Category Peak Oil
CORONAVIRUS | WHERE’S THIS HEADING (PART 3)?
A Long Read This post is the final one in a series of what’s turned out to be four parts (1, 2A, 2B and 3) contemplating the economic, political and social implications of the Covid-19 pandemic. The perspective I’m sharing here is held by people whom I refer to as ‘alt-economists’; I suppose I’m one […]
CORONAVIRUS | WHERE’S THIS HEADING (PART 2B)?
This is Part 2B of what will now be a four-part series of posts; things are changing rapidly. We’re interested in the extraordinary impact of governments’ reactions to the Covid-19 pandemic. Some of us consider that, as grim as Covid-19 could be (and for now that remains arguable without meaningful data and in the context […]
POWERING CIVILISATION (PART ONE)
‘Energy is vital to civilisation. In fact, all of human history can be viewed through the lens of energy’ Dr Michio Kaku, ‘Physics of the Impossible’ ‘Ultimately, the economy is, and always has been, a surplus energy equation. As such, it is governed by the laws of the thermodynamics, and not by the man-made ‘laws’ […]
A DUTY TO BE POSITIVE
Carlos is Moraymint’s contrarian; in that sense he’s about to do me a big favour. Let’s be honest, I’ve devoted perhaps a little too much blog space (understatement) to explaining how and why I think we’re at one of history’s great ‘turning points’. I argue – and will probably continue to argue – that we’re living […]
WHERE’S THIS HEADING?
Pour Yourself a Beer Pour yourself a beer or something before you start reading this post; it’s a ‘big yin’ (big one) as we say here in Scotland. What’s a Young Person Supposed to Do? This post is the first of two consecutive posts. The second post will address the question, ‘What’s a young person […]
PUBLIC DEBT HEADING FOR STRATOSPHERE IF NHS NOT REFORMED
Today Jeremy Warner pointed out in the Daily Telegraph (link below) that unless the National Health Service is reformed, root and branch, then the UK’s national debt will hit 220% of GDP by 2062. It won’t get to that situation, of course, because as the economist Herbert Stein once said, “If something cannot go on forever, […]
ALMOST TIME TO LOOK TO THE POSITIVES
Introduction This post is the longest one I’ve written to date. You might wish to make yourself a cup of tea or coffee, or pour something stronger before reading on. Indeed, you might decide to wander off and find better things to do; if so, that’s fine by me. If you’re sticking around, though, you’ll […]
UK ECONOMIC GROWTH FORECAST HALVED
For those of us who have spent at least the past 5 years pointing out that the developed world has reached the end of growth, in other words the end of industrial age, cheap-fossil-fuelled-energy rates of economic growth, it’s no surprise to learn that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has today announced a halving of […]
ENERGY – REALITY INTRUDES
Since around the end of the last century, and certainly within the first few years of the 21st century it seemed clear to me that the only game in town for the coming 25 years – and quite possibly for the next 50 years – would be energy; specifically, mankind’s insatiable appetite for energy, exacerbated […]
SOMETHING STRANGE IS HAPPENING – PART I
Essay # 1 It’s the second decade of the 21st century and something strange is happening to our society; strange and potentially threatening. Incidentally, don’t get hung up on that word “threatening”; we’ll end this essay on a comforting note. If I’m right to declare this then I want you, my children, to have some […]
Moraymint Chatter 