These People Are Insane About Public Broadband

A letter to The Guardian containing a piece of entire economic insanity. I am not kidding either, this is mad.

Do note the point that I am to make here. It’s not that public broadband is a good or a bad idea. Sure, of course, I have my opinion (it’s insane) but that’s not the issue I’m drawing attention to. Rather, this:

Economic benefits of Labour plan to provide free broadband for all
The objection that the proposal is an election ‘giveaway’ should not be taken seriously, say 13 signatories including Ha-Joon Chang and Danny Dorling

OK, letter to the paper, blah, blah, yay our team and all that. And then:

Arguments from self-interested corporations that a public sector programme would discourage private sector investment should be seen as unfounded special pleading.

That’s insane. The government’s to give everyone in the country this thing for free. That profit seeking capitalists will find it very hard to compete with free is just special pleading?

These people are insane.

Patrick Allen Chair, Progressive Economy Forum, John Weeks Emeritus professor of Development Economics, Soas, Ha-Joon Chang University reader in the political economy of development, Cambridge University, Danny Dorling Halford Mackinder professor of geography, Oxford University, Susan Himmelweit Emeritus professor of economics, Open University, Will Hutton Principal of Hertford College, Oxford University, Johnna Montgomerie Reader in international political economy, King’s College London, Richard Murphy Professor of political economy, City, University of London, Guy Standing Professorial research associate, Soas, Sue Konzelmann Reader in management, Birkbeck, University of London, Stephany Griffith-Jones Financial markets director at the Initiative for Policy Dialogue, Columbia University, Daniela Gabor Professor of economics and macrofinance, University of the West of England, Natalya Naqvi Assistant professor in international political economy, LSE

But then we rather knew that, didn’t we? Any listing of signatories that includes the trio of Danny Dorling, Will Hutton and Richard Murphy is going to be cross contaminated with more than a touch of economic madness.