Comments on: Not living in the real world http://www.antoniabance.org.uk/2007/03/11/not-living-in-the-real-world/ Thoughts of Antonia, Labour activist and feminist in Oxford Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:14:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Laban Tall http://www.antoniabance.org.uk/2007/03/11/not-living-in-the-real-world/#comment-101129 Laban Tall Sun, 22 Apr 2007 20:28:09 +0000 http://www.antoniabance.org.uk/2007/03/11/not-living-in-the-real-world/#comment-101129 "Landowners were reduced to poaching peasants" I didn't realise starvation had spread so far up the social scale. “Landowners were reduced to poaching peasants”

I didn’t realise starvation had spread so far up the social scale.

]]> By: Benjamin http://www.antoniabance.org.uk/2007/03/11/not-living-in-the-real-world/#comment-71948 Benjamin Wed, 14 Mar 2007 07:35:28 +0000 http://www.antoniabance.org.uk/2007/03/11/not-living-in-the-real-world/#comment-71948 Antonia's taking the argument to absurdity. The FoE spokesperson was not actually saying recession is generally a good thing. The "helped a bit" comment is clearly purely in relation to environmental impact, but they are not advocating recession generally as a cure for environment ills. I think Antonia probably knows that, to be fair! Antonia’s taking the argument to absurdity. The FoE spokesperson was not actually saying recession is generally a good thing. The “helped a bit” comment is clearly purely in relation to environmental impact, but they are not advocating recession generally as a cure for environment ills.

I think Antonia probably knows that, to be fair!

]]> By: david floyd http://www.antoniabance.org.uk/2007/03/11/not-living-in-the-real-world/#comment-71466 david floyd Tue, 13 Mar 2007 11:41:24 +0000 http://www.antoniabance.org.uk/2007/03/11/not-living-in-the-real-world/#comment-71466 I think: "The recesssion did also help a bit:" is an extraordinarily poor choice of words from someone who, you'd imagine, wants to win people over to their campaign. That said, the underlying point is part of the real world debate - that we may have to choose to a greater extent than we do now between environmental stability and achieving the maximum level of economic productivity. On the specific point, I don't think more people being unemployed and staying at home for that reason is something many of us would be in favour of but more people working from home and/or getting jobs nearer to where they live is a better idea for many people, and not just for environmental reasons. I think:
“The recesssion did also help a bit:”
is an extraordinarily poor choice of words from someone who, you’d imagine, wants to win people over to their campaign.

That said, the underlying point is part of the real world debate - that we may have to choose to a greater extent than we do now between environmental stability and achieving the maximum level of economic productivity.

On the specific point, I don’t think more people being unemployed and staying at home for that reason is something many of us would be in favour of but more people working from home and/or getting jobs nearer to where they live is a better idea for many people, and not just for environmental reasons.

]]> By: Stephen Newton http://www.antoniabance.org.uk/2007/03/11/not-living-in-the-real-world/#comment-70998 Stephen Newton Mon, 12 Mar 2007 12:02:20 +0000 http://www.antoniabance.org.uk/2007/03/11/not-living-in-the-real-world/#comment-70998 I'd have blamed Thatcher rather than Scargill and he's not shown much tact, but it's generally true. Labour shortages caused by the Black Death, caused hyper-inflation and brought the feudal system to its knees. Landowners were reduced to poaching peasants, who found were able to negotiate improvements to pay and conditions for the first time. (I'm probably being pedantic.) I’d have blamed Thatcher rather than Scargill and he’s not shown much tact, but it’s generally true.

Labour shortages caused by the Black Death, caused hyper-inflation and brought the feudal system to its knees. Landowners were reduced to poaching peasants, who found were able to negotiate improvements to pay and conditions for the first time.

(I’m probably being pedantic.)

]]> By: Cruella http://www.antoniabance.org.uk/2007/03/11/not-living-in-the-real-world/#comment-70957 Cruella Mon, 12 Mar 2007 11:10:44 +0000 http://www.antoniabance.org.uk/2007/03/11/not-living-in-the-real-world/#comment-70957 Hold on I don't think the journalist is saying it's good to have a recession. I think they're saying that recession was good for Co2 emissions. That's an important point because it highlights how economic "progress" can be at odds with environmental concerns. Of course no-one thinks the solution to the climate change problem is to send markets into a meltdown, and nor would anyone suggest that the Tories deliberately encouraged recession to save the planet. Still if a policy of economic interests being prioritised ahead of environmental concerns continues to be pursued by governments in the way that the Labour government currently does - it won't be very long at all before there is no habitable planet on which to conduct said economics. Hold on I don’t think the journalist is saying it’s good to have a recession. I think they’re saying that recession was good for Co2 emissions. That’s an important point because it highlights how economic “progress” can be at odds with environmental concerns. Of course no-one thinks the solution to the climate change problem is to send markets into a meltdown, and nor would anyone suggest that the Tories deliberately encouraged recession to save the planet. Still if a policy of economic interests being prioritised ahead of environmental concerns continues to be pursued by governments in the way that the Labour government currently does - it won’t be very long at all before there is no habitable planet on which to conduct said economics.

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