When I first perused this book I thought it might be boring, as he named each chapter with another version of reductionism. But I ended up reading it twice and taking notes. Continue reading “T Colin Campbell’s book “Whole” changes what you think about nutrients”
For a society to move forward and to be fair, improving democracy is not enough. Continue reading “Democracy is not enough”
Although about a fifth of the South Island high country is owned by Government and leased out to runholders, this is changing. Since 1992 the Government has allowed the privatisation of leasehold land. Called “tenure review” it involves an unusual deal and the government loses. The runholders because of their input into the farm claim the improvements belong to them. They end up getting part of the farm for a song. No I am wrong – they sometimes make money on the deal by a strange mechanism. And then they flip it on, making millions in the process. The less valuable land is kept for conservation. There is something strange about the land valuation process. Continue reading “Time to halt privatisation of high country”
Of late the Opposition has been pointing out that business confidence is declining. NZIER had released a survey saying business confidence is at a seven year low. The Government has been quick to dismiss it as a political bias by business – as something they always opine when a Labour Government comes in. And the Asian stockmarkets are currently looking wobbly. RNZ’s long term economic commentator Patrick O’Meara talked of softer demands, slower growth, lower investment intentions. He talked of the looming US-China trade war has attributed that to the fact that on Saturday Trump’s tariffs on Chinese goods begin. It may also affect markets in Europe, Canada and Mexico. Continue reading “Economic reality strikes – growth is ending”
Anthony is a homeless guy who sits near Countdown in Waikanae and often sleeps in the Akatarawas in his tent. Continue reading “Homeless are entitled to at least $217 a week just by being born”
Half hour interview with Karl Fitzgerald of Prosper Australia on the Big Shift. https://www.mixcloud.com/RenegadeEconomists/ Continue reading “Interview on the Big Shift”
This is the trailer for the video record of the Living Economies Expo, from April 2017. Individual recordings of most of the talks will be through the post-production process soon, so those who were unable to attend can still receive the content.
Yes they ordered five and when I arrived there were only three there. Here it is. 
Many are asking if we have to sit around waiting for the current system to collapse. If we have only 3 years to turn around the emissions pattern as the UN has said, we had better get on with designing the next system. Continue reading “To get the next economic system we need to find the assumptions of this one”
Climate change groups were noticeably absent from the recent public discussion about the rising price of petrol. Nobody was saying publicly that if we are to turn emissions around, we have to make it more expensive to drive. Not the Greens, not Generation Zero or 350.0rg. Nobody. It had been a unanimous outcry of pain against high petrol prices. Why? Surely lower petrol prices would clog up our roads, get people off public transport and adversely impact our emissions? Continue reading “The price of petrol and climate action”