More children living in poverty, while the 1% keep getting richer

The Irish children's charity Barnardos yesterday estimated that 130,000 Irish children are now living in consistent poverty (up from 90,000 in 2009). On the same day, in his Irish Times column, Vincent Browne discussed two new reports showing that both the number of millionaires worldwide and the value of their combined assets, have continued to grow since the financial crisis began.

Selection of posters and placards from today's student protests in Dublin, Ireland

Thousands of students marched in Dublin today in protest against increases in fees and expected cuts to student maintenance grants in the forthcoming budget. Here is a selection of posters and placards from the march.

"What ever happened to free education"

"we write the future"

"If you're gonna take my education, at least book my ticket to Australia"

"Make the 1% pay"

"No cash, no jobs, no hope"

"Sentenced to debt"

"Pay my fees or pay my dole"

"Feck off fees"

"Emma was here! (But probably won't be next year ... )

"Dumbledore wouldn't stand for this sh!t"

"Beans on toast + fees = toast"

Blaming the poor for their condition...

Faced with inexplicable inequalities and injustices in society, and feeling disempowered to challenge the status quo, we have a natural tendency to try and rationalize the situation by assigning blame; the unemployed must be lazy, rape victims were "asking for it" etc. In this way we try to evade the unpleasant prospect that such circumstances could befall any one of us.

Oliver Burkeman describes this phenomenon in his latest Guardian column. However, he mistakenly sees this "just world hypothesis" as a difficulty the Occupy protestors will have to overcome. If the majority of us view the travails of those less well off than ourselves as their just desserts, why bother trying to alter "the system"? In fact, the Occupy movement presents an alternative to the vicious cycle of inequality being reinforced by negative stereotyping of the less fortunate members of society. The Occupy protestors force us all to face up to the injustices, to which we have become - subconsciously or otherwise - desensitized. Perhaps even more significantly, the movement also offers a voice of empowerment and the prospect that such inequalities are not inevitable.

Favourite Steve Jobs quotes

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

Don' t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.

- as quoted by the BBC

Unconventional wisdom on the retirement age from James K. Galbraith

In keeping with the spirit of this blog, here's a nice challenging piece of creative thinking from James K. Galbraith on why governments should consider reducing the retirement age ...

Kevin O'Rourke on the importance of Economic History

Excellent post on Irisheconomy.ie by Kevin O'Rourke on the importance of Economic History:

One of the most important things that a bit of history gives you is a sense of the importance of context. A model will work very well in some technological or institutional contexts, but not in others. 

[...]

If the only thing that economic history did was protect us from one-size-fits-all merchants, it would still be worth the price of admission.

 

 

David Cameron probably has a vision ... but I don't know what it is

In a recent poll in Britain, 55% of people agreed with the statement that "David Cameron probably has a vision for the country ... but I don't know what it is."

- as reported in the Guardian, 6 October, 2011.