English
Barcelona City Council’s fight to shield flamingoes from rent-seeking flights of fancy: An excellent case study in municipalism vs corporate greed
, 05/08/2021
Covid-19 forced billions of humans to re-assess the way we live, work and travel. Monstrous wildfires (from British Columbia to Greece and Croatia) and murderous floods (e.g. Germany) have confirmed that which we should have known: We, humans, have damaged the planet, possibly, beyond repair. Against this background, it is heartbreaking to observe how our […]
What is money, really? And why Bitcoin is not the answer (even if blockchain is brilliant & potentially helpful in democratising money)
, 02/08/2021
Recently, I argued that a central bank cryptocurrency can be a useful tool in the struggle to democratise money. Such a tool is, of course, not enough. The main task in democratising money is first to democratise the central bank – before deploying useful instruments like a central bank cryptocurrency. As many readers (correctly) pointed […]
A central bank cryptocurrency to democratise money – Project Syndicate & Jordan Times
, 02/08/2021
The history of money has been the history of the struggles to control the payment system and the money tree. Today, with control over both resting in the hands of bankers, central banks’ efforts to boost business end up amplifying inequality while failing to address either economic stagnation or the looming climate disaster. The time […]
What political lessons can we learn from football? A lively chat with Brian Eno, Ken Loach & Roger Waters (plus a short text on the politics of football)
, 16/07/2021
On this, the 6th edition of LET’S TALK IT OVER, the whole gang (Brian Eno, Ken Loach, Yanis Varoufakis & Roger Waters, chaired as always by Frank Barat) is on stage – to chat about lessons progressives must/can learn from… football. It turned out a fun, and possibly, insightful, hour. Whatever the quality of our […]
From the creation of DiEM25 to Technofeudalism’s takeover during the pandemic – in conversation with The Cambridge Journal of LAW, POLITICS & ART
, 10/07/2021
To read the interview pdf form, click here Click here for the Journal’s site.
Central bank independence is a myth. What about green central banking? – op-ed in Green Central Banking
, 10/07/2021
Last week the ECB announced its new policy of ‘going green’. How can a conventional central bank do this? Only by discriminating against bonds and equities issued by companies damaging the environment that it accepts as collateral, or which it buys, in return for loans ‘greening’ its purchase/acceptance policy. Is ‘green central banking’ a move […]
Open Letter to Joe Biden by 95 Greek MPs: “Drop all charges against Julian Assange!”
, 07/07/2021
As part of the international mobilisation to apply pressure on the US government to end the persecution of Julian Assange, MeRA25 invited members of Greece’s Parliament to co-sign the letter below, addressed to President Biden. The letter reminds the US President that, as Obama’s Vice-President, he took the decision not to prosecute Julian. Indeed, the […]
Techno-Feudalism Is Taking Over – Project Syndicate op-ed
, 05/07/2021
This is how capitalism ends: not with a revolutionary bang, but with an evolutionary whimper. Just as it displaced feudalism gradually, surreptitiously, until one day the bulk of human relations were market-based and feudalism was swept away, so capitalism today is being toppled by a new economic mode: techno-feudalism. This is a large claim that […]
Discussing books by Atwood, Balchain & Reid with Harriet Gilbert & Patrick McGrath – On BBC Radio 4’s A GOOD READ
, 05/07/2021
In this episode of Radio 4’s THE GOOD READ, I found myself choosing Margaret Atwood’s treatise on debt (Payback: Debt & The Shadow Side of Wealth) for discussion with presenter Harriet Gilbert and author Patrick McGrath. In Payback, Atwood examines money lending throughout the ages and how it has been portrayed in classic literature. Meanwhile, […]
Square of hope and glory : On the 6th anniversary of the magnificent OXI rally at Syntagma Square
, 03/07/2021
The night the Demos found its voice, for a brief, wonderful moment On the afternoon of Friday, 3 June, as the working day drew to a close, I breathed a sigh of relief. A week of closed banks was almost over. Despite the long queues at ATMs and the uncertainty of what awaited us the […]
Who is afraid of Julian Assange? Why are they so determined to suck the life slowly out of his body?
, 03/07/2021
My dear friend Julian continues to waste away in Britain’ Guantanamo, the victim of ruthless Western governments determined to suck his life slowly from his body as a cautionary tale to anyone who dares expose inconvenient truths. DiEM25, the movement that Julian co-founded, is moving heaven and earth to stop them. Today, Saturday 3rd July, […]
Revisiting the causes & effects of Brexit – New Statesman video interview
, 24/06/2021
Here I am conversing with New Statesman’s George Eaton, reflecting on five years since the EU referendum, Scottish independence, a UK progressive alliance, and whether the EU can stay relevant post Brexit. Lest I be misunderstood, viz the New Statesman’s title: Given the EU’s post-2008 trajectory, & its behaviour more recently, if I were a […]
Debt as Power: Discussing the true nature & purpose of debt with Astra Taylor and Jayati Ghosh – LTIO & DiEM-TV
, 20/06/2021
Debt is power. Extractive power over people and planet. Class societies ensure that the debts of the extractors are never paid while insisting that the debts of the exploited are sacrosanct. In this episode of LTIO we dissect debt and discuss how to overthrow its hold over the many.
Discussing the Great Sausage War, Foreign Aid, Lockdowns & Taking the Knee on BBC-TV’s Question Time – 10 JUNE 2021
, 11/06/2021
Fiona Bruce presents an hour of topical debate with a virtual audience from around the UK. On the panel: Gillian Keegan MP, minister for apprenticeships and skills, Conservative; Lucy Powell MP, shadow secretary of state for housing, Labour; Yanis Varoufakis, economist, author, former finance minister of Greece, member of the Greek parliament and founder of […]
Is Universal Basic Income a good idea? My debate with Daron Acemoglou on Pairagraph
, 11/06/2021
Pairagragh hosts structured debates between pairs of scholars, politicians etc. taking opposing views on some issue. In this one, Daron Acemoglu and I are debating Universal Basic Income – Daron opposing it and I defending it. Enjoy! Daron Acemoglou’s opening salvo We need a better and stronger social safety net. We need ways of combating […]
Where is Global Capitalism Going? My discussion with Ammar Ali Jan on the occasion of the 1st Anniversary of the Progressive International
, 27/05/2021
Honouring the one-year anniversary of the Progressive International, Council members Yanis Varoufakis and Ammar Ali Jan engage in a wide-ranging debate about the direction of global capitalism in a turbulent age of crisis, pandemic, and political unrest. Ammar Ali Jan is a historian and member of Haqooq-e-Khalq Movement in Pakistan. Yanis Varoufakis is Member of […]
What can economics say about capitalism and its latest stage, technofeudalism – Keynote at The Research Platform on Economic Thought
, 24/05/2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIDsXjXVkdo
The legislative comeback of patriarchal misogyny: Greek government passes compulsory joint custody legislation – video
, 22/05/2021
Perhaps the greatest achievement of Greek progressives during the past four decades was the 1983 Family Law . It jolted Greece from the Dark Ages and, quite astonishingly, ushered in a legal framework regarding marriage, divorce and custody that was far ahead of its time, even when compared to the most progressive countries at the […]
Austerity’s hidden purpose – Project Syndicate/Katmandu Post
, 20/05/2021
Back in the 1830s, Thomas Peel decided to migrate from England to the Swan River in Western Australia. A man of means, Peel took along, besides his family, ‘300 persons of the working class, men, women, and children,’ as well as ‘means of subsistence and production to the amount of £50,000.’ But soon after arrival, […]
8 Answers to 8 Questions on Economic Theory, Economic Policy, Humanity & Capitalism – interviewed for The Age of Economics
, 16/05/2021
In this extensive interview, for the good people at The Age of Economics, I try to answer eight large questions ranging from “Why does economics matter?” and “What are the differences between economics and natural science or engineering?” to “Is capitalism a natural system, given human nature, for serving humanity’s purposes?”. 1. Why does economics […]