An end to economic growth?

"Yes, inevitable." writes Michael Bassey

Illustration: Gary Kempston

"In 2000 the Labour government set up a Sustainable Development Commission. In 2009 Professor Tim Jackson, a member of this SDC, produced the report Prosperity Without Growth. He wrote:

"Every society clings to a myth by which it lives. Ours is the myth of economic growth … It's totally at odds with our scientific knowledge of the finite resource base and the fragile ecology on which we all depend for survival."

The SDC was closed by the government in March.

There are plenty of ideas around on how to flatline:

• a four-day week for most workers to share around the available work; 
• community development to protect the vulnerable aged and infirm; 
• a massive development of allotments to move towards self-sufficiency in food;
• energy reduction policies like "the more you use, the greater the unit charge" to move towards self-sufficiency in energy; 
• and all this supported by adult education via the media that explains the dire predicament of "a finite resource base" and "fragile ecology".

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Now we have someone talking sense.

Sadly none of the main political parties other than the Greens put these views forward.

Why?

Because they are too "way out" - we're all geared to the mad scrabble to earn more to survive to pay the mortgage and maintain our feeling of self-esteem by having the latest gadget/car/kitchen house.

Why is it so few people don't refuse to get off this vicious treadmill?

But it's not easy - one has to make a determined effort to think "out of the box".

With the worlds resources being limited and being gobbled up by countries like China - it's time for a rethink.

First, house prices have to come down - which will cause a lot of pain and something the banks would oppose because people would default on their payments and desert property with negative equity.

Somehow we all need to take a responsible approach to our "Big Society" if we are going to survive.

Thankfully , there are some people who believe in "The survival of the kindest" the next twenty years will tell what philosophy works best  - that is if we can agree what "best" mean.

I come back to the thought - watch what happens in Greece - maybe it's time after some 2,500 years for Greek thinking to show us the way to think in an alternative way.

For me this picture - outside my window - encapsulates what my life at present is about :

Onions from the allotment drying out for storage

but then I'm one of the very privileged who was born and has lived through "the good times".