
Is the present depression worse than that of the 1930s? In one important respect it is. Certainly unemployment is not as high now, and though there is much hardship it is nothing like a deep as in the 1930s. It is now four years since the economy collapsed, and yet the total value of our economy is still about 4% lower than four years ago. In the 1930s growth by this time had fully recovered The rate of growth in the last five quarters has amounted to 0.3% This is equivalent to a waste of resoures of more than £30,000 million. There is little sign that this rate of growth will increase significantly in the near future. All thanks to our Conservative government. Read more here
Could the Eurozone break up? Yes it could, though that is not the most likely outcome of the present crisis. An extended recession or slump seems more probable, or maybe they manage to find a better solution altogether. Austerity on its own leads to depression. The countries subject to this policy might revolt against austerity; the surplus countries, notably Germany, might agree to expand. To read more click here.
Health Inequalities are serious, both nationally and locally. They are far greater than most people realise. Recent reports have described the situation in detail. For comments on the national report click here For local report click here; for health and equality click here
Global Warming - really? Climate change goes on. How to stop it and adapt to it will remain major problems for the foreseeable future. Nearly all governments know this but there are other more urgent things to do, so it is not altogether surprising that negotiations have not progressed far. For more click here

Is the present depression worse than that of the 1930s?

In one important respect it is. Certainly unemployment is not as high now, and though there is much hardship it is nothing like a deep as in the 1930s.

It is now four years since the economy collapsed, and yet the total value of our economy is still about 4% lower than four years ago. In the 1930s growth by this time had fully recovered

The rate of growth in the last five quarters has amounted to 0.3% This is equivalent to a waste of resoures of more than £30,000 million. There is little sign that this rate of growth will increase significantly in the near future. All thanks to our Conservative government. Read more here

Could the Eurozone break up? Yes it could, though that is not the most likely outcome of the present crisis. An extended recession or slump seems more probable, or maybe they manage to find a better solution altogether. Austerity on its own leads to depression. The countries subject to this policy might revolt against austerity; the surplus countries, notably Germany, might agree to expand. To read more click here.

Health Inequalities are serious, both nationally and locally. They are far greater than most people realise. Recent reports have described the situation in detail. For comments on the national report click here
For local report click here; for health and equality click here

Global Warming - really? Climate change goes on. How to stop it and adapt to it will remain major problems for the foreseeable future. Nearly all governments know this but there are other more urgent things to do, so it is not altogether surprising that negotiations have not progressed far. For more click here


"Decreasing debt is a marathon, not a sprint." Olivier Blanchard (chief economist of the International Monetary Fund)



"He is a bazooka with the face of an obedient child" Le Monde on David Cameron



"A reform process based on a pillar of fiscal austerity alone risks becoming self-defeating, as domestic demand falls in line with consumers' concerns about job security and disposable incomes eroding national tax revenues." Standard and Poor's (rating agency)



What can be more palpably absurd and ridiculous than the prospect held out of locomotives travelling twice as fast as stagecoaches." Quarterly Review in 1830


"The boom, not the slump, is the best time for austerity at the treasury." Maynard Keynes in 1937



"Mr Cameron made a blunder last week. But that of the eurozone looks far bigger." Martin Wolf in the Financial Times



"We're facing the biggest youth unemployment crisis in a generation with close to one million of our young people unable to find work." Brendan Barber

This and That
Britain has had a national (sovereign) debt of more than 100% of its annual GDP in 81 of the last 170 years.

The life expectancy of the homeless in Britain is 47/48 years

The proprtion of women (shown as percentages) holding senior management posts in selected countries is: Thailand 45, Russia 36, New Zealand 32, Poland 31, Sweden 27, Turkey 25, Brazil 24, UK 23, Italy 22, Germany 11, the global average 20

In the USA state of Iowa, only 21% of Republicans believe in global warming and only 35% believe in evolution