Opinion. Trump wins: time to get on with green growth

Stephen Hinton 2016 — Photo: Maj-Lis Koivisto

Promising to “make America great again”, a composed and rather humble Donald Trump held his US presidential victory speech this morning. His stated strategy is to rebuild infrastructure, and to harness the skills and talents of everyone. That includes the many people who voted for him who feel they have been left out up to now. He particularly talked of veterans and made it clear that Americans includes the wide range of ethnic and cultural diversity of all its citizens.

Doubling growth was also something he talked about.

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Opinion: Ericsson divorces Sweden and kills technology

Technology died today. Not the machines, but the paradigm. The belief that delivering high-tech creates jobs, prosperity and shareholder value got killed. The news hit this morning in Sweden’s newspaper SVD among others, that Sweden’s flagship, Ericsson, is shedding thousands of jobs and shutting down manufacturing in Sweden. The decision is sending shock-waves through the municipalities where Ericsson units are one of the largest employers. The likely effect is that whole communities will suffer in a domino effect decimating local suppliers then local services then house prices. And it’s probably the best thing to happen to Sweden for a long while. More on that later. First to the situation. Continue reading “Opinion: Ericsson divorces Sweden and kills technology”

OPINION: Sweden is one step closer to crashing in the chasm

Sweden’s largest exporter, Ericsson, is about to shed all manufacturing in Sweden, sack half its employees and be broken up and sold. This is bad news for sustainable Sweden; with its internet of things and wide R&D capabilities Ericsson has the competence and potential to be a major contributor to the Swedish Government’s ambition to be fossil-emission free by 2045. It seems very few really care to do what is necessary. They would rather let small local initiatives pick up the pieces. That is possibly the best option.

According to recent newspaper reports, Sweden’s largest exporter, Ericsson, is about to – in the worst case – shed all manufacturing in Sweden, sack half its employees and be broken up and sold. This is bad news for sustainable Sweden; with its internet of things and wide R&D capabilities Ericsson has the competence and potential to be a major contributor to the Swedish Government’s ambition to be fossil-emission free by 2045. With this latest news it is looking more and more like Sweden will fail to “cross the chasm” keeping its high material standard. It seems, though, that very few really care to do what is necessary. They would rather let small local initiatives pick up the pieces.

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A Marx moment manifests in McDonald’s

My partner and I were driving home and needed a coffee break. It was late Sunday night. Only motorway stops were on offer. We opted for a McDonald’s. As I walked over to the store I checked my mail: an update from Marxist economist Michael Roberts to read whilst I waited for our order. I was about to learn something.

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OPINION: Earth to Ericsson – Come back!

Ericsson just lost its CEO and with no-one at the helm of this giant spaceship of a technology company I’d like to offer the board some insights and advice. I’m biased as I worked there for a while; it was a period of personal growth for me and a lot of fun. My basic message is that the company needs to get back to its Swedish cultural roots and back to doing what it does best: providing needed advanced services and technology to people in societies that aim for social and environmental good. Continue reading “OPINION: Earth to Ericsson – Come back!”

Opinion: sort out the pickle with Peace

I come from the Islands of Britain where we find ourselves in a major pickle.

We have a few short years to solve defossilisation, food security, reformation of the economic system and to redress a lot of badwill being stirred up by our Brexit and all the austerity our Island peoples suffer from.

We can fix this if we remember what we have and why we are here. We ave a great place to live. We are Peace-loving and pragmatic. Let’s focus on what we want and from that take responsibility for our communities and our Islands. Starting with where we live.
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Opinion: the biggest business opportunity on the planet is Peace

What the business of business is has long been debated. Put simply people might say businesses provide services that people need in a way that employs people and gives them wages so they can buy what they in turn need.

If that is the case, it isn’t working very well is it? Zero hours contacts, wages below minimum, and jobs outsourced all mean that people don’t have money in their pockets to buy the necessities. That depresses the market, reduces demand and that reduces business opportunities. And it looks as if people are stressed and depressed – even those with jobs and money. Could it be that business is actually missing what people actually want? Continue reading “Opinion: the biggest business opportunity on the planet is Peace”

Opinion: Put a price on phosphorus now and drive circularity

In My Humble Opinion:

Put a price on phosphorus now to create a circular economy before it is too late

I’ve been thinking about some interesting feedback on food prices. At a recent meeting, I presented my case: dividend-bearing import surcharges on scarce substances can encourage reuse and recycling. The received opinion is that that anything that makes food more expensive cannot be done. And shouldn’t. Continue reading “Opinion: Put a price on phosphorus now and drive circularity”