Energy is everything – what is really behind the financial crisis – something which eludes bankers and economists

Great article on the present complete inability of economists and politicians to see what is actually going on: See full thing at: http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=8817&page=1   It is fascinating to watch the behaviour of our political and business leaders as they attempt to cope with the world’s deepening financial crisis. It is becoming clear that they don’t […]

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'Tax the privileged and reduce the deadweight costs' – from Chris Cook, Claverton, letter in Financial Times

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2b060736-2a1e-11de-9d01-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1 Published: April 16 2009 03:00 | Last updated: April 16 2009 03:00 From Mr Chris Cook. Sir, I am sure British correspondents will also be pointing out that it is not just the US tax code that is broken (“Mending America’s broken tax code”, Editorial, April 14), but this misses a deeper point. The […]

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That financial crisis in full – G20 triumph – latest

The banks lost all their money, put pressure on the politicians who in London, agreed to give them all the money back, by taking our money and giving it to them for the next 20 years. The also agreed to leave the tax havens pretty much as they are – well the ones that people […]

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HOUSE OF COMMONS SEMINAR ON LAND VALUE TAXATION

    Organised by The Coalition for Economic Justice Hosted by Vince Cable MP Panel of Speakers: Sir Sam Brittan,  Financial Times Fred Harrison*,  Land Research Trust Prof Iain McLean,  Professor of Politics– Oxford University Ashley Seager,  The Guardian Molly Scott Cato,  Green Party Economics speaker David Triggs,  Henry George Foundation * Author of Boom […]

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"UK Energy Risks – Uncertain but not Unimaginable" – Global Energy Advisory

On the 23rd of February it was reported that one of the large six utility companies in the UK lost £172.5mn, in just three months, by trading a gas position. This loss could have been against a background of relatively low gas price volatility; presumably this “increase in wholesale cost” will now be passed on to end consumers? Who trades and who pays? Who invests and who pays?
The new Energy & Climate Change Committee is today taking oral evidence from the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Rt Hon Edward Miliband MP, in the House of Commons in London. The independent Global Energy Advisory White Paper entitled: Investment Failure, Fails Customers, was circulated to the Committee earlier this week.

The paper discusses the potential risks to UK energy security which are well known within the Industry. It also asks pertinent questions regarding the costs and consequences of the energy investment/trading decisions being taken at the current time.

This discussion will be continued at the Global Energy/Advisory Super Derivatives Seminar in London on March 5th – see below for full details.

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Professor Lowe notes connection between Birkenhead disaster and 'complex systems such as politics, globalisation and economics' – the banking crisis perhaps?

Note from Professor Lowe, All The following is taken from J.E Gordon’s book, Structures, or why things don’t fall down.  I can’t help thinking it has lessons for globalisation.  I particularly like the last sentence, which has an unintended application to politics and economics and to many complex systems. “A much better-known accident of this […]

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