Viking economics
Tony Weekes reviews a new book by American Quaker George Lakey
The phrase ‘there is no alternative’ came into circulation in the early 1980s. It was used by Margaret Thatcher to justify the economic reforms of her government and enabled acceptance of a ‘new normal’: an economy of cruelty rather than compassion, an economics that ignores the problems and threats of these times. The truth is that there was – and still is – an alternative and a new book by the American Quaker George Lakey, Viking Economics: How the Scandinavians Got It Right – and How We Can, Too, describes it in a readable and well-informed fashion. An important question for these times is whether it is too late for it to inspire social and economic policy in these western European islands.
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