but I thought clicktivism was a bit “yesterday”.
I really don’t know because I’m quite a luddite to be honest. But a change.org petition helped save our local library. It was also publicised in the town gazette newspaper, which helped. The digital ID petition directly to the government was closed early as it was approaching 3 million signatures. You never know!
Suggest a wording!
Funding the Future has become a vital part of my learning process. What I value most isn’t just the material itself, but the questions other contributors ask you — they open angles I wouldn’t have reached on my own. The dialogue sharpens the ideas, and that’s what makes this space feel alive.
Unlike many bloggers in this field, I really appreciate your deep understanding of the accounting that sits underneath economics. You don’t treat accounting as a technical footnote — you show how it shapes the whole system. That clarity is rare, and it makes your work far easier to share with people who instinctively feel something is wrong but don’t yet have the language for it.
I use different formats depending on who I’m speaking to. Some respond to a structured PDF, others to a short extract, and many only engage when the argument is spoken. The variety matters because people’s attention and trust vary.
What works best is using your work as a bridge into people’s own experience. When I talk about the politics of care or the cost of deprivation, they recognise it immediately. More short, self‑contained pieces would help these ideas travel even further.
You are truly a hero.
I can assure you, I am no hero. I am just a person with a bee in his bonnet and a passion for justice.
Now there’s a ‘click-bait’ title:
“Richard Murphy: a bee in his bonnet and a passion for justice.”
Get the rhythm of that?
🙂
I forward your posts to friends and family, a small group but I’m not interested in social media so avoid most. I promote MMT whenever conversation is anywhere adjacent and when, occasional, two of our political parties request opinions. I’m a small voice and distant from your geopolitical focus, so I think, but I suspect there are ears to hear in unlikely places.
Your last lint is true.
Change happens one conversation at a time.
You asked, Richard, and if you manage to get thru all that feedback, here is how I use your blog.
I have copied many to ‘Notes’ then edited and formatted extensively for purposes of my own learning and for evangelism!!!
I rewrite for a one sentence sound bite; a one minute ‘hook’ statement; and so on.
Thru repeated conversations, I have sometimes felt like a JW hooking onto someone’s comment about the state of the nation, etc.
I love engaging those who work in finance, tax besides in many other walks of life, all of whom are stunned to find out what I have to say about money and tax work!
I do enjoy myself!!! All thanks to your first visit to Keele, Richard!
Might you send an example / examples? My email is in the about section.
FYI: Zack Polanski, in Sheffield today, used the phrase “politics of care” several times in his main speech.
He didn’t reference you or FTF, but it wasn’t “that kind of speech”.
I’m encouraged that Green policies are going in the right direction; and seems to be the only party with leaders who aren’t ‘sponsored’ by the wrong sort of donors… ZP also mentioned the idea (from I forget whom) that they should all have sponsors’ logos on their jackets or shirts, like F1 drivers (or the snooker players currently on TV)!
Thanks. Good news.
Another thought in terms of spreading the word…
Could someone write a mock ‘exam revision guide’ for Higher MMT studies or A-Level MMT studies?
People (like me!) love a ‘dummies guide to’ books….
People are always looking for Zeitgeisty stocking filler books in the run up to Christmas.
If someone, or a group of us, was able to put this together we have 3 Christmases (potentially) before the next UK election. Perhaps we could write an accurate and best selling stocking filler economics book that will help to break open the cartel of neoliberal economics conformity.
I’m not sure where I’m getting all this optimism 🙂 I suspect it is from this blog…..
Thanks for that.
You may like tomorrow’s video…..
How about a model manifesto?
Sure
To priortiise what? Just a few bullet points please.
The Moral stuff – A Politics of care, for the many, not the few.
– what is government for?
– health,
– housing,
– social care,
– education
– transport
– energy
– food
– inequality and why it matters.
Who are we not listening to?
What needs to change?
Global thinking. One planet, shared with others.
Trade, Aid, Environment.
How to make everyone’s home country, a pleasant, safe place to live.
Who are we not listening to?
What needs to change?
Military stuff
– national security, what threatens us, what keeps us safe, who are our reliable allies, who needs our help? who can help us? (food security, energy security, trade security, territorial security).
Who are we not listening to?
What needs to change?
The Money stuff
– how to pay for it.
– changing the hard choices we make
– MMT explained snappily
– tax, what it does and doesn’t do, who should be paying it?
– how our economy can work FOR us, rather than us being sacrificed for the economy
– living within our means, when money isn’t the problem, but resources are finite.
Who are we not listening to?
What needs to change?
As always – off the top of my head so full of holes. Every bullet point to have at least one positive practical policy example attached.
The overall balance to be positive practical suggestions, – more of that than criticism of the status quo. Where there is criticism, it should come matched with an answer to “what needs to change”?
The “who are we not listening to?” is REALLY important, and by “we”, I mean, “WE” – here in FTF!!!
(Unconscious bias, selection bias, a pro-active attempt to empower the silent, the disenfranchised, the disadvantaged, the ignored, the opted out and excluded, the broken, even the DEAD – think Grenfell Tower for example, the dead are possibly the MOST important voices we needed to listen to there. Who can be trusted to represent THEM?)
This has been copied and pasted for use. Thanks.
Hi Richard
I send your material to family, friends, and Green Party colleagues. I have sent 1-2 to my MP.
The Shorts are a good idea as few people listen to anything for more than a few minutes unless they’re really interested in it. Sadly politics and economics don’t do it for most people in my experience – except a few of us! The short written posts are good too as I can copy and paste them straight into an email myself! Sorry for the plagiarism! I like the longer videos but fear that only a few people stay to the end of them unless it grips them.
Keep plagiarising!