Essays
Discussing the Global-European-cum-Greek-cum-Global Crisis at the Brecht Forum, NY. Tonight at 19.30
, 08/11/2011
Tonight, I shall have the pleasure of being an invitee of Professor Rick Wolff. If you are in Manhattan, please join us. Rick (the author of Capitalism Hits the Fan: The global economic meltdown and what to do about it, Northampton, Mass.: Olive Branch Press, 2010) presents a monthly series at the Brecht Forum (see below for […]
The Modest Proposal in Toronto. Today, Monday 7th November, 16.00
, 07/11/2011
7th November, University of Toronto: Invited to speak on The Euro and the European Crisis by the Munk School of Global Affairs at Toronto University. The advertisement states: “As the eurozone crisis is unfolding, threatening in the process to infect the global economy, the debate currently raging in Europe (on how to tackle the cascading defaults and insolvencies) […]
The Modest Proposal in Toronto. Today, Monday 7th November, 16.00
, 01/11/2011
7th November, University of Toronto: Invited to speak on The Euro and the European Crisis by the Munk School of Global Affairs at Toronto University. The advertisement states: “As the eurozone crisis is unfolding, threatening in the process to infect the global economy, the debate currently raging in Europe (on how to tackle the cascading defaults and insolvencies) […]
"Can't Pay, won't pay!" From Dario Fo's play to our contemporary Greek dystopia
, 22/10/2011
El Pais asked me to write a piece on the ‘fiscal disobedience’ movement that seems to be shaping up in Greece. Here is what I wrote. (I shall post the Spanish version, off El Pais’ site, when available):
Los Angeles Review of Books: On Yanis Varoufakis’s new theory of the global financial crisis, by Brian Collins
, 18/10/2011
Brian Collins honoured us (myself and my co-authors Joseph Halevi and Nicholas Theocarakis) with a long, extremely kind review which he just published in the Los Angeles Review of Books: Yanis Varoufakis, Joseph Halevi, and Nicholas Theocarakis, Modern Political Economics: Making Sense of the Post-2008 World, Routledge, July 2011. 552 pp. Yanis Varoufakis, The Global Minotaur: America, The […]
A grim assessment of Europe's Social Democratic Parties: video
, 14/10/2011
Interview (Part 4) that I gave a few weeks ago to the Scottish branch of Unite – the union. A big thank you to Peter Welsh and Andrew Brady. Below I copy their description of this interview: “Unite Scotland’s fourth and final instalment in the Varoufakis series puts focus on the failings of social democratic […]
It's a banking crisis…
, 11/10/2011
Video courtesy of Koen Aarts. Taped just after my University of Groningen presentation on 6th October 2011/
Cancellation: Regretfully, UADPhilEcon is forced to announce that, due to contractual obligations, tomorrow's talk by James K. Galbraith is cancelled
, 02/10/2011
Cancellation: Regretfully, UADPhilEcon is forced to announce that, due to contractual obligations, tomorrow’s (Monday 3rd October) talk by James K. Galbraith is cancelled. James’ contract with a commercial organisation did not, as it turned out, permit him to deliver this lecture. Hopefully, when and if UADPhilEcon recovers its funding, we shall be in a position […]
Arresting the Freefall rather than a Blueprint for the ‘Good Europe’: The Modest Proposal defended against C. Flower’s powerful critique
, 25/09/2011
C. Flower paid me the complement of penning a critique, entitled New Bottle , Old Keynesian Wine, of my Shellbourne Hotel talk (14th September 2011) as well as of the essence of our Modest Proposal. I reproduce this critique here in its entirety, followed by my reply. Before anything else is said, let me thank C. […]
Need a reminder of our era's political deficit? Here is a glimpse (dating to 1936)
, 24/09/2011
While we are lamenting our leaders’ lack of political will, nous and courage, it is both helpful and a little sad to compare and contrast the politicians in charge during this Crisis of ours with the generation of political leaders whose spirit was steeled during the previous Crisis, that of 1929. With no further ado, […]
A Crisis of Capitalism: Guest post by Riccardo Bellofiore
, 23/09/2011
Last Wednesday, The Guardian published a piece by friend and colleague Riccardo Bellofiore entitled A Crisis of Capitalism. Here I paste an extended version of that piece, which also mentions our Modest Proposal. Enjoy!
The Global Minotaur versus the Age of Greed: A debate on the ABC Radio National's Late Night Live, chaired by Philip Adams
, 19/09/2011
Since the late 80s one of my daily pleasures has been to listen to Late Night Live, the ABC Radio National's daily program in which Philip Adams, the renowned Australian film maker, author and public intellectual reviews the current political, social and cultural climate, talks to authors about a great variety of interesting books (that [...]Guest Post: Jerry Goldstein is sure of a Greek default, cannot see the eurozone breaking up but can see no way out of the mire either
, 12/09/2011
GUEST POST by Jerry Goldstein, ex City banker and regular correspondent of this blog I see the probability of Greece defaulting at 1, on a scale of zero to one. But I do not necessarily think this is sufficient to cause a breakup of the eurozone. Whilst a Greek default will cause volatility to spike […]
CATHARSIS DENIED: The tragedy of 9/11 ten years on
, 28/08/2011
The death of innocents haunts the living until each death is individuated, every last moment is narrated, all personal stories are woven into some unified, cathartic account. During the past ten years, much of the haunting has been lifted by superb reconstructions of the last phone calls, the self-denying rescue efforts, the struggle to escape […]
And the winner is… (The final verdict on our mini competition on Liberty, Justice and Crisis is in)
, 25/08/2011
Back on 7th July I invited readers to submit short pieces on Liberty and Justice, in the context of the present crisis. The prize on offer was a signed copy of a recent book (entitled MODERN POLITICAL ECONOMICS: Making sense of the post-2008 world, jointly scribbled by myself, Joseph Halevi and Nicholas Theocarakis). The time […]
The Modest Proposal as the last shot left in the eurozone’s barrel: Guest post by George Krimpas
, 20/08/2011
The term ‘eurobond’ is bandied about ever so lightly. This is dangerous.
The Minotaur in the Room: Announcing the London launch of my new book on the true causes of the ongoing global economic tumult – 1st September 2011
, 09/08/2011
In London on Thursday 1st September at 18.30? Why not join us in the launch of The Global Minotaur at the Bookmarks bookshop , 1 Bloomsbury Street? Aditya Chakrabortty (of The Guardian) will introduce the book. (Click here for a pdf of the invitation) Meanwhile, here is a piece that sums up the reasons why this […]
James Galbraith on the European Project's critical moment
, 09/07/2011
James Galbraith kindly sent me the following piece, commissioned by DW, with the premission to reproduce it here. It is both a timely and an astute piece entitled Unless it’s reformed, Europe’s project is doomed. Enjoy:
Liberty, Justice and Crisis: A competition for readers
, 07/07/2011
Two days ago, my MPhil students, sat their end of First Year final examination in a course entitled Economics as a Social Science (offered in the context of UADPhilEcon). I thought you might be interested to see the ‘cruel’ questions I set for them. Would you care to provide answers? Perhaps we can have a […]
When French Folly and German Naiveté unite against Greek debt: Another sorry episode of how not to deal with a systemic crisis
, 28/06/2011
While crises are the laboratory of the future, the euro crisis is proving more like the alchemist’s lair. Back in November, the brilliant idea was touted, with considerable fanfare, of having the EFSF buy (at a discount) Greek and Irish bonds in the secondary market (in order to effect a non-default haircut). Despite the excitement […]
The Penny Is Dropping: Mervyn King, Daniel Gros, Jim O'Neill, and the increasing relevance of the Modest Proposal
, 26/06/2011
This blog has been risking its readers’ sanity by repeating ad nauseam, and in a myriad different guises, the claim that the euro crisis is, at root, a chain of bank insolvencies causally attached to another (derivative) chain of member-state insolvencies. And that, as such, all attempts to deal with the resulting Crisis by rivers […]
Misleading Parliaments: The essence of Greek Bailouts Mk1 & Mk2
, 20/06/2011
Misleading parliament is, in normal times, frowned upon by the political class. Misleading several parliaments at once is, on the other hand, the current state of play in the European Union.
Making amends: Restoring the voice of an Irish activist (which I had, unwittingly, played a part in suppressing)
, 20/06/2011
In my previous post, I mentioned a debate between Daniel Gross, a German based colleague and myself. (You can hear it here – beginning on the 38th minute). Well, in saying that, I was as guilty as the BBC anchor of silencing a fourth voice on that program. That of Kate Bopp, an Irish activist, […]