[Lehman collapse, 15 September 2008 - headlines 16 Sep 2008]

Over the last quarter of a

century something

fundamental seems to

have changed in the way

in which capitalism works.

The tendency since 1970

has been towards greater

geographical mobility of

capital.

Rather than being a modest

helper to the capital

accumulation process,

[finance] gradually turned into

a driving force.

Speculative finance became a

kind of secondary engine for

growth given the weakness in

the primary engine, productive

investment.

“Part of the reason people get less giddy

about the Dow than they did five years

ago is that they have learnt a bit about

inequality.

what looks like a recovery, a rally or an

increase in consumer confidence may

just be the effect of elites passing money

among themselves.“

Christopher Caldwell, FT 9 March 2013

One company –

200 employees

One employee–

200 companies

“Eurostat, the EU Commission’s data agency has calculated the cost of the banking crisis in each EU country. The following focuses on the cost to general government budgets. Ireland has really taken one for Team EU.”

A Really Really Special Case Requires a Really Really Special Solution

Michael Taft, 15 Jan 2013