Emeritus Prof Christopher May
Contacting Emeritus Prof Christopher May
Federation handle:
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us
Federation handle:
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us
Emeritus Prof Christopher May's Posts
Emeritus Prof Christopher May has 224 posts.
Gareth Kitchen
In response to this postEmeritus Prof Christopher May Boosted
@ChrisMayLA6
She is being held quite close to us and I've been made aware of this:-
"It is Gaie Dunlap's 78th birthday on Friday 10th January. Local Quakers are showing her love and solidarity by having a vigil for her outside the prison on her birthday. If anyone from Gloucestershire wishes to go, the arrangement is to meet at 5pm at The Huntsman Pub (which is 2 minutes away from HMP Eastwood Park, just off junction 14 of the M5), on Bristol Rd, Falfield, Wotton-under-Edge GL12 8DF. From 17:15 to 19:00 there will be a vigil for Gaie outside the prison gates.
Bristol Climate Choir should be there, and the time will be spent with a Quakerly silent vigil/mfw for Gaie (bring lanterns/candles in jam jars), interspersed with Climate Choir singing. Then all singing 'happy birthday to Gaie'.
@gruff
That's great to know (and boosted)
by Emeritus Prof Christopher May ;
Mentions: @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
In response to this post@h4890
On 1. some inflation is good & Keynes was no unaware of the danger;
2. practically, there was always enough to go around;
3. rational expectations, presuppose rationality & that is a major problem - people (especially in economic activity) often aren't... and Keynes had discussion(s) of the including 'money illusion'.
But a full discussion would be much much longer
@ChrisMayLA6 Sadly this is the truth! I severely cut down on 1, 2 and 3, and I expect an in depth discussion of this would quickly reach the length of a book. ;)
But those types of discussions are not good for a tiny mastodon window limited by 500 characters. =(
by h4890 ;
Mentions: @h4890@liberdon.com
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
In response to this post@h4890
Hmmm.... depends on whether you think the period 1945 - 1965 was a success economically or not... if yes, that was a practical result of Keynes-inspired policy making
@ChrisMayLA6 This brings us to the problems of:
1. Why that span?
2. What is success?
3. How would it have gone with Mises at the helm instead?
4. Could there have been other factors or trends in the world helping out?
5. What happened after 1965? Maybe the negative effects of Keynes theories took time to manifest?
All these questions, difficult to answer, is one of the great frustrations with economics. =(
by h4890 ;
Mentions: @h4890@liberdon.com
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
In response to this post@h4890
Ha ha, so, so many.... the headline is (for me) that many (but by no means all of course) academics are selfishly interested only in organising their lives to suit themselves, which is not necessarily that unusual, but are unbelievably 'talented' at presenting what is only good for them as if it was actually for the general good - in other words they intellectualise self-centredness as social responsibility.... and to me it always looked like hypocrisy!
@ChrisMayLA6 Sad to hear. =( Do you think that the prestige a higher academic title brings, and tenure, are the reasons for this?
Or is it just that that jobs tends to attract that type of person?
by h4890 ;
Mentions: @h4890@liberdon.com
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
An important reminder from the Women's Budget Group:
Unpaid care work is the invisible backbone of our economy. Yet it’s often overlooked in economic discussions. Globally, it is equivalent to trillions of pounds, supporting paid work and public services alike.
Women disproportionately shoulder this responsibility, doing 50% more unpaid work than men.
It's time we value and recognise the economic contribution of unpaid care work.
#workers #care #women #economics
Tags: #workers #care #women #economics
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
Emeritus Prof Christopher May BoostedNicola Jennings on the relationship between Mark Zuckerberg & Donald Trump....
#USPol
Tags: #uspol
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
An update on Gaie Delap.
You'll recall that Delap was recalled to prison because Serco were unable to provide a suitable (i.e. one that fit) electronic tag for her release on licence.
She remains in prison while Serco continue to fail to provide what they ae legally obliged to.
If this doesn't appear just (someone being locked up despite her sentence being non-custodial due to a contractor being unable to do their job); you'd be right - it is an injustice!
#politics
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/09/failure-justice-gaie-delap-prison-government-climate-activist-tory-law
She is being held quite close to us and I've been made aware of this:-
"It is Gaie Dunlap's 78th birthday on Friday 10th January. Local Quakers are showing her love and solidarity by having a vigil for her outside the prison on her birthday. If anyone from Gloucestershire wishes to go, the arrangement is to meet at 5pm at The Huntsman Pub (which is 2 minutes away from HMP Eastwood Park, just off junction 14 of the M5), on Bristol Rd, Falfield, Wotton-under-Edge GL12 8DF. From 17:15 to 19:00 there will be a vigil for Gaie outside the prison gates.
Bristol Climate Choir should be there, and the time will be spent with a Quakerly silent vigil/mfw for Gaie (bring lanterns/candles in jam jars), interspersed with Climate Choir singing. Then all singing 'happy birthday to Gaie'.
by Gareth Kitchen ;
@ChrisMayLA6
Uuuummmmm.
'The Conservative government, however, pressed on without a full evaluation and in 1993 announced that all new prisons would be privately built under the private finance initiative and privately operated.'
by Merry Christmas ;
Tags: #politics
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
Again we have a Govt. that purports to want to support growth, but also is considering cutting expenditure on public services, which will likely compound the BoE/MPC engineered (near) recession targeting inflation.
This reflects rising bond yields (caused by falling bond prices stoked by concerns about, you guessed it, future growth; a falling price for an issued bond raises its yield, but also makes future bond issuance more expensive).
a one word policy answer: KEYNES!
#politics #austerity
@ChrisMayLA6 Keynes? Aren't that old mans theories completely disproven? ;)
I hear Milei is doing wonders in Argentina by following the libertarian approach of Mises! :)
by h4890 ;
Tags: #politics #austerity
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
@rmblaber1956
Hmmm.... I always thought it was pretty obvious from Reeves 'fiscal probity' statements that they would be using austerity to 'balance the books'.... I think its grim (and unnecessary) but was pretty clearly indicated (albeit in technical language)
@ChrisMayLA6 It IS grim & totally unnecessary, & completely contrary to Labour's traditional political philosophy - not that that seems to count for anything any more.
by Richard Michael Blaber ;
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
Abortion
Given the situation in America post-Roe vs. Wade, we should be thinking about how we can support women in America who want/need abortions.
Here are some ideas from Mara Clarke who has been working on cross border terminations for some time (and as a result has some interesting experience to impart).
#abortion #feminism #USPol
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/trump-us-abortion-ban-pregnant-travel-borders-europe/
Tags: #abortion #feminism #uspol
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
@Graffotti
sure, OK; I was just curious as I was the PhD Director for my one Dept, after my 2 terms as an Associate Dean, and I just wondered whether the Dept. was who I would have expected it to be.... now worries; as you say water under the bridge & very glad you found a comfortable home for your research at UCLan
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
In response to this post@etchedpixels
I love the post-92's games with how old their university is... on the first day I arrived to start my first proper academic job at University of West of England, pat of the first session of indiction was partly about how they were really older than the update University of Bristol down the road...
Mentions: @etchedpixels@mastodon.social
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
@Graffotti
Which Dept at Lancaster? Usually they'd bite your arm off they're that desperate for PhD students' fees (and not much staff time).
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
@pergus
exactly! And then called themselves Oxfordshire University.... I'm sure they wouldn't get away with it... which might tell you something about the political standing of Lancaster U of course
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
@chris
Ha ha, I bet they weren't.... I've been to U Victoria, and i can imagine they'd not be wanting any 'confusion!
Mentions: @chris@abraham.su
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
In response to this post@h4890
well in the UK... massive! from baby products through to advice on teenagers & everything in between.... all of it driving parental anxiety to encourage purchase of goods & services
@ChrisMayLA6 Interesting! In that case I assume it is the same in sweden. Fascinating how I'm so absolutely isolated and insulated from all of that. ;)
On the other hand, my laser focus on privacy does shield me and my family from a lots of commercial messages.
I remember the first time my father had to use the internet with all the privacy tools and ad blockers I have installed for him. After about 60 seconds he asked me how people can tolerate it. ;)
by h4890 ;
Mentions: @h4890@liberdon.com
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
In response to this post@h4890
[Laughing & about to fall off my chair].... indeed you were wrong!
@ChrisMayLA6 I don't know if I dare to ask you for some anonymous anecdotes?
British academia is for me caught between the two poles of the sinister crimes of say an Inspector Morse episode, and on the other hand, as being populated by descendants of Tolkien, grand fatherly figures spending all day writing great stuff about hobbits. ;)
by h4890 ;
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
@losttourist
Hmmm... not quite the same; the key thing here is the only small difference between ...aster and ... shire.
None of your examples are anywhere near as close....
It certainly commonplace for shared elements, but this closeness I'm pretty sure is unprecedented, but happy for someone to furnish me with a similar closely named pair.
I should say I'm emeritus at LU & have a lot of respect for UCLAN or UL as it will now become
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
Not quite sure what to make of Liz Truss' 'cease & desist' letter to Starmer referring to his claim that she 'crashed the economy'?
well, as always, when you're not sure what to make of a legal issue, your first stop should be @davidallengreen - because if its in the scope of his interests, then he *will* have a well informed & well-argued discussion for you....
and sure enough he does:
#LizTruss #economics
https://substack.com/@emptycity/p-154481444
@ChrisMayLA6 @davidallengreen b..b..but fwee speech!!! 🤡
by Paul Barnfather ;
@ChrisMayLA6 This analysis by @davidallengreen is delightful.
by HarriettMB ;
@ChrisMayLA6 @davidallengreen this is the perfect opportunity to reuse that 'Dear Sir, some stupid asshole is writing letters under your name' letter, but then again, it's Truss
by Chris ;
@ChrisMayLA6 @davidallengreen there’ll be rich lawyer somewhere
by John_Loader ;
Tags: #LizTruss #economics #LizTruss #economics
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Emeritus Prof Christopher May
How do universities annoy each other? well here's one way:
The University of Central Lancashire (a Post-92 university based in Preston) has just been granted permission to change its name to...
The University of Lancashire.
Perhaps unsurprisingly the 'elite' (top ten) Lancaster University, a mere twenty miles up the M6 is not best pleased and tried to stop it.... oh dear.
Student confusion beckons? We shall see....
#universities #education
@ChrisMayLA6 And here I thought that university staff were the most selfless, empathetic and kind people there are on the plante!
Was I wrong? ;)
by h4890 ;
@ChrisMayLA6 Swansea University is still incredibly upset about University of Wales Trinity St David all merging together including what was Swansea Met. By convention the founding date of a university is the founding date of the oldest member. That means that Swansea University is no longer the oldest University in Swansea
by The Penguin of Evil ;
@ChrisMayLA6 For years I thought UCL meant University of Central Lancashire so in my case this change could have reduced confusion!
by magnetichuman ;
@ChrisMayLA6 Definitely going to be confused. Given that, in my former life, I arranged school taster days and very definitely had a few groups on campus where the lead teacher thought they were going to UEA (University of East Anglia) but ended up with me at ARU (Anglia Ruskin University) - and they're only vaguely similar names!
On the topic of winding up the RG relative, one of the post-poly naming suggestions for us was 'Ruskin College Cambridge' but we're better standing on our own 2 feet.
by Marc Rothera ;
Tags: #universities #education #universities #education
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