A commentator on the blog, Robert Fox, offered the following tale in response to my post on carbon taxation. I thought it well worth sharing. I have edited, very lightly:
Once upon a time, people in aircraft flying around used to smoke when they felt like it.
Yes, true !
Some passengers didn't like it, nor did the staff and pilots who thought it dangerous, increasing the risk of fire. So a choice had to be made. The options were between keeping smokers happy, the majority of customers happy, economists happy and elimination of the risk.
Option 1.
To reduce the degree of smoking, put a price on each cigarette that is lit. And maybe use the revenue to reduce the airfares. Also there are people who say that it's impossible for them to be ten or fifteen hours without a smoke.
Result: smoking is reduced and the consequent risk.
Economists are pretty happy with this idea.
Option 2.
Give every passenger a cigarette entitlement, say a coupon on boarding. Now the heavy smokers can buy their extras from the non-smokers, and a market can get going.
Next step, automate the process and have a private manager in software adjusting quantities and prices, and–oh, heaven !–clip the ticket along the way.
Result: smoking is reduced and the consequent risk.
Economists are ecstatic with this idea.
Option 3.
Ban smoking on flights.
Result: smoking is eliminated with the all consequent risk. Most customers are much happier.
Economists are utterly miserable.
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Replace planes with trains and it’s a true story.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Harris,_Baron_Harris_of_High_Cross
Ralph Harris leading figure in the Inst. Of Economic Affairs was also a prominent opponent of a smoking ban on trains.
The trouble with neoliberals is that they favour individual freedom over the health of individuals.
Excellent Robert.
More of us need to get past lies.
Like this-LBC currently trying to ‘explain’ money and government spending.
Mansplaining at its most gaslighting best! Shameless msm.
In your original article, I thought the analogy with tobacco companies was a good one – I don’t think I commented – smoking is the biggest con of all time, but a fabulous business strategy: get the population addicted to a non-mind-altering drug and you have customers for life (however short), the governments can promote it because it doesn’t reduce work rates. I suppose that’s the start of when governments started to see their citizens as customers.
I doubt any bans on smoking would have taken place if passive smoking hadn’t been proven to be harmful. And publicised.
Change of subject: I’ve just watched a couple of videos that I found interesting for contemplation, and if you haven’t seen them thought you might be interested Richard:
Professor Dorling – lecture on Brexit and the end of the British empire.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AM5-Ihrztc4&time_continue=478&feature=emb_logo
He takes an Interesting look at geographical features of the distribution in Leave/Remain votes in the EU referendum, raw numbers show it wasn’t the regions in the north voting leave that swung the vote, it’s very much middle class southerners. Our media, of course, has very much let us down by telling us otherwise.
Gabor Maté on the misuse of anti-Semitism and why fewer Jews identify with Israel
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8TBBhPUwrCU
And on russiagate
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uR07OtEhKPE
Quotations from Gabor Maté:
“Don’t be afraid to be disillusioned. It is better to be disillusioned than it is to be illusioned”
“Don’t be afraid to be disidentified. Don’t identify with something outside yourself to the extent you become uncritical and blind”
I found his insights interesting and thought-provoking, and easily extrapolated. I’ve included the Russiagate video because you could easily extrapolate to the UK and Boris being PM – are we just preferring to blame any outside agency on why this happened (it was the Russians what done it!) instead of realising there is a deep flaw in our society that allowed this situation to come to pass? Our complacency can be seen as supporting successively incompetent government. This ties in with some of what Professor Dorling says in his lecture, that it can be people not voting that can swing a vote as much as those that do.
One of the key things that keeps coming up again and again, is the pivotal role the media has in keeping up ill-informed, misinformed and ignorant. How do we change this aspect of our society?
I did a short online course a few years back on the British Empire, quite fascinating, but I was at the time shocked at the number of people on the course (voluntarily) that couldn’t accept anything negative being said about the British Empire, and would vehemently deny much of what was being taught. I had wondered why they originally had said the course may be controversial,,, it wasn’t, not if you were open to hearing about actual history, and accepting the devastation and harm we caused. It’s history, it’s been done, why try and perpetuate a myth that never was? And those that identify too closely with the myth, see criticism of it as criticism of self. Time then to become disillusioned?
I would be interested in anyone’s thoughtful consideration on how they feel about Empire (I had no love of the concept, so there was no loss for me).
I believe the hostile media narrative is the biggest stumbling block for bringing the likes of the green new deal to the forefront of politics and bringing about political and economic reform. I believe the vast majority of people in the UK would be well on board with much of what is being said – if it was ‘mainstream’ – and would buy into things like green government bonds eagerly. If the elites avoid it and the mainstream media avoid it, how do you get reasonable messages across to the public so that there enough people demanding it should be at the forefront? Catch 22. Mass advertising is the only thing I can think of, with simplified populist slogans, of course 😉
I have a great deal of time for Danny Dorling, but am also pleased to count him as a friend
His work is rigorous
Oh I am so glad I found the lecture, and that he has respectable credentials! His talk was very forthright, and I respected him for that and the reasonable conclusions he drew. I will be looking out for his name in any other presentations, and I was even thinking of buying the book. You are very lucky to keep such fascinating company Richard!
Indeed…
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