|
|
Hi John,
Whoaah. What a year. For the world. And for Positive Money…! |
|
Below we share our highlights from 2019. We’re really proud of what our movement has achieved together this year.
But first, we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas, and our warmest wishes for a positive 2020. As a people-powered campaign and think tank, we simply couldn’t do what we do without you. Thank you for all your support, cheers! |
|
|
Now for those all-important highlights... |
|
|
|
At the start of the year our professional opinion poll uncovered that fewer than 1 in 10 people supported Chancellor Philip Hammond’s plan to sell off the Government’s RBS shares. In response, we amassed a 13,000-strong petition and marched to the Treasury. We not only halted the Government’s sell-off, but changed major party policy on the issue! |
|
Aware of Governor Carney’s nearing departure, we spent a lot of 2019 putting the search for his successor under the kind of scrutiny it deserves. We coordinated a letter in The Guardian from 94 academics and civil society organisations and kept the heat up on the new Chancellor Sajid Javid with public polling and an open letter with 28 Parliamentarians. |
|
In April we launched The Money Question, a website to host in-depth research and discussions on monetary reform with an interactive public forum. This new project will ensure we stay at the forefront of debate on alternative monetary policy. |
|
|
We also introduced thousands of new people to Positive Money with our stalls at the Glastonbury and STIR to Action festivals this summer. Volunteer Sarah really felt the buzz, saying: “What’s exciting is that more and more people want to learn why our economy is imbalanced, and how we can change it”. |
|
Our marvellous network of local groups has been busy too. Hosting over 60 discussions around the country covering topics from debt jubilees and climate breakdown, to student debt and the Swedish e-krona. Our Southampton and Tower Hamlets groups set up stalls at community festivals, whilst one supporter from Newcastle perfected a new board game so players can learn how our money system really works. |
|
September meant political party conference season, so our team headed up to Manchester and down to Brighton. Our events asking how Labour would pay for the green transition and questioning Conservatives on whether our banking system is really fit for purpose, got great turnouts - proving Positive Money is seen among politicos as *the* leading authority on money and banking in the UK. |
|
And no year would be complete without a new report! In October we launched ‘Seeking Legitimacy: A New Settlement for the Bank of England’. It advanced three proposals for improving the relationship between the Treasury and the Bank of England. MPs Clive Lewis and Ian Blackford, Vince Cable and Lord Robert Skidelsky, all joined us in Westminster for the event which you can watch here. |
|
|
2020 will see the publication of our report on digital currencies and the sequel to Escaping Growth Dependency.
Less than a year after our report ‘A Green Bank of England’ came out, Governor Mark Carney made a historic move in April and committed the Bank to disclosing its climate risk. This was a vital first step towards greening our entire financial system and proved change was possible. So we didn’t stop there. Running several actions on the Bank’s doorstop concluding with dropping off their cheeky Christmas present, all whilst grabbing some great media coverage. |
|
|
Positive Money Europe also rounded off a fantastic year in style when they met Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB. They delivered an open letter signed by 160+ NGOs and academics, calling on the ECB to accelerate its efforts on climate change. The amount of media coverage and Lagarde's response was really encouraging. Click here to find out more.
|
|
There’s so much work still to do, and right now the future is full of doubts and uncertainty. But if there’s one thing we know, it’s that when enough people come together with a common purpose, we can achieve some amazing things.
|
|
Thank you for all you do,
Hannah, David C, Rachel, Zack, Shupikai, Paul, Fran, David B and Simon - the whole Positive Money team PS: If you’ve made it this far, then you deserve a treat! How about buying yourself a new year's present from the Positive Money online shop? There’s ethical T-shirts, Totebags and jumpers!
|
|
Positive Money relies on donations from generous individuals like you to carry out our research, education work and campaign for a fairer money and banking system. |
|
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA |
|
