shiftystylin
shiftystylin t1_j37jpt9 wrote
Reply to comment by AftyOfTheUK in Degrowth can work — here’s how science can help: Wealthy countries can create prosperity while using less materials and energy if they abandon economic growth as an objective. by nnomadic
Thanks. You often don't learn anything without exposing your ignorance and having someone come and slap you with the truth.
I guess I'm trying to say it feels like Neoliberals focus on economic growth is solely to ensure they're gaining more profit. There doesn't seem to be any other benefit to economic growth if all the additional 'money' (for lack of the educated term) is just being funnelled away in untouchable dragon hoard's and not put back into the economic system us normy's share?
shiftystylin t1_j376uqv wrote
Reply to Degrowth can work — here’s how science can help: Wealthy countries can create prosperity while using less materials and energy if they abandon economic growth as an objective. by nnomadic
From my understanding economic growth has it's roots in capitalism (technically neoliberal capitalism). Neoliberalism's singular objective is to maximise profit whilst cutting costs. In order to make more money, you require more things to be sold at a high price and low cost. Things that need to be built require resources, be that physical and/or natural resources, or human driven and/or manufactured resources, but you cut the costs of those resources, manufacturing and cost of delivery wherever possible.
You really need to take away that ideology from the people at the top because they ultimately own the narrative and spread it throughout the media in order to maintain the status quo, and thus drive economic growth for the sole reason for more profit.
I often wondered if you built a business where you were transparent with your earnings, and transparent with the pay of others, and have the sole ambition of providing stable work for people rather than use them to drive a profit, whether that business would survive and how many applicants you'd have for a job there...
shiftystylin t1_jaenv0q wrote
Reply to comment by Thewalrus515 in Britain breaks 'green grid' record with latest 100 per cent clean power milestone by m_Pony
Whilst I agree brexit was a f-ing stupid idea and voted remain, our wise overlords were pushing through new gas exploration (also f-ing stupid idea) because we had a bumper sales day selling gas to the EU at high prices. Once Holland and Germany's storage facilities were full, prices dropped... Except they didn't in the UK.
We also have no nationalised energy companies so we can't dictate the price that is reasonable to pay. We get the price dictated to us. We've basically become hostage to neoliberalist capitalism - let's play "who can run a country into ground the quickest!"