大象传媒

I believe any hope that Neo-liberal capitalism can solve the problem of climate change will prove to be utterly unfounded. To try to put this right without rectifying the clapped out global financial system is useless and environmentalists doing so will carry on coming up against a brick wall. They need to look at the way this system works and intellectually grow beyond the conditioning that economics and finance can only be understood by economists and financiers.

Let me try to explain. The two main cornerstones of Western economies are usury and speculation. Usury in that almost all of the money in circulation has been electronically created by the commercial banks and is called by them 鈥渃redit鈥� and is lent to Governments and individuals for quick profit not for a particular motive of world betterment. Nothing moves when electronic money circulates when you use your debit card, direct debits, cheques etc and when Governments borrow money- all that happens is that one account鈥檚 data entry is debited (decremented) and another credited, (incremented). So this money can be created at no cost to the banks because it exists only as a data entry in the electronic bank accounts and is exchanged between them as such only. The stuff in your wallet/purse created by the Royal Mint for the Bank of England represents a tiny fraction of the 鈥榤oney鈥� that exists, the vast majority has been created by the commercial banks as loans under this 鈥渇ractional reserve banking system鈥� and circulates electronically and the profit (interest) accrues to the bankers not the Governments. Even pretty low corporation tax is often avoided by the use of foreign tax havens, (At least 拢20 Billion total in the UK pa avoided at 2003 figures- [War on Want pamphlet]). The need for the continuing increase of the assault on the world鈥檚 resources substantially stems from the imperative of 鈥渆conomic growth鈥� which is necessary to keep up with the ever spiralling overall interest payments due on the explosion of different types of loans created by commercial banks and other private interests.

I refer to the 鈥榗ornerstone of Speculation鈥� in that National economies and their populations are utterly dependant on the $2 Trillion or so (equivalent) that changes hands electronically every DAY- untaxed- around the world on the 鈥渇inancial markets鈥� in search of speculative quick profit unrelated to any exchange of real goods or services. Utterly dependant because National Governments create hardly any of the money that is in circulation at all as I have already explained. Financiers and corporations increasingly trade IN money not WITH money, since deregulation in the 1980s. Why create, innovate and trade in cumbersome goods when you can make far more far quickly and with far less risk just by moving money and money instruments between computers around the world? Almost all the global financial institutions and even many corporations are at it. Any government that even publicly SPEAKS of restricting it or taxing it or significantly environmentally regulating the stock market listed business that it invests in or threatening tax havens even, faces economically disastrous capital flight to nations not doing so within hours on the trading computers on the stock markets and the derivatives computers of the international corporations and banks. You see how the financier oligarchy has got us all over a barrel? No Government dare even publicly consider democratically demanded change to the status quo. No corporation dare significantly reduce the current quick profit return to its international capital investors by SIGNIFICANT investment in alternative forms of energy & transportation as to do so invites a declining share price and capital flight to corporations not doing so. The same goes for national governments. The intellectual economist Lyndon La Rouche in Executive Intelligence Review (see below) actually uses the term 鈥淔inancier Oligarchy鈥� referring to the way our democracies are going under the economic & corporate globalisation I have already described.

Most mainstream media outlets are owned by stock market listed corporations. Does anyone believe such a corporation will allow SERIOUS debate in its pages or TV stations, of reform to the international financial system when it is this system that is the investment hand that feeds it, both owning the shares and placing the corporate adverts? Does anyone seriously believe that one example tabloid and TV/news station owning international corporation that currently pays no corporation tax in the UK by the use of tax havens will seriously allow such debate in its media outlets? I鈥檓 not suggesting columnists and editors are directly told what to say and what not to, but they know there are limits which they must not cross if they are to retain their jobs which are mostly in the form of shortish term renewable (or not) contract posts. And most of them have not ever asked themselves what money really is, who creates it, who controls its circulation, who profits from it and why no Government of left OR right credentials strangely refuses to reform corporate taxation and environmental regulations ONCE IN POWER despite the obvious dire financial state of our public services, worsening annually and the developed countries paltry aid to the developing ones whose populations are starving to death in their millions monthly for the want of the huge surplus of food per capita that exists worldwide (Some 10%- look up UN Statistics)

I believe that Planet Earth鈥檚 environment is in a sad and perilous state which each day brings it nearer to the critical, and that even the most dire prophecy falls short of the calamity facing the world today, (this quote from www.share-international.org). Anyone who seriously believes that humanity can burn off gigantic amounts of carbon into the atmosphere daily over some 200 years (in the form of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels) that had been gradually accumulated beneath the earth over hundreds of MILLIONS of years, and while annually cutting down tens of millions of acres of atmosphere purifying tropical forests- all of this without incurring MAJOR upheaval and destruction to the earth鈥檚 life supporting climate systems is conditioned and deluded indeed.

I believe that only a total and systemic collapse of the world鈥檚 financial system will bring humanity to its senses and- (even though I know this itself would cause major trauma for a while because we have allowed stock market listed corporations to take over most food and energy production and distribution worldwide)- it is my belief and hope that this is coming to pass. The men of money鈥檚 selfish greed and competition is over-reaching itself at long last and the frantic efforts to prop up the system behind the scenes are at long last crumbling. (Refer to the writings of just one intellectual- Lyndon La Rouche鈥檚 Executive Intelligence Review for example information, www.larouchepub.com). The signs that it is doing so are obvious for those who look beyond their own narrow interests and look below the surface at powerful people鈥檚 MOTIVES- not what they SAY but what they DO and WHY that might be- with objectivity. People who bother to READ & STUDY widely. Anyone who thinks that substantially unrestrained powerful people will not try to manipulate to retain and enhance their own selfish interests and who denounces those who highlight this as 鈥渃onspiracy theorists鈥� is deluded and conditioned indeed. They have just not reflected seriously on the sad condition of greed and fear of loss as well as Spiritual poverty and poverty of intellect that dominates the natures of most of our fellow human being financier oligarchs in power. We鈥檝e all got some major waking up to do if we are to survive