Ann Pettifor: Debtonation

The Economist had a piece  on Britain’s tax base in its 25th January edition. It begins with a reference to Denis Healey’s speech to the 1973 Labour conference, in which he promised that tax increases  would be met with “howls of anguish” from everyone, not just the rich. As it happens, I have been reviewing the record of Labour Chancellors this last week. With the exception of Hugh Dalton, they were all financially orthodox, and almost all resorted to raising taxes and cutting...

This is the original, long version of an article I wrote for the Guardian. The published version was edited down, and appeared on 28th January. This version was written on 11th December, 2017. “If some of us grow rich in our sleep, where do we think this wealth is coming from? It doesn’t materialise out of thin air. It doesn’t come without costing someone, another human being. It comes from the fruits of others’ labours, which they don’t receive.” John Stuart Mill What has the Bitcoin mania...

This is the original, long version of an article I wrote for the Guardian. The published version was edited down, and appeared on 28th January. This version was written on 11th December, 2017. “If some of us grow rich in our sleep, where do we think this wealth is coming from? It doesn’t materialise out of thin air. It doesn’t come without costing someone, another human being. It comes from the fruits of others’ labours, which they don’t receive.” John Stuart Mill What has the Bitcoin...

Ann Pettifor appeared on TRT’s RoundTable – presented by David Foster – to discuss the merits and demerits of a Universal Basic Income. Ann found herself in opposition to the representative from the Adam Smith Institute (that promote UBI) but also to a representative of Glasgow City Council, where consultation regarding the introduction of UBI is being undertaken.  The debate was lively, and can be watched at 3.30 pm on 7th February,  on TRT RoundTable here. Later it will be posted on You...

Ann Pettifor appeared on TRT’s RoundTable – presented by David Foster – to discuss the merits and demerits of a Universal Basic Income. Ann found herself in opposition to the representative from the Adam Smith Institute (that promote UBI) but also to a representative of Glasgow City Council, where consultation regarding the introduction of UBI is being undertaken.  The debate was lively, and can be watched at 3.30 pm on 7th February,  on TRT RoundTable here. Later it will be posted on...

Together with Gillian Tett of the Financial Times, Ann Pettifor appeared at the top of the Newsnight show on Tuesday, 6th February. After the stock market gyrations of the last few days, the discussion majored on whether viewers had once again to prepare for the worst. Ann argued that the economic model adopted after the crisis – of massive liquidity injections by central banks (QE or monetary easing) coupled with fiscal contraction (‘austerity’) had failed the public. A new model, of...

Together with Gillian Tett of the Financial Times, Ann Pettifor appeared at the top of the Newsnight show on Tuesday, 6th February. After the stock market gyrations of the last few days, the discussion majored on whether viewers had once again to prepare for the worst. Ann argued that the economic model adopted after the crisis – of massive liquidity injections by central banks (QE or monetary easing) coupled with fiscal contraction (‘austerity’) had failed the public. A new model, of...

Today, 6th February, 2018 is the 100th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act, 1918, which gave SOME women the right to vote. (For more on this follow the link to the Fawcett Society’s website.) To honour that anniversary, the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme (from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.) was run and presented by women, with an all-women cast of interviewees. I was honoured to be invited to discuss the position of women in high level posts, and in the economics profession, and was...

Today, 6th February, 2018 is the 100th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act, 1918, which gave SOME women the right to vote. (For more on this follow the link to the Fawcett Society’s website.) To honour that anniversary, the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme (from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.) was run and presented by women, with an all-women cast of interviewees. I was honoured to be invited to discuss the position of women in high level posts, and in the economics profession, and was joined...

Together with Jeremy Smith of Policy Research in Macroeconomics (PRIME), I wrote this for the website UnHerd.com, edited by Tim Montgomerie. The site’s aim is “to appeal to people who instinctively refuse to follow the herd and also want to investigate ‘unheard’ ideas, individuals and communities.” The piece begins with this quote from Alice Walker: “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” Today, the world is confronted by globe-spanning,...