Sunday 9 November 2014

Less Means Less





An in and out today, but time for some links.

Just what exactly is going on?  The trouble is it is far from exact and very complex.  Also, those piling into to the debate usually have fixed ideas or positions which impede clear thinking.

This long and closely written on the Our Finite World blog by Gail Tverberg does not make comfortable reading.  She is saying that to some extent the game is up on oil pricing.  Given the critical role of oil in both economies and politics the prospects could be very bleak.

Among the many expert links is this one to the book by Joseph A Tainter in 1990 on "The Collapse of Complex Societies, New Studies in Archaeology".  Essentially, it is about diminishing returns.

A third is a middling length readable article by Robin Hambleton of the LSE arguing that the proposed Devo Plan for Greater Manchester is not what it seems.  Rather than handing power down it is a move to even more centralisation.

It is not a question of losing the picture, there may not be a picture there to lose.

1 comment:

  1. "It is not a question of losing the picture, there may not be a picture there to lose."

    Yes, the picture may not be real in the sense that it is far too complex to grasp. In which case maybe we have to allow people to pursue their own interests within widely understood constraints.

    Unfortunately the constraints are where politicians step in.

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