Discussion Paper

Rumpelstiltskin, debt and economic liberty

"Modern historians have for the most part removed the ancient Near East from the mainstream of history. Modern economic systems have sanctified the payment of debt, but this is not some natural or God-given rule, rather a situation designed by financial elites," writes Anne Ryan.

Extinction Rebellion, Green New Deal, Labour and sustainability……. and Cap and Share

"What we must try to promise is not rising incomes but security," writes Brian Davey. "That's a fundamental point and I don't find it in the proposals for a Green New Deal, which is all about creating 'well paid jobs'. Since the consumption of our society is a major part of the problem, we have to wrestle with how we reduce our consumption."

Culture and climate

"I see the shadow of a proper economy everywhere....decayed towns and villages, drained by corporate retail park, entirely oil-powered suburbia and the falsely-egalitarian call of the internet, await the returning flow of ingenious, convivial humanity," writes Patrick Noble in a foreword to his new book.

End of the Oilocene: the roar of the oil-fizzle dragon king

"Ireland’s policymakers exist in an insulated bubble; congratulating themselves on reducing the debt-GDP ratio and high employment due to the sleight of hand of low corporate tax rates, " writes Tim Clarke. He argues that Ireland is hugely vulnerable to a global financial crash triggered by net energy decline, coupled with rapidly rising extreme global debts and many other factors: "Talk of a 'Celtic Phoenix' excites dull short memories, and another property bubble is in the making."

On being conservative for the common against those who are conservative for enclosure

Patrick Noble warns us to "beware of grown-ups – the grown-up in ourselves as much as in others. Our true coming of age is into the spirit of the common; into the responsibilities of the rule of return and the maintenance of the joys of precious things."

Significant discrepancies between Irish peoples’ overall well-being and Irish GDP levels during the period 2000-2014, according to new study published by Feasta and FEST

A newly-developed National Well-being Index finds that well-being in Ireland flatlined and even diminished slightly during peak GDP years 2001-2004. The index takes housework, voluntary work, healthcare, education and environmental damage into account.

Subscribe to the Feasta Newslist