Of course I have seen that, I may be a Bear of Little Brain, but I am not entirely dumb. ;-)

But my point - and it has been brilliantly examined on ET in recent months - is that everything begins with the Rhetoric.

We have to take "their" Rhetoric and discourse and turn it against them.

That is what I am attempting to do when I talk about "asset-based" as distinguished from "deficit-based" finance. And more recently, by demonstrating new forms of "Public Equity" (using different legal forms to the Corporation) which people may then compare and contrast with the locust variety of "Private Equity".

Robin has IMHO something new, but if the descriptor is "tarnished" in some way by pre-conceptions and associations then he will get nowhere with it.

I would see the Economist etc giving short thrift to "Sympathy Value", but possibly a fair wind to "Indifference Value" particularly if it gives better results - (Does it? Examine Robin's work and tell me where he is wrong) - than the conventional bollocks.

And maybe in due course the world will be ready for "Sympathy" value, but right now, regrettably, I don't think it is...

When you are in power you have to stretch the truth, and then it won't ever go back to it's normal shape

I think what Chris is actually referring to is to the cases when we confront utopians with "yeah, that's great, but how do we get there from here?". I think you may have even written a diary or story against utopianism based around that point.

Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?

since you asked:

I demand a quotation now.

how's that?

it's a tone thing, and maybe quite different from how you are in meatspace.

Convince me

from our last discussion. it comes off as arrogant and in-your-face demanding, to me anyway.

more discursive, less confrontational, would be nice.

detached perhaps...

you have a great sense of humour, do you realise how abrasive you can be when sometimes you don't use it?

having said that, it's great that you're here, your contributions are outstanding, both in quality and quantity.

your ability to dig for thruth is amazing, reminds me of a jack russel terrier going down a badger hole!

thanks for your generosity, i'll come down off my horse now, thanks also for that good advice, lol!

it's not your fault you're brilliant, but too edgy you can do something about, that is if you care...

"It guarantees silky vibrant skin and an eighteen percent reduction in panic attacks!" Jonathan Franzen.