Great post.

Fine words. One German economist in particular held those sort of views in the 19th century. Unfortunately, everywhere his theories were put into practice all we saw was poverty, human misery, impoverishment and - guess what? - most humans serving the needs of a small ruling elite. Maybe if a few more people understood that you have to create wealth before you can enjoy the benefits of it (like being able to afford to take the day off because of the weather - my Grandad was a miner who had to walk 8 miles each day each way just to get from home to the coal face and he never had that luxury if the family was to eat) we'd be in a better state than we are now.

And don't throw the investment bankers argument at me; throw the buggers off a cliff by all means - I'll give you a hand - but their greed and selfishness is a separate issue.

And now we have absolutely no poverty, human misery or impoverishment - oh hang on a second... just poverty of imagination.

All depends what sort of wealth are you talking about. As Rowan Williams pointed out before Christmas the etymology of the word economy is 'household and habitat' it describes the means through which we create the conditions for a good life. The fact that most people don't enjoy their jobs and that enormous amounts of energy goes in to disciplining them to do things they don't enjoy and that aren't socially productive and might even be downright damaging is hardly evidence of a successful economy. And the 'german economist' argument is not only a cliche it's not an argument, it's a straw man device and you know it. Your Grandad was a victim of the expropriation of his labour-power by those for whom he generated surplus value, the very people who had the time to take every day off because they lived of the work and alienation of others. The only saving grace being the culture of solidarity and resistance working under such conditions generated. Shame there's not more of that now, instead of all these mean spirited attempts to make people feel guilty for enjoying themselves, when they try and recoup some of the 'wealth' they're owed and have been owed for generations. I'm sure 'business' as usual will return only too soon.

Thank goodness for an economy that uses the energy of creative people to design free gifts for cornflake packets, designs obsolescence into products and thrives off making people feel they lack something in their lives - the latest tv, car, hair colour, slimming pill etc. You couldn't make it up, but unfortunately there's plenty of people out there to unthinkingly defend it.

Just to get it back on my own intellectual level, may I interject with my own thoughts.


Snow is cold.


Thanks!

Give me a shout when you want to return to the real world?

Utter bollox.

THIS snow is in fact BLOODY cold!!!!!

As in freezeyourbloodyboloxoff cold!

It was minus bloody NINE on the way back between Addingham and Silsden earlier. I'm totally pîssed off with it now. Come back rain, all is forgiven...

Well argued. I give up.

Thank chuff . . . .

Now, snow . . . .

SUPER LEAGUE"been able to get in to work", "can't get in to work" [/iicon_wink.gif may find rlTHISrl, and the free Gillette World Club Challenge tickets, of interest.

Hmmm. Might be worth a quick google image search and half an hour with Photoshop, that

Just been reading our local rag here and did not realize just how bad it is over in Blighty. It says there the UK.it is set to break the -17c record this winter. Seriously, I hope the old people are not forgotten whilst this spell of bad weather is on.

Lecture on Thursday 4th Feb 2010 · Economics 0 - Reality 1 (Old Theatre, London School of Economics & Political Science)

Has the credit crunch exposed the futility of academic economics? Should LSE be closed down and converted into something more socially productive? In this lecture John Lanchester challenges the profession of economics with fundamental questions about its purpose and direction.

John Lanchester is a journalist, novelist and winner of the Whitbread Book Award. He is a regular contributor to the London Review of Books and the New Yorker, with a monthly column in Esquire. This event marks the launch of his new book Whoops.

Tickets: Free

For anyone wishing to explore the concept of reality in more depth.

Yes. . . . and made into an ice rink so that this thread gets back to being, broadly, snowy related again.

Oh dear, off topic in a off topic thread... that'd never do.

I have being trying to buy some screen wash now for a week. There is none to be had anywhere. I think I will be on the bus next week as I won't be able to see where I am going...
Does anyone know a secret mixture to make screen wash so it doesn't freeze?