CJHighland
@cjhighland.bsky.social
Retired IT guy, now gardener and musician
Reposted by CJHighland
Most people think that economics is about money, that government spending is constrained by tax, and that public services must always come second to “balancing the books”. All of that is wrong.
youtu.be/ZL8SMeV2VyY?...
youtu.be/ZL8SMeV2VyY?...
Economics is not about money
YouTube video by Richard J Murphy
youtu.be
December 17, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Most people think that economics is about money, that government spending is constrained by tax, and that public services must always come second to “balancing the books”. All of that is wrong.
youtu.be/ZL8SMeV2VyY?...
youtu.be/ZL8SMeV2VyY?...
Reposted by CJHighland
If every country is in debt, where's the money? youtu.be/Ki8QUa3oVF0?...
If every country is in debt, where's the money?
YouTube video by Richard J Murphy
youtu.be
December 12, 2025 at 7:08 AM
If every country is in debt, where's the money? youtu.be/Ki8QUa3oVF0?...
Reposted by CJHighland
Is the Office for Budget Responsibility really protecting the UK economy, or enforcing austerity? I argue that the OBR was designed to remove democratic control over fiscal policy. In that case, it's time to get rid of it. youtu.be/lu6i9BB0XpU?...
Do we really need the Office for Budget Responsibility?
YouTube video by Richard J Murphy
youtu.be
December 4, 2025 at 7:09 AM
Is the Office for Budget Responsibility really protecting the UK economy, or enforcing austerity? I argue that the OBR was designed to remove democratic control over fiscal policy. In that case, it's time to get rid of it. youtu.be/lu6i9BB0XpU?...
Reposted by CJHighland
British politics is broken. The old left vs right divide no longer explains what is happening. Instead, we face a new choice: care or neglect.
youtu.be/7UtmjV6LNWA?...
youtu.be/7UtmjV6LNWA?...
Why left vs right politics is over in the UK
YouTube video by Richard J Murphy
youtu.be
December 3, 2025 at 7:09 AM
British politics is broken. The old left vs right divide no longer explains what is happening. Instead, we face a new choice: care or neglect.
youtu.be/7UtmjV6LNWA?...
youtu.be/7UtmjV6LNWA?...
Reposted by CJHighland
Reposted by CJHighland
Why won’t so much of the left believe in the sovereign power to make money? www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/12...
Why won’t so much of the left believe in the sovereign power to make money?
There are days when I genuinely wonder what parts of the left think the state is for.
The capacity to create money is the most fundamental power any modern government possesses. It is the basis of its...
www.taxresearch.org.uk
December 1, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Why won’t so much of the left believe in the sovereign power to make money? www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/12...
Reposted by CJHighland
The Alternative Budget 2025, Part 2: Understanding tax and ‘borrowing’ www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/11...
The Alternative Budget 2025, Part 2: Understanding tax and ‘borrowing’
Rachel Reeves will be presenting her Budget on November 26, if the Labour government of which she is a part lasts that long.
I will be commenting on that Budget on the day on BBC Radio 2, and elsewh...
www.taxresearch.org.uk
November 17, 2025 at 7:16 AM
The Alternative Budget 2025, Part 2: Understanding tax and ‘borrowing’ www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/11...
Reposted by CJHighland
The alienation of young people can be blamed on Covid, phones and much else. But those are exacerbations. The real cause is rent exploitation in all its forms. It is neoliberalism that is destroying the lives of young people. And that is why it has to go. www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/11...
Young people are alienated by neoliberalism
As the FT notes today, in another excellent article by John Burns-Murdoch:
In the UK [the number of] ... young people who are increasingly disengaged from not only the economy but the rest of society ...
www.taxresearch.org.uk
November 14, 2025 at 8:02 AM
The alienation of young people can be blamed on Covid, phones and much else. But those are exacerbations. The real cause is rent exploitation in all its forms. It is neoliberalism that is destroying the lives of young people. And that is why it has to go. www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/11...
Reposted by CJHighland
The great British energy rip-off is now killing our green energy hopes – and the chance of cheaper electricity www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/10...
The great British energy rip-off is now killing our green energy hopes – and the chance of cheaper electricity
As the Guardian reported last night:
Ministers are considering dropping one of their central green pledges in an effort to keep energy bills down, sources have told the Guardian.
Government insiders say Keir Starmer is prepared to miss his own target of removing almost all fossil fuels from the UK’s electricity supply...
www.taxresearch.org.uk
October 23, 2025 at 7:37 AM
The great British energy rip-off is now killing our green energy hopes – and the chance of cheaper electricity www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/10...
Reposted by CJHighland
There will be a lot of nonsense talked about government borrowing today www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/10...
There will be a lot of nonsense talked about government borrowing today
The Guardian published this at 7.20 this morning:
Newsflash: UK government borrowing has hit its highest level since the Covid-19 pandemic in the first half of this tax year, eating into chancellor R...
www.taxresearch.org.uk
October 21, 2025 at 7:38 AM
There will be a lot of nonsense talked about government borrowing today www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/10...
Reposted by CJHighland
The Bank of England is missing its 2% inflation target, but so what when the target is harmful? Isn't it time we had better economic policy rather than spending time fretting about missing goals set in the 1990s for reasons that no one can now recall? www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/10...
What do you do when the target’s wrong?
As the Guardian noted yesterday:
Bank of England rate-setter Catherine Mann has warned there is “very clear upside evidence” that UK inflation could remain above the central bank’s 2% target for lo...
www.taxresearch.org.uk
October 17, 2025 at 6:18 AM
The Bank of England is missing its 2% inflation target, but so what when the target is harmful? Isn't it time we had better economic policy rather than spending time fretting about missing goals set in the 1990s for reasons that no one can now recall? www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/10...
Reposted by CJHighland
Neoliberalism is dying. What comes next? youtu.be/VIdhnKskSh8?...
Neoliberalism promised prosperity but delivered austerity, insecurity, and despair. It hollowed out our public services, undermined democracy, and left wealth in the hands of the few.
In this video, I ask "What comes next?"
Neoliberalism promised prosperity but delivered austerity, insecurity, and despair. It hollowed out our public services, undermined democracy, and left wealth in the hands of the few.
In this video, I ask "What comes next?"
Neoliberalism is dying. What comes next?
YouTube video by Richard J Murphy
youtu.be
October 14, 2025 at 6:09 AM
Neoliberalism is dying. What comes next? youtu.be/VIdhnKskSh8?...
Neoliberalism promised prosperity but delivered austerity, insecurity, and despair. It hollowed out our public services, undermined democracy, and left wealth in the hands of the few.
In this video, I ask "What comes next?"
Neoliberalism promised prosperity but delivered austerity, insecurity, and despair. It hollowed out our public services, undermined democracy, and left wealth in the hands of the few.
In this video, I ask "What comes next?"
Reposted by CJHighland
Why are both the UK’s major political parties running out of talent? www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/10... Why, in other words, are our politicians useless?
Why are both the UK’s major political parties running out of talent?
People know that the politicians they are now being presented with, most especially by Labour and the Tories, are, by and large, useless, without an iota of talent for the tasks they take on in the ab...
www.taxresearch.org.uk
October 14, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Why are both the UK’s major political parties running out of talent? www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/10... Why, in other words, are our politicians useless?
Reposted by CJHighland
We’re told that government debt is spiralling out of control. Commentators scream “fiscal crisis!” But it isn't. High government debt is a sign of trust. People are desperate for the safety that only the government can provide. Debt is not a danger—it’s a deposit facility.
youtu.be/hT8l89Su8kk?...
youtu.be/hT8l89Su8kk?...
Markets are begging for more government bonds
YouTube video by Richard J Murphy
youtu.be
September 26, 2025 at 6:10 AM
We’re told that government debt is spiralling out of control. Commentators scream “fiscal crisis!” But it isn't. High government debt is a sign of trust. People are desperate for the safety that only the government can provide. Debt is not a danger—it’s a deposit facility.
youtu.be/hT8l89Su8kk?...
youtu.be/hT8l89Su8kk?...
Reposted by CJHighland
Every action has a reaction. Every pound the government spends becomes someone’s income, which creates tax, confidence and prosperity. Yet politicians and journalists still talk about spending as if it’s waste. In this video, I explain why that’s wrong.
youtu.be/tDOiRh15Wj0?...
youtu.be/tDOiRh15Wj0?...
Is your every financial move creating a hidden reaction?
YouTube video by Richard J Murphy
youtu.be
September 20, 2025 at 6:05 AM
Every action has a reaction. Every pound the government spends becomes someone’s income, which creates tax, confidence and prosperity. Yet politicians and journalists still talk about spending as if it’s waste. In this video, I explain why that’s wrong.
youtu.be/tDOiRh15Wj0?...
youtu.be/tDOiRh15Wj0?...
Reposted by CJHighland
Warning! The rightwing junktanks behind the Tories’ worst disasters still have the keys to No 10 | George Monbiot
Warning! The rightwing junktanks behind the Tories’ worst disasters still have the keys to No 10 | George Monbiot
Who is running the government’s ‘growth school’ for civil servants? The answer surpassed my worst fears, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
September 11, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Warning! The rightwing junktanks behind the Tories’ worst disasters still have the keys to No 10 | George Monbiot
Reposted by CJHighland
Kemi Badenoch has been spreading misinformation.
@PippaHeylings.bsky.social explains how renewable energy is the way forward to lower our energy bills and protect Britain and the environment 👇
@PippaHeylings.bsky.social explains how renewable energy is the way forward to lower our energy bills and protect Britain and the environment 👇
September 2, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Kemi Badenoch has been spreading misinformation.
@PippaHeylings.bsky.social explains how renewable energy is the way forward to lower our energy bills and protect Britain and the environment 👇
@PippaHeylings.bsky.social explains how renewable energy is the way forward to lower our energy bills and protect Britain and the environment 👇
Reposted by CJHighland
The story goes: if Britain used modern monetary theory, the bond market would revolt. The truth is the opposite. In this video, I explain why the UK government’s ability to create money to invest in real assets would make the UK more secure, not less.
youtu.be/8Y33063Wn3o?...
youtu.be/8Y33063Wn3o?...
Why MMT won’t crash the pound or the bond market
YouTube video by Richard J Murphy
youtu.be
August 26, 2025 at 6:09 AM
The story goes: if Britain used modern monetary theory, the bond market would revolt. The truth is the opposite. In this video, I explain why the UK government’s ability to create money to invest in real assets would make the UK more secure, not less.
youtu.be/8Y33063Wn3o?...
youtu.be/8Y33063Wn3o?...
Reposted by CJHighland
It's GERS Day in Scotland www.thenational.scot/politics/253...
Expert debunks everything you've been told about Scotland's 'deficit'
It's GERS day: The day in Scotland when the Government Expenditure and Revenue Statement for Scotland is published by the Scottish Government ...
www.thenational.scot
August 13, 2025 at 5:40 PM
It's GERS Day in Scotland www.thenational.scot/politics/253...
Reposted by CJHighland
Why “spend before tax” is the key to unlocking a future for young people www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/08... If we understand that we can demand secure homes, good jobs, free education, affordable childcare, and a liveable planet now, and not in some imagined future when the books “balance”.
Why “spend before tax” is the key to unlocking a future for young people
In a post I published here yesterday, I explained that in a country like the UK, which issues its own currency, has an effective tax system, a functioning legal system, and with that currency being ac...
www.taxresearch.org.uk
August 10, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Why “spend before tax” is the key to unlocking a future for young people www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/08... If we understand that we can demand secure homes, good jobs, free education, affordable childcare, and a liveable planet now, and not in some imagined future when the books “balance”.
Reposted by CJHighland
Reposted by CJHighland
If Keir Starmer wants a positive relationship with the Scottish Government, he needs to get his Environment Secretary to retract his totally inaccurate comments about Scotland’s water.
Our rivers are cleaner, our bills are lower - and public ownership delivers for people, not profit. 👇
Our rivers are cleaner, our bills are lower - and public ownership delivers for people, not profit. 👇
July 22, 2025 at 2:10 PM
If Keir Starmer wants a positive relationship with the Scottish Government, he needs to get his Environment Secretary to retract his totally inaccurate comments about Scotland’s water.
Our rivers are cleaner, our bills are lower - and public ownership delivers for people, not profit. 👇
Our rivers are cleaner, our bills are lower - and public ownership delivers for people, not profit. 👇
Reposted by CJHighland
Unbelievable exchange this morning on Radio Scotland between presenter and economist @RichardJMurphy, with presenter interrupting & conducting an interview with barely concealed contempt. Really bad.
July 16, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Unbelievable exchange this morning on Radio Scotland between presenter and economist @RichardJMurphy, with presenter interrupting & conducting an interview with barely concealed contempt. Really bad.
Reposted by CJHighland
A live 'wasted wind' tracker has been launched by Octopus Energy in recent days to show how much the UK’s 'broken' system is costing billpayers. But, what's the point? 🤔
Why has Octopus Energy launched a wasted wind tracker?
www.thenational.scot
July 9, 2025 at 3:14 AM
A live 'wasted wind' tracker has been launched by Octopus Energy in recent days to show how much the UK’s 'broken' system is costing billpayers. But, what's the point? 🤔
Reposted by CJHighland
Every time stock markets drop, headlines say that billions have been lost. But where does that money actually go? If you want to understand crashes, confidence, and the baked bean market (trust me), this one’s for you.
youtu.be/zBJT6HnAzPY?...
youtu.be/zBJT6HnAzPY?...
When stock markets fall, where does all the money that was lost go?
YouTube video by Richard J Murphy
youtu.be
July 3, 2025 at 6:09 AM
Every time stock markets drop, headlines say that billions have been lost. But where does that money actually go? If you want to understand crashes, confidence, and the baked bean market (trust me), this one’s for you.
youtu.be/zBJT6HnAzPY?...
youtu.be/zBJT6HnAzPY?...