A vision has to address people’s hopes and their fears. Everyone has both. The balance between them determines the public mood and in turn the priorities for an economic vision.
The predominant public sentiment in the 2020s is fear. The fear is of:
– insecure employment
– low pay
– of never being able to call a place home
– ill health and the inability of the NHS to deal with it
– old age and not being cared for
– that no one cares about your community
– climate change
– a lack of freedom to be yourself as you really are
– A lack of physical security.A vision must in that case tackle the fear that comes from relative poverty, isolation and the fear that comes from worrying about whether we might even have a future to enjoy, let alone one we can afford. We need freedom from fear.
Given the platitudinous nature of those fears as listed well, OK, those are indeed fears that people have.
But does anyone want to attempt to connect them to relative poverty? Sure, actual poverty, we can see that, but relative?
The bloke next door has two pairs of Air Jordans, you have one. This impacts upon those worries how?
Clearly you don’t understand people, Tim. I’ve known any number of them, the inability to afford what others can would be the top fear on that list. They’re obsessed by status & the visible marks of it. Particularly women. With some of them, their whole life revolves around it.
Obviously, Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum’s answer is the only one possible. “You will own nothing and be happy”*
* – Presumably on pain of being sent to a concentration camp. Klaus Schwab’s daddy knew all about that approach.
I have a single big fear. The fear that The Government will decide to confiscate more of what should be mine in order to compete in the endless Pissing Up the Wall contest with the Opposition.
The bloke next door has two pairs of Air Jordans, you have one.…. how many should we take away from him and give to you?
Was that lifted from a modern maths book?
BinD
Obviously we transfer one shoe (or whatever it is). The fact that it harms the rich but does nothing for the (relative) poor is unimportant.
A large percentage of people can’t accept that others have more of something than them. They feel that it should be taken from the owner and given to them. The exception to this rule is if the other person has or enjoys something they don’t want. In this case their belief changes to “it should be banned”.
‘I have a single big fear. The fear that The Government will decide to confiscate more of what should be mine in order to compete in the endless Pissing Up the Wall contest with the Opposition.’
Yes decine. +10000%. But of course loathsome Labor and the ghastly Greens have won the election here in Oz.
We’re doomed, we’re doomed, we’re doomed!!!!!!!!!!!
mjohnm: Obviously we transfer one shoe (or whatever it is)
Sounds like an airline.
mjohnm: Obviously we transfer one shoe (
Left or Right?
What do we want?
Freedom from fear!
When do we want it?
Now!
Repeat endlessly, problem solved.
Trainers, eh? Before you criticise your neighbour, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, not only are you a mile away, you’ve managed to nick his trainers.
“– insecure employment”
There are more vacancies than unemployed people.
“– low pay”
Pay is rising – and only marginally less than inflation
“– of never being able to call a place home”
Home is a state of mind.
“– ill health and the inability of the NHS to deal with it”
Reform the sclerotic NHS.
“– old age and not being cared for”
Have children and don’t fall out with them. Save for your old age.
“– that no one cares about your community”
No shortage of busy-bodies where I live. Report the local scumbags.
“– climate change”
We might have a climate problem, but there’s no climate crisis.
“– a lack of freedom to be yourself as you really are”
Nobody – apart from sundry puritans and authoritarians – is stopping anyone from being who they
really are
“– A lack of physical security.”
Lock your doors at night.
A mate of mine, a life long ‘socialist’, Corbyn supporter etc., was ranting against ‘rich’ people during one of our discussions some years ago. I said “You earn £60K+, live in a Victorian three storey town house in a very nice part of town, have a Porsche, vintage Triumph TR7, a Rover 75 and wear designer clothing. What do you think ‘poor people’ see when you drive past”?
And what about the fear of some green eyed Twat deciding that he can spend my money better than me getting in to power??
“insecure employment”
this is one of my favourite bug bears. In many countries of the world we actually need less secure employment as we have too many people with too secure employment which results in them not having incentives to do very much
@Adolf
Had a similar experience with a guy ranting about the evils of science and technology run rampant and destroying the planet. This after he arrived at the party on his very modern motorcycle, still clutching his polycarbonate crash helmet and wearing his fancy machine printed bike leathers.
Addolff, yes, a lot of the ‘inequality’ fuss seems to be the top 10% being jealous of the top 1%.
Possibly even smaller numbers than that.
I’ve inherited the place I called home for fifty years. I’ll have to sell it because I can’t afford the Council Tax. What’s the plan, Ritchie?
Classic revealed preference from Ritchie
‘insecure employment’ – he hasn’t had a proper job in 20 years
‘low pay’ – he can’t pay his bills as he’s asking for donations despite income of c.£70k!
‘of never being able to call a place home’ – strange, perhaps he has mortgaged or done an equity release on his house?
‘ill health and the inability of the NHS to deal with it’ – he doesn’t have private medical insurance
‘old age and not being cared for’ – he’s fallen out with his children
‘that no one cares about your community’ – he’s fallen out with his neighbours
‘climate change’ – convenient excuse for his dictatorial fantasies
‘a lack of freedom to be yourself as you really are’ – no one is paying attention to his dictatorial fantasies
‘a lack of physical security’ – he’s been banned from the pubs in Ely!
Most people fear death and taxes!
People may sometimes fear for their jobs, but no emplyment is secure in the sense we used to understand this. We have moved on from jobs for life.
If people fear low pay then they don’t seem to do much about it. Probably because the Welfare state deals with it.
Some people may fear losing their home, but most people survive it should it happen, and there is nothing particularly pressing about this compared to other times. For example, during the Blitz it was a real possibility for many. But I think many do fear the impact of unmitigated migration.
I think most people fear diseases like cancer, because of the pain. I am not convinced many have much faith in the NHS to cure it.
I know that lonliness in old age is a real problem for some, but I also know there are many local charities that do their best to alleviate it. The more pressing fear is of being caught in a “care home”.
I wonder what not caring about community means. We have a local council that perhaps should, but they seem more interested in playing politics.
What people fear about climate change are the government policies imposed to deal with it. In the UK most people would welcome a bit of sunshine, every so often!
He is right about freedom and self, for which we can thank Blair.
He is right about lack of physical security, for the same reason. We have a Police Force, but it seems to have lost the plot.
But what most people are terrified of? That terrifying phrase, I am a politician and I am here to help!
About 2-3 of those items don’t even have anything to do with the allocation of resources.
“Quick, how do we increase the supply of human compassion? We need a plan, people!”
Waitamoment… Logic and the Spudmeister as a concept that’s not mutually exclusive?
Dear host… I like a round of speculation with the best of them, but there are some things that are simply impossible..
Sam (J) nails it.
Another fine example of the despicable in pursuit of the incomprehensible.
Anyone care to test the logic here?
Larry Kudlow replies:
MMT is a Damaging Failure, proponents are unfit to have power
Yellon “I couldn’t [wouldn’t] see this coming” She said she didn’t understand the market. Who put her into that position? Biden
She’s same as incompetent BoE governor Bailey: “Inflation? Never saw it coming. I don’t know what to do”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohBYqhACBXo
Larry, the left ‘pretend not to know’ things. They knew precisely what would happen……..
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2022/06/02/more-pretending-treasury-secretary-janet-yellen-pretends-she-got-it-wrong-on-inflation-she-did-not/
BinS’s original comment, alas, comes pretty close to the mark.
@Addolff
Good link, thanks
The remedy for fear is courage.