Time for Ireland (and Others) to Ditch the Euro?

A quote from David McWilliams in The Irish Independent, 16 July 2008

Is it time to think the unthinkable? With banks shares in free-fall, lending collapsing and bad debts rising by the hour, what can we do? Now that the slowdown has spread well beyond houses and construction – evidenced by falling retail sales, rapidly rising unemployment and faltering tax revenues – is there an option out there, which, although dramatic, might be plausible in the context of the recession the country is facing?

What we are talking about here is pulling out of the euro. […]

When an economy is in a nosedive, it is the democratic responsibility of the elected government to do something about it. In bad times, ideas that seem extreme in "normal" times are sometimes entertained.

As our crisis deepens, the "currency" issue is likely to re-emerge as a political option. It is worth remembering that our boom was triggered by a forced devaluation in 1993. At the time, the establishment regarded the 1993 devaluation as a calamity; in the event, it proved to be a godsend.

Suggestion for kappert(a)

I believe I may have found the ideal domain name for you. Seriously, why don't you place a sensible offer for it a.s.a.p? If your offer is accepted, you would then be free to publish all your bizarre theories on your own web site instead of posting them here at the BJ.

 

Your first effort could elaborate on your most recent post, "monetary crisis" (in Ireland).

 

see: http://www.irishcoinage.com/EARLY.HTM for some background info on  how the Irish got into this mess in the first place.

 

Oh, and the name of that domain name I feel most appropriate for your needs?

 

http://ringpiece.com/ringpiece.htm

 

Let me know how you get on, do you hear? 

Hayek # 2

@ RS

While Hayek had many good ideas, I am not so sure, as you are, that his view on "monopoly currency issuance" was among them. 

True, three millenia of monetary history confirm that government monopoly issuers easily and frequently CAN debase the currency.  At the same time, however, there have been specific time periods coupled with specific places that confirm that this is NOT always neccessarily so.  In addition, one can also point to history to find evidence of  "private competitive moneys" at times co-inciding with periods of great instability, uncertainty, and economic stagnation. 

Four points.

1) Whatever the potential merits of private competitive moneys, it is clear that central banks must have a great degree of 'independence' from the government-in-place. 

2) I think that the current turbulence on certain financial markets is not a "monetary crisis" but rather a financial crisis induced by poor past 'regulation' of various financial markets.  In many countries this has more to do with certain parliamentary laws and regulatory institutions (often different from the central bank).   

3) With regard to the Irish Independent raising the "currency issue" again,  I would say that there is a big difference between a small market like Ireland, and a big market (like the US or Euroland).  While the ability to devalue can bring economic benefits to a small country like Ireland, assuming necessary accompanying domestic measures are taken as well (e.g. are the Irish ready to abandon indexation provisions?), the country also needs currency 'stability'.  It seems doubtful that the latter would be easier for Ireland outside euroland than inside.

4) Whatever the future may hold, one thing should be clear.  Any country whose economic management would fall in the hands of nutty 'woolly' ideologues like Kappert has no economic future to speak of.  His latest piece on "monetary crisis" is remarkable, truly laughable on its face.  I mean, look at that last partial sentence...."...racist and antisemitic ideologies of 'good & honest money' for 'good& honest labour are hatched"....  I wonder what Atlanticist is going to pull out of his bag of tricks and jokes to expose this latest Kappertian rant for what it truly is, i.e. the abandonment of reason for human folly.

P.S. Note that Kappert refers to "a DEcrease in general money circulation by bureaucratic abuse of the involuntary 'demonetised people' ".   If, after that, you could still keep a straight face, would you be willing to repeat that you (along with most other serious observers) think that there is a problem of excessive INcrease of "general money circulation"?  But, first, no doubt, you would have to tackle his "problem of "abstract labour"!  But, I should not be trying to take Atlanticist's place....  

money circulation

A decrease of money circulation fosters poverty - an increase of money circulation fosters commerce.
The first one provides possibilities for 'abstract labour', the second one offers a larger distribution of labour.
ps1: 4 lines are not enough to explain a theory, of course.
ps2: Dummbartl's remarks are as stupid as ever.

Real money ?

@ RS (Hayek had a better idea)

Don't like fiat money ? Chances are GOP won't like you.

Have this for an example : Good as Gold - A Nevada businessman challenges the US's dual monetary system (and IRS goes berserk).

monetary crisis

More than 1000 Irish are in prison, because they cannot pay their debts! (The Irish Independent) If in a commodity producing society money is stripped of its coordinating capacity, its regulative function is replaced by a totalitarian bureaucracy. But under the global reign of neoliberal economic radicalism, the monetary subjectivity is as unchallenged as never before. The gigantic debt bubbles (not only in Ireland, as we know) correspond to a rapidly growing "penny economics". In public debate, this dimension of the monetary crisis, which is in fact a crisis of "abstract labour", is rather suppressed. The crisis administration responds to the decrease in general money circulation by bureaucratic abuse of the involuntary "de-monitarised" people. At the same time, instead of proceeding to an emancipatory critique of the system, in a climate of Angst about means of payment, racist and antisemitic ideologies of "good & honest" money for "good & honest" labour are hatched.

Hayek had a better idea

Friedrich von Hayek had a better idea than letting central banks keep their monopoly on currency issuance: private competitive currencies. Three millenia of monetary history have proved that government monopoly issuers will always debase the currency sooner or later, usually the former, wreaking misery and havoc on tens of millions of hapless victims.

With competitive currencies, the currencies whose managers refuse to maintain their value will be abandoned. Only the best-run, value-preserving currencies will survive.

Let Ireland preserve its market-based prosperity by adopting von Hayek's insight.