I note the FED put $16 trillion into bail outs - more than US annual GDP. Whatever we think up on accountability, that can't be it. We don't know what the BoE has done as secrecy rules here
On Oct 19, 9:02 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > I've been tempted by power, think I'm more fit for it than most (as > far as honest self-reflection goes) and still think it's generally a > mistake and almost inescapably animal (though even here there is a > difference between Frodo and Freud amongst the chimps). What we need > to escape is a 'libidinal economy' and the ease with which rationality > is merely using cleverness to get one's way, even if through appeal to > gullible electorates. My conclusion is we need to do away with the > cult of richness and the great leader. Even the Lao Tsu notion of the > mark of a good leader being that the people will think they did things > for themselves can be perverted. > > I don't think we can perfect much socially - yet we could establish > banking as a mere utility and recognise our factional politics aren't > democracy - and we could have counterveilling institutions and > organise work without work ethic fetish (we have to admit there are an > awful lot of slackers). This all entails authority. > > Current economics and authority are Undead ducks and there's no point > in putting ourselves through 'Animal Farm'. The most telling phrase I > heard in the old Soviet Block after the wall fall was that the > 'apparatchiks were become the entrepreneurchiks'. Some of the turds I > worked with at the World Bank promised that the conversion to liberal > capitalism would be over in 500 days -then 150 days. Meanwhile food > prices quadrupled and wages and employment crashed. I was, of course, > sacked (thank goodness I couldn't put up with the dross). > > 'All' we have to do is organise food supplies and wage-related wealth > distribution - and it seems strange that this still means breaking the > power of the rich - this may well only have slackened off in the west > after the world wars and now be back with a vengeance (it definitely > is in terms of what they own). I saw some Chinese dork saying the > west would all have to work harder and longer - why should anyone have > to given productivity rises in factors of ten since we all broke our > backs in toil? > > On Oct 19, 7:16 pm, frantheman <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > "Il faut cultiver notre jardin," said Voltaire's Candide, at the end > > of a chain of ghastly experiences in the world of the 18th Century, a > > world with many similarities to our own. In the end, a feeling of > > disgust at the corruption of public life at all levels, combined with > > a feeling of individual impotence, leads to a withdrawal from public > > life to dedicate ourselves to our small private worlds, where there is > > still a possibility of soldarity, concern, decency and human warmth. > > > Yet, thirty years after the publication of Voltaire's masterpiece, the > > French Revolution (majorly inspired by ideas of many such as Voltaire) > > erupted in Europe, changing all the paradigms. The ghastly > > contradictions underlying much of what defines our modern societies > > are becoming more evident and are giving rise to increasing > > resistance; from the Arab Spring to the Occupy Wall St./Frankfurt/City/ > > etc. movements. > > > What worries me, among other things, is the lesson of history that > > when systems finally collapse (or are torn down) as a result of > > intolerable contradictions, the period of change leading to the > > establishment of new paradigms is generally accompanied by terrible > > suffering and death for millions - whether the Jacobin terror, or the > > events in the wake of the February and October Revolutions in Russia. > > > And, of course, the fact that the same corrupt, cynical, corrupt > > bastards and criminals either retain power (Talleyrand) or that even > > worse clones of the same (Stalin) rise to the top ... > > > On 19 Okt., 19:25, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I can't take it myself to be honest Chris. Derrida used to say we are > > > in spirit positive. In Anglo-Saxon terms he was just a liberal, almost > > > priestly as a bloke over a few beers. I was younger then, still able > > > to knock things over and feel it was worth the bother. I suspect we > > > don't understand "negation" very well. Gabby (bless) always has some > > > - or it seems that way (I remember very positive support of me some > > > years back) - and the question arising is when this becomes as much > > > censorship as all the other stuff we might brand as that. It isn't > > > "negation" or the sting of criticism that really gets to me, more > > > selfish attitudes in what I feel as madness, triumphed as positive but > > > perpetual children. I like kids and even childish behaviour as > > > entertainment. I can't stand the failure of education in making a > > > decent society of responsible adults. > > > I've done a lot more than most in playing the game - £7 million in > > > research/project grants doesn't come from admissions projects will > > > fail in the business plan. But the critical eye has to admit the > > > majority fail and I was often signing-off on lies. £9K for university > > > tutoring (outside of science and engineering) goes to fund middle- > > > class lifestyles of the university hangers-on not towards the > > > education of the young person. When last full-time, I was teaching > > > 100 FTEs at least (200 times £9K = £900K in fees leaving £810K after > > > my costs). I could have done a better job for the students with > > > properly organised distance learning and a 'university' organised > > > around local pubs, theartres and sports clubs done through social > > > media - the overhead costed at around £100K (electronic library > > > etc.). A better education with much more opportunity for small > > > business involvement and so on at under a third of the cost and one > > > not building onerous debt. What is negative in this? And sadly, the > > > answer is easy middle-class incomes. I can go on an explain how even > > > these would not be affected as we could expand more practical > > > education and work development. I'm talking here of a more social, > > > more tutor supported education better than the expensive, debt- > > > producing fantasy we're forcing kids into. And one with lots of local > > > creative possibilities with less bureaucracy and vastly increased > > > 'civic' involvement. > > > You have to 'deconstruct' to get to the above idea - and elsewhere in > > > terms of stuff like agricultural and manufacturing productivity we > > > have done this with little thought on the jobs lost by workers - > > > indeed we've run roughshod over 'them'. The point in the negation > > > should be positive - about the use of efficiency for general well- > > > being and the creation of wider prosperity, probably redefined. > > > > What's hard, Chris, is facing-up to what life means to most people - > > > the economics I've never taught (but colleagues have from a single > > > text book) leads to a few very rich and the rest in debt-rent-mortgage > > > peonage and the arms' race. It must be obvious we barely have even > > > capitalism. It would be great to be able to ignore politics and the > > > status quo, but we need to build so we can. The old phrase from the > > > 50's (I only know from reading) was 'structuring freedom'. The human > > > population has tripled since I was born (I reject personal, intimate > > > responsibility!) - all very 'free' - producing planet burning and soon > > > 'competition for air'. Raising questions about how complex freedom > > > is. > > > > The weight on us - if we think for improved practice - is complexity > > > that most use simple Idols on to make their sense. I played rugby and > > > was a cop. The whole Bradford Northern front row were less > > > intimidating than the mad munter of some low-life I might nick with a > > > bread knife. The rules and structure of the competition allow rugby - > > > but what rules and structure would allow a decent society. Not every > > > claim can count in trying to do that do should, in principle be heard > > > so we don't 'go total' like some Spanish Fascit (fair typo) stealing > > > babies from their ideologically unsound mothers. > > > > I guess that fear is the load we are experiencing - maybe like that of > > > animals in hierarchies under all kinds of complex leader power - just > > > look what cockroaches and bees do to members in their 'reaching > > > consensus rules'. Even the really positive is negative - we can now > > > support human life without much effort - so why do we need poverty? > > > That would destroy the motivation of the rest of us now, wouldn't it? > > > The most obvious fact in the world is that most of what we claim we > > > want as moral individuals needs a change in what society is and what > > > people can aspire to as persons in it - otherwise we head to the usual > > > human solution, war. > > > > Maybe I should 'out Dilbert' Scott Adams, you do some illustrations > > > and pics, and we should watch the fireworks from Bermuda? I like the > > > shadows in Bermuda. > > > > On Oct 19, 3:56 pm, Chris Jenkins <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > I've never had someone so casually create a crushing despair in me, > > > > Neil. > > > > Your writing has always affected me greatly, but the sense of general > > > > futility that is often expressed weighs a ton. As someone who still > > > > holds > > > > out hope for society's betterment, your words often feel like mountains > > > > on > > > > my head.The sense of truth in them, I think, is what gives them so much > > > > weight. > > > > > On Tue, Oct 18, 2011 at 4:25 PM, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > The smell of authority gets up my nose however disguised Gabby - we've > > > > > just seen an example in rugby union with a Welsh player sent off for a > > > > > decent tackle and then banned for three games to reinforce the > > > > > referee's authority. It all reeks of what people do given authority. > > > > > Sport hardly matters, but the example is good. I don't know what's > > > > > happening in Detroit. I do know that in Spain a ring... > > read more »
