Alternatives to Capitalism - Talk at LSE – Monday 16th June 2025

Again, I’m writing this 8 months after attending (on Valentine’s Day no less!), so will just share my notes at the time:

Grace argues that corporations and elites are on the same tracks as government, against the best interests of the people. She argues that it's class warfare.

The pro capitalism guy argues about all the benefits capitalism has created, and how our lives are better, etc. etc. That corporations don't supersede democracy, just because they're against minimum wage, and the recent rise in National Insurance contributions.
Capitalists like to argue that all the modern world's innovations are a result of capitalism, forgetting the fact that humans have always been innovators and inventors. Did we emerge from caves and create new materials and buildings because of capitalism? Of course not! We're a creative species that loves to solve problems!
In fact, the most creative people, problem solvers and inventors are not the least bit motivated by money!

The other woman talks about the economic models being a machine world, where the environmental world doesn't even figure. She argues that we need to move away from a machine world, to an ecological model.

Grace argues that anytime the corporate run world has worked for the benefit of workers, it's because of hard fought victories by the workers!
"We need to build movements that make politicians just afraid of people, as they are of corporations".

The other woman: "Switch profit for purpose." Profit is subordinated to purpose, as was the case in postwar Britain.

The guy argues that we are not living in a neoliberal economic world. In the UK, we have the highest taxation, highest public spending, not to mention all the money spent during the pandemic.
He argues that most people are employed by small businesses, not corporations, and the people that create and employ in those businesses, are not greedy capitalists. They're merely trying to provide.

Audience guy raises the point that housing is the issue. 90% of housing expenditure is on housing benefit, not building houses, which goes straight to landlords.
Grace argues that scarcity is fundamental to the energy market and economic model. The problem with green energy is, that it's not scarce, consequently, it's not profitable! Which is why the fossil fuel corporations are against it.

The rearming of Europe will pump so much greenhouse gases into the environment, and benefits fossil fuel companies.

The other woman: Corporations that put purpose ahead of profits are ironically more profitable, because they have a driven workforce who believe in what they're doing.
Get money out of politics!

Audience member argues about removing ownership and becoming a trusteeship, as described by Gandhi.
I like that Grace names her sources and consistently refers to the authors whose arguments she paraphrases.