Hi Ben, I thought I would throw in my two pence wo...

2008-03-31T23:08:00.000+01:00

Hi Ben, I thought I would throw in my two pence worth...........
There is one concept at work here that is by no means modern or at all radical.
Parson Thomas Malthus condemned the poor to subsistence two centuries ago by claiming a limit to growth. He posited that while humans populations grow geometrically, materials (food etc) can only be obtained arithmetically. Malthus has been consistently proven wrong by growing populations and economic growth (although distribution has been hugely distorted). Human beings are unavoidably substantial but Malthus misunderstood what creates "value" in a capitalist economy. Value and "weight" were becoming uncoupled before any notion of "carbon heavy goods". “subjective value”(what individuals want and how much they will pay for it) replaced “material” value as specialisation increased and peoples tastes diversified.
Like Malthus, some Environmentalists also see humans playing a "zero sum game" with nature. This notion that we are bad for ourselves not only seems ontologically unsound, but in practice any action/reaction to problems denies that political practice can be a creative process.
There has always been enough material (food clothes housing etc) for everyone to live comfortably, this is not the issue. In most instances in a competitive economy it is the lowest common denominator that gets squeezed in the case of a crisis. This is happening again, with the help of some environmentalists. I would argue that instead being blamed for going over the threshold of environmental disaster the poor should be given room to grow. .

If these villages aren't under the control of the ...

2008-03-30T09:42:00.000+01:00

If these villages aren't under the control of the Water Board, the Sewer Board and all the government agencies, aren't they worried they might turn into some type of "anarcho -syndicalist communes that take it in turn to..."

Seriously, at what point do Britains start questioning how much "loo" water the Royals get to splash on their sagging flesh?

I assume the UK government will be washing away al...

2008-03-27T11:21:00.000Z

I assume the UK government will be washing away all responsibility for the rampant progress of water borne diseases which will plague these eco-slums?

Comments on Climate Resistance: What Else Won't the Greens do for us?

Hi Ben, I thought I would throw in my two pence wo...

If these villages aren't under the control of the ...

I assume the UK government will be washing away al...