This page represents only my own views, and not those of any university or other body.
Posted Monday 3rd September 2012 at 12.26pm
Some interesting economic analyses
It's a year since I wrote my new blog architecture! Happy blogiversary, me!
A new golden rule for Labour
Impose cuts faster
We can't grow ourselves out of debt
The last one is one corner of an argument that asks why we fixate on economic growth so much. It's an important measure of how the country is doing, but it's not the only one. I seem to remember an episode of the Simpsons where Homer stands for mayor and his headline policy is a free buffalo in everyone's garage. (Maybe it wasn't the Simpsons, wasn't Homer and wasn't buffalo, but that's not the point.) Of course it's not the state's job to spend everyone's money on buffalo, but the state could reasonably easily buy a buffalo - even a Buffalo buffalo - per household if it really wanted to. Now imagine that instead of a buffalo per household it's 20 pianos and 50 ping pong tables per city. Cost: peanuts. If they're vandalised (difficult in the case of the ping pong tables assuming you make them sturdy enough, like the ones in Paris) then replace them.
I'm not saying forget about economic growth or raise taxes or cut taxes or stop the cuts or make the cuts faster. I'm not even saying buy pianos and ping pong tables. What I'm saying is that very small, inexpensive things can make a significant difference. If we can't afford free public libraries or inexpensive leisure centres, there are still things we can do to make people's lives a little bit more fun. And, like economic growth, fun is important.
PS There are elections in Quebec today. I've taken very little interest in Canadian politics while I've been here, but I think it's safe to say we should all have our fingers crossed.
PPS I read yesterday that "The large poster that welcomes visitors to the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills office in London exudes the state's irrelevance: 'Great Britain: low corporation tax and less regulation'." I really hope this is not true. Less regulation than what? A one-legged hamster in Stockport?
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Comments
Posted Monday 3rd September 2012 at 12.57pm
Matt Roberts says:
I notice that I used the word "inexpensive" twice in quick succession there. I think the word "cheap" has been cheapened by its association with the word "nasty".
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