Author | Lightnews

Andy Lloyd

Andy Lloyd

@andyjlloyd.bsky.social

47 followers 96 following 60 posts

Funny how comforting it is that, in the long run, we’re all dead. In the meantime, walking the Malvern hills with Pablo.

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Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · 22h

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · 3d

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · 6d

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · 6d

Reposted by Andy Lloyd

?whispers? @whispers-actual.bsky.social · 6d

"We’re told tax is a curse and even “theft.” That’s wrong"

Richard Murphy @richardjmurphy.bsky.social · 6d

We’re told tax is a curse and even “theft.” That’s wrong. Tax is how we build a fair society. It’s how we express our shared responsibility. The real immorality lies in avoiding tax. In this video, I explain why tax is not a burden but the foundation of democracy itself. youtu.be/4UXpnRL3WVE?...

The moral case for tax: why fairness depends on it

YouTube video by Richard J Murphy

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · 7d

Reposted by Andy Lloyd

Patricia Pino @patriciapino.bsky.social · Nov 15

I’ll just leave my Austerity narrative flowchart here in case anyone needs to persuade a Lefty pundit/politician not to try to compete with the Right on debt hawkishness. Remember, all routes down that path lead to austerity.

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · 9d

Brilliant, love this

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · 9d

7. Real resources matter.

The government is constrained by the availability of real resources and its ability to mobilise them. “Anything we can do, we can afford.” JM Keynes. #MMT

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · 9d

6. The effect: depoliticising economics.

By framing the state as a household, questions about distribution, power, and ownership sound like questions about accounting. Instead of “what kind of economy do we want?” people are encouraged to ask “how can we afford it?” #MMT

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · 9d

5. It separated monetary and fiscal power.

The 1970s inflation crisis was used to justify giving central banks “independence.” Entrenching the idea that the BoE must be neutral and technocratic, while politicians must “find the money” through taxes or borrowing. #MMT

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · 9d

4. And prioritises the interests of financial markets.

From the ‘80s onward, the Treasury and BoE were reorganised to make bond markets the apparent source of public finance.

In reality, markets depend on the government’s money creation. The illusion of dependence shifts power toward finance. #MMT

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · 9d

3. It legitimises austerity and privatisation.

Once the state is said to be financially constrained it justifies cutting services and welfare, paving the way for private capital to take over state functions and allowing politicians to claim prudence for shrinking the state. #MMT

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · 9d

2. It imposes artificial scarcity on the public sector.

By insisting that the government must first collect taxes or borrow before it can spend, policymakers created a narrative of constraint. That narrative limits public spending. #MMT

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · 9d

1. UK borrowing reaches five-year high for September at £20.2bn www.theguardian.com/business/202...

The purpose of making the government behave like a household is political and ideological, not technical and neutral. #MMT @theguardian.com

UK borrowing reaches five-year high for September at £20.2bn

Rising debt interest and welfare costs push public finances deeper into red before Rachel Reeves’s budget

www.theguardian.com

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · 25d

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · 26d

View from the Malvern hills towards the Wych cutting.

Views from the Malvern hills towards British Camp

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · Sep 30

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · Sep 30

3.Scare stories keep rentier monopolies safe. The lesson from Truss isn’t “never upset markets,” it’s: design policy coherently, anchor it in real resources, and stop giving finance a veto over democracy.

www.cliffordchance.com/content/dam/...

www.cliffordchance.com

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · Sep 30

2.She also waves the Truss fiasco like a ghost story: “don’t upset the markets.” This is how the soft left narrows debate — markets as weather, government as powerless. In truth, the state creates & backstops markets.

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · Sep 30

1.Polly Toynbee says there’s “no cash” to renationalise water or rail. But you don’t need piles of cash — the state issues securities. Nationalisation is a balance-sheet swap, not a cash-dump.
🔗 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
@theguardian.com
@andyburnham.bsky.social
@zackpolanski.bsky.social

I’ve seen despair at the Labour conference, but Starmer’s battle for Britain’s soul is one he can still win | Polly Toynbee

The government’s fall in popularity has affected party morale, but there are signs that taking the fight to Farage can provide a much-needed spark, asks Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

www.theguardian.com

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · May 12

Oddly @theguardian.com seems to think the coincidence excusable. Odd for such a liberal minded paper.

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · May 12

Labour MP says Starmer’s ‘island of strangers’ warning over immigration mimics scaremongering of far right – UK politics live

@theguardian.com suggests similarities to Enoch Powell’s language is a coincidence but the effect is much the same.

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · Apr 27

Andy Lloyd @andyjlloyd.bsky.social · Apr 27

Stand up for trans rights 🏳️‍⚧️

Join me and @GoodLawProject and help us fight the Supreme Court’s harmful decision:https://goodlawproject.org/s/c41bb8