Ann Pettifor

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Ann Pettifor

Political economist, author and public speaker

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Treasury

OBR Accused of Damaging UK Economy with Productivity Data

/ Financial Journalists, Productivity, Public Spending, Treasury

The following was published by David Thorpe on the FT’s Adviser blog, and can be found here: https://www.ftadviser.com/investments/2017/11/30/obr-accused-of-damaging-uk-economy-with-productivity-data/ The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and others including the government are wrongly focusing on the UK’s weak productivity growth in a way that is harming the future economic prospects of the country, according to Ann Pettifor, director […]

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GDP figures: the verdict

/ Bank Bail-outs, Bank of England, Banking Crisis, Central Banks, Debt, Treasury, UK Financial Crisis

This morning I joined the Guardian’s panel of Martin Kettle, Len McCluskey and Matthew Oakley to give our verdict on today’s GDP numbers: Ann Pettifor: “The Chancellor must eat humble pie” The statisticians, clutching at straws, blamed the victims – the British people – for the measly 0.2% growth in GDP. It turns out we are too fond of holidaying

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‘Debtonation’ – why it’s still relevant

/ Anglo-American Financial Crisis, Bank Bail-outs, Banking Crisis, Central Banks, Credit Crunch, Debt, Financial Crisis, Money, Treasury, UK Financial Crisis, Uncategorized, Unemployment

Welcome readers, to my newly refreshed blog, and thanks to Georgia Lee and Maz Kessler for making it look so good, and work so well. I had thought that the title needed refreshing too. After all, I am fond of defining 9th August, 2007 as ‘debtonation day’, and that is now long past. To refresh

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Update: bankers complete capture of UK Treasury – & attack Cable

/ Anglo-American Financial Crisis, British Banking, Greece, Treasury, Uncategorized

So Sir James Sassoon has joined the Eton boy, Osborne, and the Barclays banker, David Laws, at the Treasury, as Commercial Secretary – a post invented and designed for him.  Sir James was vice chairman Investment Banking at UBS Warburg between1985-2002, where he specialised in privatisations.  The capture of the Treasury by the City of

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Bankers tighten their grip

/ Bankers in Government, British Banking, British Chancellor, Democracy, Government Borrowing, Treasury, Uncategorized

13 May, 2010 With a backdrop of bankers looting the EU’s Treasuries (via a bailout that rivals George Bush’s TARP) let us consider one of the most significant Dem-Con appointments (and a non-appointment) to the British cabinet. That of someone who until now was invisible: David Laws the new Chief Secretary to the Treasury. His

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Why the EU’s leaked document has got me in a rage

/ Credit Crunch, ECB, Euroland, Financial Crisis, Government Borrowing, Greece, Treasury, UK Financial Crisis

By Ann Pettifor – Posted March 16th on Labour List Together with the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. George Papandreou, I am going to give evidence to the EU’s Special Committee on the Financial Crisis in Brussels this Thursday, March 18th. So today’s leaked report from the EU, arguing that Labour’s plans for cuts to

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Are the bond markets and rating agencies to be feared?

/ Bank Bail-outs, Finance Ministers, Government Borrowing, Green New Deal, Interest Rates, Treasury, UK Financial Crisis

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

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

/ Anglo-American Financial Crisis, Climate Change, Debt-deflation, Environment, Finance Ministers, Fiscal Conservatives, Fiscal Deficit, Government Borrowing, Green New Deal, Public Spending, Treasury, Uncategorized

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

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Debts and deficits: stocks and flows

/ Anglo-American Financial Crisis, Credit Crunch, Democracy, Fiscal Conservatives, Fiscal Deficit, Government Borrowing, Public Spending, Treasury, UK Financial Crisis, Uncategorized

6th December, 2009. Most economists (who should know better) confuse the government’s budget deficit with total government debt. The distinction really is important. Mixing them up is a little like confusing stocks and flows.  Or confusing your outstanding mortgage – say £200,000 – with your monthly debt repayments. They are quite different things, and if

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The Treasury Privatised

/ Bank Bail-outs, Bank of England, British Banking, British Chancellor, Credit Crunch, Finance Ministers, Mortgages, Treasury, UK Financial Crisis

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,

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