Money and Banking: Why the System is Failing and our Radical Solution

Wednesday 24^th January 7.30pm
The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

With Lucy Thom and David Moon of ‘Positive Money’

The economy is not working for far too many people leading to ever-growing inequality, rising house prices, increasing private debt and environmental degradation.

Lucy Thom and David Moon, members of ‘Positive Money’, will explain how commercial banks create new money when they make loans and how money is destroyed when those loans are repaid. They will show how this is at the root of our current economic problems and make the case for a major banking reform which removes the right to create money from the private sector.

Positive Money campaigns for the power to create money to be used in the public interest, in a democratic, transparent and accountable way, rather than by the same banks that caused the financial crisis.

“Join us for a thought-provoking evening as we reveal how Britain’s banking system can be changed for the better”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Please email Dave at DHweb2(at)live.co.uk for a PDF copy for you to print and display.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

First Brexit then Trump: How Did We Get Here and Where Should We Go?

Wednesday 26^th April 7.30pm
The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

With Economist Steve Laughton

Steve Laughton believes it’s the failure of mainstream economics that got us ‘here’ – but what happens next? In this presentation Steve aims to challenge mainstream economics and explain why political parties are struggling to convince electorates that they have answers to their problems. In the process he will demystify economics; a subject which, he will argue, has morphed into a fake science hiding behind beautiful mathematical models built on false assumptions. After the last financial crash, the Queen famously asked ‘Why did no one see it coming?’ A new breed of heterodox economists, such as Professor Steve Keen, did see it coming and are warning of serious economic trouble to come if we don’t change course...

Steve Laughton is currently undertaking research into exchange rate policies and post-Keynesian theory under the tutorship of Professor Keen. He is a former member of the Labour Economic Policy Group.

“Join us for a thought-provoking and revealing look at the short-comings of mainstream economics”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Libertarianism

Saturday 14^th January 2017 2.00pm 
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown Bournemouth BH9 1TW
With Senior Lecturer in Philosophy Arif Ahmed



The libertarian philosophy associated with F. A. Hayek, has its philosophical roots in the classical liberalism of the nineteenth century and in the philosophical views of Hume, Smith and Tocqueville. Libertarians emphasise freedom of the individual and the rule of law, preferring limited government and a small state. They tend to oppose welfare because they claim the poor are better served by high-growth economies than with handouts. However, their detractors suggest libertarians are indifferent to community needs and the suffering of the poor, and that they protect big business and those who aim to enrich themselves with little concern for others.
In contrast to the claims of the critics, philosopher Arif Ahmed, a self-described libertarian, believes that libertarian ideas can contribute to a good society, and he will help us gain a fuller and more nuanced understanding of libertarianism, focusing on the philosophical basis of these ideas and their relevance to a range of modern-day ethical, political and economic issues such as immigration, taxation, euthanasia, drug control, gay marriage, government surveillance, and free speech.
Arif Ahmed is a senior lecturer in philosophy at the University of Cambridge. He studied mathematics at Oxford University, and Philosophy at Sussex and Cambridge. He has worked at Birmingham University and held visiting
positions at Sydney University, Central China Normal University, the Australian National University and the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa.
He is now Reader Philosophy at Cambridge and a fellow of Gonville and Caius College. He writes mainly on rational choice, but also has an interest in religion and has debated the subject against William Lane Craig, Tariq Ramadan, Rowan Williams and others. He is an atheist and a libertarian and his personal philosophical outlook is most closely allied with those of David Hume and Friedrich Hayek


“Join us for a thought-provoking examination of Libertarianism”
Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!
Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:
http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/
You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.
Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

EU Referendum Debate: Five Humanist Views

Wednesday 25^th May 7.30pm
The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

Humanism shares many values with the European Union (EU) such as liberty, equality, human rights, democracy, the rule of law, economic prosperity, and peace. But are these values best served as a member of, or outside of the EU, and should humanists adopt a view based on national self-interest or a broader set of supranational objectives?

To discuss these issues from a humanist perspective we bring together a diverse range of views from within our own membership and from the wider humanist community. Our panel will include a published philosopher, a member of the British Psychological Society, a Polish lawyer who immigrated to the UK, an ex-UKIP member, and a Labour Party economist.

Some of our panellists will argue to remain in the EU and others will argue to leave, but they will all strive to present a rational and humanistic analysis of one of the biggest decisions facing the British electorate in recent history.

“Join us for this lively debate on Britain’s future relationship with Europe”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Post-Capitalism: A Guide to the Future

Wednesday 27^th January 7.30pm The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

with Economist Douglas Lock

Economist Douglas Lock will present a fascinating talk which speculates on three possible economic futures.

• The first, a pessimistic view following dire predictions by the ‘Club of Rome’  think-tank, forecasts a total collapse of our global economic system by 2050/60! 
• The second scenario envisages a resumption of a higher degree of corporate welfare capitalism and an uneasy truce between capital and labour.
• The third, and most optimistic, vision would see a peaceful transition to post-capitalism based on the digital revolution and the growth of a global free goods and services economic system. Could we finally see a world where greater equality and abundance would lead to leisure replacing work, and tolerance and co-operation replacing conflict and greedy self interest?

Douglas will analyse our present financial system, highlighting the weaknesses that may lead to long-run secular decline, and include a brief review of the evolution of capitalism. In conclusion, he will say that the choices we make now will lead either to a utopian or a dystopian future. Doing nothing is not an option! 

“Join us for a fascinating glimpse into an uncertain future”

 

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

 

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:
http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/
You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

The Wrong Sort of Banker: Has Britain Succumbed to the ‘Finance Curse’?

Wednesday 23^rd September 7.30pm
The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

With John Christensen of the Tax Justice Network

Studies by several renowned economists including Nobel prize winner Joseph Stiglitz have established that countries which depend heavily on natural resources such as oil or diamonds often perform worse than their resource-poor peers in terms of human development, governance and long-term economic growth. The economic collapse in Cyprus offered a recent example of how an over-sized financial centre can similarly create over-dependence on a single sector, attract the brightest and the best away from other industries, and corrupt a country’s political systems. As the world’s largest exporter of financial services, could the City of London be having a similar effect on Britain?

In this fascinating presentation, Executive Director of the Tax Justice Network John Christensen will share the results of his many years of research into the subject. John is a former economic adviser to the British Crown Dependency of Jersey, and his research on offshore finance has been widely published. He featured prominently in the award-winning film documentary ‘The Price We Pay’ (2014) and co-authored ‘The Finance Curse: how oversized financial sectors attack democracy and corrupt economics’.

“Join us to discover how the City of London influences our politics and economy”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Myth, Marx and Milton Friedman

Wednesday 22^nd April 7.30pm
The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

A humanist approach to economics with Steve Laughton of the Labour Economic Policy Group

Is economics still a reputable, scientific discipline or has there been an insidious takeover of economic theory by myth, dogma and market fundamentalism?

Steve Laughton of the Labour Economic Policy Group will argue that the world is now governed by a self-serving economic aristocracy whose power is growing inexorably, unchecked by democratic forces. With a little help from Marx, Keynes, Milton Friedman, Thomas Piketty and Bob Dylan, he will attempt to demonstrate that a decent future for everyone - full employment, a living wage, decent pensions and greater equality - is achievable, but not without a fundamental challenge to the prevailing economic orthodoxy. This promises to be a thought-provoking talk, with plenty of opportunity for questions and further debate afterwards.

“A thought-provoking look at how we can use the ideas of some great economic theorists to create a more equitable world”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and helps you to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

General Election Special 2015

Wednesday 25^th March 7.30pm
The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

Featuring local political party candidates from the five main parties.

As our nation gears itself up for the general election in May, we present a pre-election party policy special which we hope will increase local awareness of our parties’ latest policy positions. Candidates from the five main political parties will each make a short presentation trying to convince you their manifesto is best for Britain’s future, followed by ample opportunity for audience questions. We are looking forward to hearing their policies on key issues such as housing, welfare, wages, taxation, employment, immigration, the NHS, energy and the environment, enabling us to gain a better appreciation of which party will be best for Britain.

Come and join us at this pre-election special to gain a better appreciation of our parties’ plans, challenge the party representatives in the Q&As, and cast your ‘vote’ in our mock election. We expect this to be a lively and enjoyable event!

“A great opportunity to familiarise yourself with our political parties’ future plans for Britain before you place your vote on election day”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed on foot and by car via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Capitalism and Inequality

Wednesday 22^nd October 7.30pm The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

With economist Douglas Lock

In this talk, Douglas Lock will be presenting key ideas from economist Thomas Piketty’s surprise bestseller, ‘Capital in the Twenty-First Century’.

Piketty’s central claim is that inequality in the world’s most advanced capitalist countries is increasing and has been for at least 30 years. He also demolishes the persistent myth that we’re living in a meritocracy in which great wealth is earned and deserved, and he claims growing inequality makes democracy unsustainable.

Hailed by many progressives as an economic messiah, Piketty's ambitious goal is to change the way wealth is distributed. Among his controversial proposals are an 80 percent tax rate on the very highest earners, not to raise money for education or welfare, as he does not expect such a tax to bring in much revenue, but simply 'to put an end to such extreme incomes'.

Come along to hear Douglas explain the economic ideas that have taken the world by storm, and made Piketty an international celebrity.

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

For more information on Piketty and his ideas, watch Thomas Piketty on TED (20 minutes)

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and the chance to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to this event on those sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/events/212829072/

https://www.facebook.com/events/957375840945118/

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed by car and on foot via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

An Intelligent Voter’s Guide to Austerity and Economic Beliefs

Wednesday 23rd April 7.30pm The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

A presentation by economist Douglas Lock

If nations are like households then of course they shouldn’t try to solve a debt crisis by piling up more debt. But maybe nations are nothing like households and the very worst thing they can do in a recession is to cut spending.

Why do politicians tenaciously maintain their economic beliefs even in the aftermath of massive, systemic failure?

In this fascinating talk Douglas will trace the history of a set of economic beliefs which have become known as ‘neoliberalism’. These beliefs have held sway in much of the world economy for the last thirty years and show little sign of decline despite increasingly extreme inequality, and having brought the world to the brink of economic collapse in that period. He will also explain how he believes the Coalition Government’s austerity policy is irrational, has cost us billions in lost wealth, and has hit the poor hardest.

Douglas is a retired university economics lecturer and Chair of Christchurch & East Dorset Constituency Labour Party. His key interests are economic affairs, politics and community life.

“Join us for an intriguing examination of austerity policy and its implications, from retired economics lecturer Douglas Lock”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed from Gervis Road, which is well lit and has roadside parking).

Please help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Money That Works :Creating A Sustainable Economic System

Saturday 11^th May 2.00pm 
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown Bournemouth BH9 1TW

A presentation by independent financial expert Stef Kling

The credit crunch, bank bailouts, the European debt crisis, quantitative easing, and austerity measures fill the news but where do we go from here?

Independent financial expert Stef Kling believes there are major flaws in our current financial system, and calls into question our current obsession with continuous economic growth.

In this presentation, he will outline inspiring alternative financial models, explaining why we need radical changes and a move to sustainable economic systems.

Join us to discover the issues causing our current economic problems and hear Stef Kling’s vision of how we can create sustainable prosperity.

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

Please help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.