Autonomisation, financialisation, neoliberalism
Submitted by Alasdair on Jan 7 2013 21:34
An overview of the way in which with increasing autonomisation of finance capital, models come to shape the real economy and influence its restructuring.
Arbitrage is defined as any technique to profit from differences in price between identical assets in different markets. At its simplest, if an asset is priced at £1000 in one country and at £1200 in another, I can buy in the cheaper market and sell in the more expensive and profit from the difference.
Debt: the first 5000 years - David Graeber
David Graeber maps out the history of debt from ancient civilisations to current times, suggesting it has been one of the great catalysts for social and political strife throughout.
Credit crunched – working in financial services during the 2008-2009 crash
Submitted by Recomposition on Jan 23 2012 23:42
This article comes from a comrade who is a member of the Solidarity Federation in the UK. He describes the article as “An account of working for a credit company during the financial crisis, as well as workers’ attempts to resist speed-ups and workload increases.”
This job gave me an inside view of the ‘credit crunch’, in fact in a real sense I was a part of it. The financial crisis also meant a lot of pressure passed onto the workforce, through speed-ups, stress and redundancies. I started the job in early 2008 after I was made redundant in my last job.
The Corporation (Documentary)
Submitted by working class s... on Jan 23 2012 23:16
The Corporation is a 2003 Canadian documentary film written by Joel Bakan, and directed by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott. The documentary is critical of the modern-day corporation, considering its legal status as a class of person and evaluating its behaviour towards society and the world at large as a psychiatrist might evaluate an ordinary person. This is explored through specific examples. Bakan wrote the book, The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power, during the filming of the documentary.
Provoking, witty, stylish and sweepingly informative, THE CORPORATION explores the nature and spectacular rise of the dominant institution of our time. Part film and part movement, The Corporation is transforming audiences and dazzling critics with its insightful and compelling analysis.
Enron: The smartest guys in the room (documentary)
Submitted by working class s... on Jan 15 2012 09:56
A remarkable documentary which packages the events of the scandal into a cohesive story.
Unbelievable footage of employees reveals unbridled greed, lust for risk-taking, and guiltless cheating, all while thinking they could never be caught.
This searing examination of the Enron accounting scandal reveals the psychology of greed and corporate corruption that facilitated the company's rise to power and also its fall. When Enron went bankrupt in 2001, the principals walked away millionaires - but later faced legal proceedings and jail sentences.
Stupid regulators and greedy financiers or business as usual? - Chris Wright
As the occupy movement in the US this week shifts its attention from the shiny crystallisations of high finance to the hubs of material circulation, Chris Wright reviews Paul Mattick Jr.'s book, Business as Usual, and asks: what is missed by shouting down only one aspect of capitalism?
The Occupy Wall Street demonstrations which have sprung up around the United States express in their very name the common sense analysis of the economic crisis which began in 2007-8. Wall Street (aka finance capital) is out of control and the regulatory mechanisms in place aren't working. And it is not just in the US.
‘Red’ Ed is a clueless fantasist
Submitted by working class s... on Nov 18 2011 17:48
Ed Miliband has called for a 'new capitalism'. It is of course bollocks
Ed Miliband is a man without a clue, and lacking in just about everything required of a man in his position. His half-hearted support for the anti-capitalist demonstrators at St Paul’s is laughable. He says just enough to hope that the protesters notice, but no enough to upset Daily Mail readers.
Stay off the crack Gideon
Submitted by working class s... on Nov 18 2011 01:03
Gideon Osborne appears to have been on the crack again. He has sold off Northern Rock for half of its value to a gangster.
It would appear that Gideon Osborne has been taking one too many puffs on his crack pipe recently. Either that or the standard of maths at Eton is not what they used to be. Gideon has sold Northern Rock to convicted tax crook Richard Branson for half the amount that was originally paid for them. This leaves the tax payer out of pocket to the tune of £400 million. Do not worry though.
99 Problems...
A short breakdown of the "99% v. 1%" anaylsis, initially written for internal distribution at Occupy Bloomington (IN, US) in response to a larger conversation.
Pronoun note: “We” here refers to us (the authors) and you (if you so choose to include yourself). “We” is NOT the occupation, the “movement,” or you (if you don’t choose to include yourself).
Occupy Wall Street: The protest's movement
Submitted by Kadir Ateş on Sep 30 2011 02:50
Marianne LeNabat analyzes the Occupy Wall Street movement in Manhattan, New York.
A group of protestors descended on Wall Street a week ago. Actually, that’s not true: they first gathered at Bowling Green, with some using the steps of the old Customs House as a dais to vocalize their discontent. A few hours later they began to migrate north.
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