The outrage and contempt which people feel towards our MPs may hasten a tipping point – an angry challenge to the culture of greed which consumes our institutions. Banks run like casinos – the rich who pay no taxes – professional probity sold for gold – everyone with influence ‘on the make’. The present campaign against benefit fraud, depicts a big eye with the words; “we’re watching you!”. What shameless hypocrisy.
Without exception, our political leaders bought into the doctrine of free market capitalism – now that it’s ‘broke’, they have no alternative model. But we won’t solve this problem with the mindset that caused it – we need to look elsewhere. All across the World Wide Web, many thousands of networks (like Senscot) are calling for a New Economics – to ensure a fairer distribution of our planet’s limited resources.
At a recent ‘roundtable’ about the recession, I had a wee rant about greed. A woman whose work I have admired for many years (a psychotherapist), responded quietly. ”You say, Laurence, that some people exaggerate the importance of wealth – equate it with security, freedom, fulfilment etc – I’m sure this is true. But have you considered that your deep hostility to wealth could equally be a projection. You ascribe to money the power to corrupt, degrade, exploit etc. Surely money is only what we make it.” What she said must have got to me, cos I’m still thinking about it. Laurence Demarco SENSCOT May 2009
A Call for New Economics?
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