TRANSCRIPT of brilliant Danny who seems to be on the side of climate and social justice. WELL DONE, DANNY!
His new book is 'Power to the People - Use Your Voice, Change the World' - a radical manifesto for change designed to inspire citizen action around the world. Hardcover out 18 July '24.
On AQ on 15 March 2024, Danny said
75% of women of colour in the UK say they have faced racial abuse in the workplace. We won't take money from companies that trade in arms, pornography or tobacco. V important to foster trust in the charity. Stand up for a set of values that are based on equality.
Net zero energy projects
We must have a stable climate to avoid the world's climates from wreaking havoc on humanity. What is in the best interests of future generations?
About 0.1% of UK land is taken up by solar farms. It will take about 0.5% of arable land in UK to meet our net zero target. Community power projects needed, so empower local communties to make the best decisions for them. So you get energy and food security.
We have a chronic, generation-defining challenge about what is happening to all of our public services. Last week's buget chose not to invest in our public services, not to invest any further in our NHS, into our schools and transport systems. We have to have a v different approach 'cos our public services are desperately in need of investment. We need green investment to make sure we can transition to a green economy and yet all the major pol parties seem to be caught up in some sort of bizarre game of playing to the fiscal rules. They are arbitrary rules about how much of a proportion of GDP debt should be, refuse to invest in basic services that we all need and instead cutting taxes. This is a govt that talks about levelling up. The cut in National Insurance last week will benefit London and SE households far more than it will benefit the households in the other regions. The richest 20% of people will get 12 x more from the NI cut last week than the poorest 12%. Yet, meanwhile our public services including schools, including the provision of school meals, languishes with chronic under investment. We have to fix it.
ALEX: Should we borrow to fund public services because we know that the cost of servicing debt has consequences for the economy, too?
DANNY: Yes. First of all, don't cut taxes. Use that money to invest wisely. Investment is the thing that is holding us back. Ask any economist and they will tell you that. It is private investment and investment in public services. So don't give away that money in tax cuts that benefit the rich disproportionately.
Instead, if you have to borrow but, borrowing for investment is a very different matter from borrowing to pay your regular bills. Build a tax system that can pay for our everyday costs in running those public services but where you need to invest borrow and markets will look upon that very favourably, because they know that those investments will have long term returns. Yet, politicians say we have maxed out the credit card. Govt finances are not like household finances. If you invest to grow that benefits everyone in the long term.
FFPT = Fare-Free Public Transport is "win, win, win" said Danny
DANNY: Investing in free or low-cost public services improves quality of life, improves social mobility, it reduces traffic, it improves the environment, and I think govt in the UK should go further. In Germany last year they rolled out a 49 Euro/mth pass for all transport. In Luxembourg all public transport is free. So why don't we think about free/subsidised public transport as a central service that we all have a right to. Funded by a well thought out tax system that does not have loop holes, that doesn't give the wealthy a free 'Get out of Jail' card.
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