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@graceblakeley

@Karan.Dev
Karan Dev
@Karan.Dev · 1:27

In conversation with economist Grace Blakeley

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She is also a staff writer for Tribune magazine, where she hosts a podcast called World to Win, and it's a podcast that I would highly recommend. Grace, thanks for joining me on Swell, and I want to start by asking you what you make of the state of politics and the economy in Britain and the world today

@graceblakeley

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@graceblakeley
Grace blakeley
@graceblakeley · 4:32

Reply 1 - the economy before and after COVID-19

So I think this is really the problem that we're going to be seeing as we move away from the pandemic is this idea of a K shaped recovery in which the top increases their wealth and power and income and potentially creates a kind of boom because they're all going out and spending all their money, whereas the bottom faces more insecurity, more debt there and just lower living standards
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@Karan.Dev
Karan Dev
@Karan.Dev · 0:34

The inception of neoliberalism

Thanks for covering so much ground in just four and a half minutes. Grace, I think that's truly remarkable. And you've captured a lot. And I'd love to go back into the inception of quantitative easing as part of the broader neoliberal framework. What were the intent ended outcomes of financialization, as you see it when they came up with it in the 80s and 90s, and when they impose these policies across the global north and the global south in equal measure, what would the E?
@Swell
Swell Team
@Swell · 0:15

Welcome to Swell!

@graceblakeley
Grace blakeley
@graceblakeley · 4:19

Reply 2 - financialisation and neoliberalism

But the policy changes, I think, were designed with a very particular idea in mind, and they were implemented by a set of governments, including Bachelors in the UK and Reagan in the US, who were very focused on supporting this model of financialised growth and financial growth
@Karan.Dev
Karan Dev
@Karan.Dev · 0:40

The power dynamics of the covid crisis

And I think you go into this in some detail in your book. But do you see a difference in the power dynamics, or is there a shift that's likely to occur after the pandemic
@graceblakeley
Grace blakeley
@graceblakeley · 4:37

Reply 3 - debt

Basically, it depends upon wider social, political and economic systems that determine your place, your situation in the global economy, and what we have seen in the wake of the financial crisis, and even more so now that we're in the middle of this pandemic is a massive increase in debt of all kinds. And this has been deliberate
@Karan.Dev
Karan Dev
@Karan.Dev · 0:46

Brexit and the elections

Some of the parties that earlier represented them are everyday people, especially in Britain, not resonating with the Labor Party anymore. And this comes as quite a shocker given the ideas that Jeremy Corbyn stands full
@graceblakeley
Grace blakeley
@graceblakeley · 4:37

Reply 4 - brexit and class voting

You frequently hear people saying all politicians are all the same, and that has been a trend that we've seen since 1997 and in every election since then, basically working class people dropping out of the electorate on the basis that there's no one that really represents them. And you would have thought that the Corbyn moment would have changed that, and it did slightly because a lot of those people did reenter the electorate to vote for Jeremy Corbyn in 2017
@Karan.Dev
Karan Dev
@Karan.Dev · 0:43

Increasing accessibility and desirable economic models

On a positive note, you've espoused the need for a social Democratic framework in some of your writings, and the need for increased accessibility and representation for low income groups. Is there an economic model in your country or elsewhere which has inspired you
@graceblakeley
Grace blakeley
@graceblakeley · 3:01

Reply 3 - organising to change the world

The challenge we have is that most people don't believe that things could be different, even when things are really, really bad. People just don't believe that things will be different. And part of that is not believing that human beings can work together to build different ways and models of organizing society. But by organizing, you realize, oh, wait, I can actually work with other people to do this stuff and can create really bigger changes in doing so
@Karan.Dev
Karan Dev
@Karan.Dev · 0:44

Apologies for the previous post and looking forward to your book!

I forgot to mention all of the other work that you've been doing in addition to your podcast in my previous conclusion, which was incomplete. So I apologize. But you know, your articles are a true source of insight, especially for people who are looking to to understand on the ground realities in Britain. And we've covered a lot of ground here. As I said, Grace, and you've been very kind and generous with your time
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