Ann Pettifor

Finance Ministers

Osborne: Speaking truth to wealth and power? Really?

George Osborne was presumably aiming at himself and his friends, when he vowed “to speak truth to power and wealth” at the Tory party conference this week, but dare he speak economic truth to the rest of us? – simultaneously published on Left Foot Forward > On the narrowest of bases, he might still claim […]

Osborne: Speaking truth to wealth and power? Really? Read More »

My verdict on Ed Balls’ conference speech – apologies are not enough

Published in the Guardian Cif alongside responses from Jonathon Freedland and Sheila Lawlor: Ed Balls said sorry for Labour’s record on ultra-light-touch financial regulation, and that must be acknowledged. But apologies are just not enough. He and Ed Miliband must stop attacking his electoral base, “hardworking families”, many of whom are trades unionists. As Balls

My verdict on Ed Balls’ conference speech – apologies are not enough Read More »

ABC daily report – ‘Let them default’

While I was in Australia I recorded this interview with ABC’s daily show. This went out on 15th September. Watch it above or on ABC’s website here >

ABC daily report – ‘Let them default’ Read More »

The IMF on trial

I appeared on Al Jazeera’s ‘Empire‘ on Thursday evening – hosted by Marwan Bishara, the panel was made up of myself, Dr. Georges Corm (former Lebanese finance minister and former special consultant), World Bank Professor Alex Callinicos (director of European Studies, King’s College London and author of ‘Bonfire Of Illusions’) and Dr Mario Blejer (former

The IMF on trial Read More »

How Ed Balls was trapped…..

Have just been told that my post on the Left Foot Forward on Ed Balls’s speech  crashed the site “under weight of people wanting to read it”…so here it is for those of you that may have missed it…. David Cameron was delighted when the formidable Ed Balls walked straight into his framing of the

How Ed Balls was trapped….. Read More »

Austerity: OECD economists show clear signs of ‘cold feet’ for austerity

(Photo: REUTERS / Yiorgos Karahalis ) A Greek riot policeman stands in front of graffiti written on the wall of a bank during violent demonstrations over austerity measures in Athens, May 5, 2010. Greece faced a day of violent protests and a nationwide strike by civil servants outraged by the announcement of draconian austeristy measures.

Austerity: OECD economists show clear signs of ‘cold feet’ for austerity Read More »

Are the bond markets and rating agencies to be feared?

5th January, 2010 There has been much sturm and drang generated by the Guardian and others on the threat posed to government finances by the flawed and often irrational rating agencies, and by the supposedly despotic, vengeful and greedy bond markets. Methinks they protest too much. We at the Green New Deal group have long

Are the bond markets and rating agencies to be feared? Read More »

Green New Deal – ‘The Cuts won’t work’ report is published.

7th December, 2009 This is the press release from the new economics foundation: “Two days ahead of the pre-budget report, and as the UN climate change talks open in Copenhagen – the second report from the authors of the original Green New Deal argues that the British Chancellor is likely to miss a historic opportunity

Green New Deal – ‘The Cuts won’t work’ report is published. Read More »

The Treasury Privatised

29 October, 2009 Dan Roberts has a great column in the Guardian today. He asks the right questions. First, why is the Treasury spending £8 billion of taxpayers money reinflating the housing market? Second, why is the Treasury encouraging this now nationalised bank to increase mortgage lending, when the productive sector of the economy – companies,

The Treasury Privatised Read More »

No way to run an economy

Ann Pettifor: September 24, 2009 As world leaders meet in Pittsburgh and then Istanbul (for the World Bank and IMF meetings) expect much self-congratulation and back-slapping for having got the world through the post-Lehman crisis. But behind the cacophony of self-praise, watch out for three alarms flashing red: The escalating foreclosure and rising mortgage delinquency

No way to run an economy Read More »