Paul Grignon is a classic

July 31, 2012 at 8:12 am #86775

Keymaster

Paul Grignon is a classic Currency Crank who spouts utter nonsense. For instance, in the “analysis” he invites us to refer to here, under section 8 he seems to think that all deposits with banks originally come from money banks have lent! There is an exchange with him in the December 2008 and October 2009 Socialist Standards:http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/dec08/page16.htmlhttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/oct09/page19.htmlWe also had an email exchange with him. Here’s it what he says about socialism (email of 15 October 2009):

Quote:

In a socialist system in which there is no money how does one get what one needs or wants? Are we allowed to have “wants”? To me it seems that it must mean saying goodbye to the ultimate freedom that matters to people, the freedom to EARN what we desire. Am I correct? If there ‘s no money, there’s no measuring of energy exchanges. Therefore there’s no way to EARN more than your fellow by working harder or having more initiative than he does. If I am correct, then everything has to be assigned to us. How and by whom?This is the exact same question I ask the Zeitgeist Addendum/Venus Project followers who also insist that we need to do away with money completely. So in that respect you are on the same team with Zeitgeist against me.I think such ideas are escapist nonsense at best and a deliberate attack on real monetary reform at worst. Why? Because it will NEVER HAPPEN. So it is a completely safe “utopian” vision to sell people on and DISTRACT THEM away from understanding and demanding real substantive reform to the actual system we are currently enslaved to, the one that IS HAPPENING IN REAL LIFE.

Ironic, then, that Zeitgeist should be recommending his videos (as they did at the Hammersmith meeting on 22 July).His “solution” is to keep capitalism (and the “freedom” to work for wages) but introduce some sort of electronic money which would not allow interest (as if you could have capitalism just with profit but not interest). People would have to keep their savings under their bed and interest would only be able to paid in kind (so if you borrowed 6 apples giving back 7 in return would be allowed). And he thinks that he is living in the real world!