Alternatives aplenty | 115 comments (115 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

"One idea is a British investment bank"

There should always be at least one state investment bank (for a start, it would allow for some projects to be prioritized on different grounds than usual, aka short term returns). That is a nice side-effect of the likelihood of some banks being put into receivership and nationalised for a penny: you may not even need to create it.

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. Gandhi

by Cyrille (cyrillev domain yahoo.fr) on Sun Oct 30th, 2011 at 01:00:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Plan B for the UK (4.00 / 2)

Yes, as long as the country has a Creative and Innovative Class capable of generating new products or services in a macro-economic environment capable of purchasing, absorbing, those products or services. "Investing money" in "new product development" when nobody can buy the goddamn things due a macro-economic Austerity collapsing the micro-economy is Neo-Classical Brain Rot© in all its wondrousness.

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre

by ATinNM on Sun Oct 30th, 2011 at 01:20:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Plan B for the UK (4.00 / 3)

Did I talk about product development?

With a state investment bank, there is not even the need for feed-in tariffs to finance clean energy projects.

Neither did I say that a state investment bank would solve all problems. But leaving such an important thing as investment purely in the hand of short-term bonanza seekers is crazy.

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. Gandhi

by Cyrille (cyrillev domain yahoo.fr) on Sun Oct 30th, 2011 at 02:06:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Plan B for the UK (4.00 / 3)

I see I didn't make it clear the "Neo-Classical Brain Rot" was directed at the British Government, not you. I inadvertently insulted you and I apologize.

But .... look

IS electric infrastructure invest by the UK government a Good Idea? Of course. And I doubt I have to 'splain why.

Will it kick-start a round of economic vitality. Almost certainly no.

We know this from the affects on the economy from the history of the Rural Electrification Program carried out in FDR's administration. Yes it brought electric power to the rural areas. It did not promote a wave of use because the farmers couldn't afford to purchase products, e.g., milking machines, that could take advantage of it.

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre

by ATinNM on Sun Oct 30th, 2011 at 02:36:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Plan B for the UK (none / 0)

Yes it brought electric power to the rural areas. It did not promote a wave of use because the farmers couldn't afford to purchase products, e.g., milking machines, that could take advantage of it.

Not initially, but the REA did bring the countryside into the market for electric appliances once they had the income to purchase them.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Thu Nov 3rd, 2011 at 12:43:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Plan B for the UK (none / 0)

However, if the there are no results "initially," then, in the present political environment, Her Majesty's Government may well find itself ruling something markedly less United than the present Kingdoms.

- Jake

Friends come and go. Enemies accumulate.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Thu Nov 3rd, 2011 at 05:24:13 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Plan B for the UK (4.00 / 2)

But the difference is that UK citizens already has electric appliances. So if investment in clean energy (and a decent market structure) gives lower costs for the electricity bill they have today, should that not free up some space for new consumption or investment?

Sweden's finest (and perhaps only) collaborative, leftist e-newspaper Synapze.se

by A swedish kind of death on Thu Nov 3rd, 2011 at 08:54:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Plan B for the UK (none / 1)

But we would of course still wish to have the feed-in tariffs ~ no sense deliberately tilting the playing field against sustainable power in favor of unsustainable power with government policy creating a totally margin-priced market for electricity.

I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.

by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Thu Nov 3rd, 2011 at 11:07:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Plan B for the UK (none / 0)

no sense deliberately tilting the playing field against sustainable power in favor of unsustainable power

Not from the point of view of fossil fuel energy incumbents! :-)

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Thu Nov 3rd, 2011 at 01:11:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Plan B for the UK (none / 1)

I ruled out taking the wishes of Big Oil into account ~ I said, "No sense ...". Taking the wishes of an industry physically doomed to collapse into account when deciding whether or not the economy should be sustainable would not be sensible behavior.

Its like taking long term investment advice from someone who's doctor said they have three months to live.

I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.

by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Thu Nov 3rd, 2011 at 02:42:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Alternatives aplenty | 115 comments (115 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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