I think the design for the infographics is settled. It was option C from yesterday, with a few tweaks.
This is today's offering in what I think will be the style we will use.
The plan is to now produce a series of these, maybe starting with core issues, such as what the economy is and what economics is. But I will see how the day and week go, knowing that it will be disrupted on Thursday and maybe Friday by another round of hospital treatment.
NB: This file was amended on 14/7/26 to ensure full MMT compliance.
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One of the landmarks of the Bristol Channel is Sully Hospital
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sully_Hospital
Built in the late 30’s to treat TB
Obviously 20 years later that was no longer an issue thanks to antibiotics etc
Now just imagine if it had been built under PFI!
No, this is a TB Hospital, either we treat TB patients or we renegotiate the contract and as the contractors we have you over a barrel
Imagine. I would rather not.
This is good. Thank you for putting so much thought into this.
I voted previously for a white ground, because it had colourful text (I like a bit of lemon) but a cream ground is easier on the eye, and there is enough colour to help my add brain, without I hope putting off those with different wiring variations.
Cream was recommended after research
I believe the investment appraisal methodology used to select PFI as the “preferred option” for projects is distorted and dishonest. It should have no place in responsible economic management. How and why does the accountancy profession tolerate this nonsense?
They tolerate anything that increases their fees.
If you rent instead of buy you always end up paying more.
(Yes, PFI is a bit more complex… and your Infographic captures it well. But, this single sentence tends to cut through to most people.)
Agreed, but I think it is there
Excellent, clear and punchy. You and the team to be commended.
Thank you.
Can’t wait to share these. Is there any where to access them all? They will be brilliant to use in comments/replies on LI posts.
This morning’s is a real one. Should I be posting them on LI?
Yes, and storing them somewhere on here where we can find them easily please.
I am planning that…
Andy Moyle is not around though
I have simply copied and pasted them into my storage, but if there’s a cascade of useful info coming our way, I need to know what LI is please!
Linkied In
Thanks for putting all the effort in doing these infographics.
They are a really useful way of summarising complex areas, introducing terminology, and providing clarification where issues/messaging has been “distorted”.
With regards to how language and terminology can be used in different settings to mean different things, I was thinking that perspectives could be changed by replacing the word “national debt” with something like “accrued national deficit”. However, I am coming to this a ‘lay person’ and not from a financial/accounting perspective.
Furthermore, investment in ‘assets’ for the wealth of the nation, can also mean investing in public buildings, the environment, safety and security within society, workforce wellbeing, health of the population, integrated transport networks etc – and not just in material/monetary assets.
Much to agree with
Again, although I feel that I have grasped these issues already from your blogs and other work, it can do nothing but good in re-presenting them in a different way.
Thank you
I refer a lot of site visitors to your stuff for information about how the economy really works. One of the problems they have is knowing where to start. I started a few years ago and I found it invaluable – it opened my eyes. I wonder if a way could be found to always present a prominent guide for new visitors so they gradually become familiar with key stuff. Your infographics could act as an excellent index – especially if they were accompanied by links to further articles/videos. People learn in different ways, some are visual (infographics) some like talking heads (videos) some like text (articles and bullet points are my personal preference.) It’s the new ones we want to get to, not those of us who are already (almost) singing from the same hymn sheet.
As you can see today, Mike, I am working on this
I have heard of PFI described as Buy 1, Pay for 3.
I like that. It has enough truth to be reight, and humorous.
I have been taking screenshots of the infographics on my desktop computer and getting .png files measuring 16 inches wide.
These can be easily resized for circulation and/or printing.
A laptop could give results a wee bit smaller but still of a decent size.
(© Murphy of course!)
Print away!
Richard, these infographics are great. I agree with many other commenters that we need multiple means of persuasion tailored to the intended audience. The medium is indeed the message.
A suggestion for this one, perhaps don’t start explaining PFI by saying what it is not? That comes a bit later. How about:
What is PFI? PFI is the most expensive, inefficient and wasteful type of Government spending.
I think this is conveyed well enough
Was A.I. used in making this?
I write the material. AI turns it into the graphic. Rather like electonic imaging makes the photos of whatever I point my camera at.
The graphic talks about taxpayer making payments and the public paying more – this is definitely the language the public understands but does it fit with MMT – ie does tax need to rise and therefore withdrawing more money from circulation – cancelling the money – and then Government creating and paying more to the private sector? Apologies if I misunderstand
Pedantry won’t get is anywhere.
And we do pay tax. And it is government revenue.
I now realise if I do these I will forever be plagued by MMT censors. Shall we deal with the world we live in and not take on every battle at once instead? If MMT wants to be relevant that is what it mustn’t do, and not go the way of Marxism, riddled with ‘holier than thou’ sects.
Sorry, but that’s how I feel after a long day. I could spend days crafting one of these to ensure no-one can picks holes in it (and fail) or get on with trying to change the world. Which is the better choice?
I took your iuint overnight – I was very tired when. I wrote last night. Apoloigies if I was grumpy. I have amended the graphic as a rseult. I have also wrritten an AI routinme to check the texts before I make these.
This will be so useful in our NHS campaign as our hospital trust is paying some £95m a year on OFI before it has bought a single antiseptic wipe!
(And now the Govt is suggesting doing the same with useless Neighbourhood Medical Centres.)
Item 3 looks a bit as though the private company borrows the money, not the public service or have I misread that one?
The other thing is that (at our trust anyway) the PFI lender also takes portering and catering from in house, meaning all sorts of problems from porters refusing to wear masks for chemo patients, to patients getting miserable food that is not nourishing for healing. And the trust can do nothing about it!
The rivate comopany does borrow the money, which is ludicrous, but true.
At last Friday’s Port Sorrel U3A discussion group somebody mentioned that teachers are not allowed to change light globes in their own classrooms and that it could take a month to get one changed and cost a fortune. I pointed out that there was probably a PFI in place that included maintenance and that was how the contractor made their money.
My own profession of engineer in the broadcasting industry was hit by similar commercial contracts that forbade competent on-site staff repairing electronic equipment. The purchase of new equipment often included a service level agreement with the manufacturer that meant we had to send faulty equipment back to them for a fixed-price repair rather than spend half an hour with our own soldering iron replacing a ten shilling transistor.
That is PFI
“REVEALED: The true scale of school PFI debts”
“Private Finance Initiative: hospitals will bring taxpayers 60 years of pain”
“Tony Blair’s Private Finance deals still haunt the NHS, new league table reveals“
Thank you
Clear, concise yet with enough detail and easy to understand.
All the best with your hospital follow up. I wish you well.
Thank you
It struck me when looking at a very different infographic that I’d find yours far easier to follow if the graphic layout included some visual clues to the cell order. My personal instinct is to go down one column at a time, each cell being more of a paragraph than a character, and the effect is a short comprehension stall on moving between each cell. especially at first. The one I was looking at had an explicit path, with arrows, which made it easy and unambiguous; but I’m sure there are many other ways to give an appropriate graphical hint without taking too much space.
I fround the arrows unhelpful, so took them off
Isn’t it odd how we all react differently?
Looking carefully at your example here the spacing between the bottom and top of adjoining cells is smaller than between left and right. I think that tends to link the cells in columns, visually, which is the reverse of what is wanted to follow the story line. Turning that around, so cells on the same level are closer to each other than to those below, might clarify the order without using much or any space or introducing a new, potentially distracting visual element.
Doubtless a professional graphic designer (which I am not) would have other ideas.
I am not sure I have that much control over things. I can assure you producinmg these thinsg is not easy.
Richard many thanks for the infographics ! They are such a great way to explain what we don’t usually hear about.
Please do a practice run on some merch now – tea towels and t shirts for starters – great presents for spreading the word!!
When I am feeling better.
Yesterday was back to pain.
To be fair, PFI contracts do have some advantages, including the contractual enforcement of a maintenance regime that can’t be skimped on or postponed to be the next government’s problem. The building that is handed over at the end is still in good condition and fit for purpose.
You clearly know nothing about PFI