- Does money make the world go round?
- Is the love of money the root of all kinds of evil?
- If everyone is in debt, who’s got all the money? How did we get into the current economic mess, and how do we get out of it?
- Can we shop our way out of recession, or are there more sustainable ways of creating jobs and keeping essential public services going?
Think in Kingston
Think in Kingston will be exploring these and many other questions on a subject that affects us all.
Think in Kingston is an annual festival of ideas, a month of discussions, activities and participative events, run by a consortium of participating community groups; WDM is one of these.
The 2012 theme is Money. All events are free although a collection may be taken to help cover expenses. Selected events are shown below.
All events are at C-SCAIPE, Kingston University, Penryn Road campus, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 2EE unless otherwise stated. Find out more details on the Think in Kingston Events Calendar.
Cooperatives: a better business model?
In this International Year of Co-operatives, Think-in-Kingston starts with this different way of creating and distributing wealth, and its impact on society.
Sion Whellens (of Calverts, 35-year old design/printing co-operative) will talk about co-ops in general before talking about Calverts specifically.
Charlotte Borger (of Divine Fairtrade chocolate) will talk about Devine and Fairrade in general.
Monday 1st October, 6.30 – 8pm
“Money can’t buy me love…”
But shouldn’t it be paying for the NHS, education, decent housing, care of the vulnerable and freedom from conflict? Does the Government care more about the rich than they do about the rest of us? If the whole country is in debt, who has the money? Are we really “all in this together”?
Come and have your say at this debate – we’ve invited campaigners, economists, activists and advocates. We’ve invited politicians too – but only on condition they explain themselves…!
If you’re worried about cuts in services, rising prices and the fact that no-one seems to be listening, come along. A report from this debate will go to councillors, MPs and the media. Let’s tell the “powers that be” how we feel!
Wednesday 10th October 7 – 9pm at
Richard Mayo Centre, United Reformed Church, Eden Street
Kingston upon Thames
KT1 1HZ
The financial and climate crisis: how debt rules the world
The current debt crisis in Europe is not the first. For the last thirty years large debts between countries have increased poverty and inequality from Latin America to East Asia, Africa to Russia .
Tim Jones, Senior Policy and Campaigns Officer, Jubilee Debt Campaign will talk about:
• The similarities between the European debt crisis and Third World debt crisis
• The impact debt cancellation can have
• Why debts are continuing to increase across the world.
and
Kirsty Wright, senior climate justice campaigner, World Development Movement, will talk about:
• Climate Debt, a concept that has emerged from the global south
• The contradiction of the UK giving climate loans through the World Bank, which do nothing to address the injustices of climate change.
Monday 15th October, 7 – 8.30pm
Is Banking to Blame for Poverty and Debt?
Ben Dyson of Positive Money argues that we are in a crisis because so few of us, including policy makers, economists, journalists and ordinary people, understand how our monetary system works.
Almost all money is now created by private banks as debt. In the words of Martin Wolf, writing in the Financial Times, “the essence of the contemporary monetary system is the creation of money, out of nothing, by private banks’ often foolish lending”. Ben Dyson explains how poverty and high debts are inevitable when 97% of money is created as debt by banks, and how reforming the banking system is essential to dealing with the huge social and environmental issues that we face around the world today.
Wednesday 17th October 6.30 -8.30pm
