On 9 Aug 2008 at 5:25pm Chris wrote:
I hear that such a plan has been a success in Totnes.The only question that remains is who's profile appears on the currency?
I predict it will be Bill of popular Greengrocer Bill's,yes he can be on the bills,and you can carry them around in your bill's (slang for trousers) pockets. Did I say Bill's enough? Bill's,Bill's,Bill's
On 9 Aug 2008 at 6:03pm superfly wrote:
I will be on my bill with some bills outside Bill's.
On 9 Aug 2008 at 6:30pm Old Bill wrote:
Ello, ello, ello - what's all this then?
Bunch of rebills and hillbillies billowing a mutiny in Cliffe High Street? Billboards and goods for sale in the street?
Best I hide with my mate William near a billabong in Billingshurst. We can play billiards and dream up ways of becoming billionaires.
On 9 Aug 2008 at 7:00pm BONAYK wrote:
You total Billock, what a load of old Billocks
On 9 Aug 2008 at 7:51pm Chris wrote:
What have a pelican and the inland revenue got in common?
They can both shove their Bill's up their ......
On 9 Aug 2008 at 7:53pm chris wrote:
Sorry,I digress....
On 10 Aug 2008 at 5:58pm Spinster Of This Parish wrote:
Proper currency - what do you feel about the new look 1p and 2p pieces?
Lewes pound - the only way I'd support it is if sd were to be re-introduced.
On 13 Aug 2008 at 3:31pm not from around here wrote:
Hi Chris,
Who said it was a 'success'? The transition town people promoting it? To be a 'success' it would have to replace normal currency.
On 13 Aug 2008 at 4:26pm Ben wrote:
NFAH, you made this incorrect assertion the last time. It is intended to be a complementary currency, not a replacement one.
Did you talk to Transition Town about it or are you just shouting with your fingers in your ears?
On 13 Aug 2008 at 4:42pm not from around here wrote:
Hi Ben,
It's not an incorrect assertion - it's just that for a currency to be 'successful' it must be universal - therefore any currency which strives to be local only cannot be described as successful in conventional terms.
So do we mean that if we move the goalposts that a local only currency is successful.
You are ignoring the truth behind this - by being local it is doomed before it starts and no amount of proclamations of success will change that.
I have not spoken to transition town on this subject - why dignify a daft idea with a conversation?
If you ignore the fact that a currency by being local only is not really successful by any conventional measure then I'm afraid it is you who has your fingers in your ears and possibly your eyes closed at the same time as seeing the light..
On 13 Aug 2008 at 8:57pm Ben wrote:
"...for a currency to be 'successful' it must be universal"
Gibberish. A currency is merely a convenient way of transferring goods or services in a particular geographical area. It doesn't need to be universal - that's what exchange rates are for.
As I've said before, I'm no huge fan of the whole shebang, but least I have taken the trouble to try to understand the principle behind it, whereas you feel that would be beneath you, and you're determined to criticise from a position of self-confessed ignorance.
On 13 Aug 2008 at 11:08pm not from around here wrote:
Erm, just because I have not spoken to Transition town does not make me ignorant - don't be rude please.
To clarify: In terms of a currency being universal, what I meant was it needs to be universally recognised even if the actual coinage varies from country to country. If I can't take a Lewes pound into a NatWest (even in Lewes) and have it recognised then as far as I'm concerned it is not a successful currency because it cannot be exchanged beyond the narrow confines of it's base.
I think that many others would feel the same way and just because they do not share the trendy local view of this currency that does not make them ignorant.
But I suppose I will be eating my words in 6 months time when the Lewes pound becomes the preferred currency in Lewes instead of real money? Don't make me laugh!!
On 14 Aug 2008 at 7:34am Ben wrote:
I simply don't agree. If I want to buy your goat and pay for it with two sheep, then sheep are the currency and the currency has been successful. Again, if you had taken the trouble to do any research, you would know that a Lewes Pound will be redeemable at any time for one pound sterling.
On 14 Aug 2008 at 9:09am Ben wrote:
On reflection, I think we're on different wavelengths here.
Did you say previously you were a local trader? If so, you would do well to discuss your opinions with the creators of the scheme, because one of the aims of the scheme is to help stimulate local trade. If it means a weekly trip to the organisers to swap your Lewes Pounds for sterling, wouldn't the extra income make it worthwhile?
On 14 Aug 2008 at 9:25am Joogle wrote:
I found out about the Totnes pound experiment on You Tube as I was unclear what people meant when they wrote on the forum about the Lewes pound. I recommend it to anyone wanting to know more. Just type "Totnes pound" into You Tube.
On 14 Aug 2008 at 1:08pm Mystic Mog wrote:
Recogition is contextual NFAH. Some currencies cannot be taken away from a country but are recognised in their country. I do not believe that the Lewes Pound is to be universal, ie UK wide. However if your context (universe) were to be Lewes only, then it could be seen to be universal. Ergo potenially successful in it's own context.
For example one may say that Mick Jagger is a good singer - in the context of rock & roll. However if your context is opera then he is terrible. As a singer he is successful - but only in a particular context. Comprendez??
On 15 Aug 2008 at 3:27pm not from around here wrote:
I think at one point I questioned what exactly was meant by a currency being 'successful' - perhaps one could take that further and say that to be successful in terms of trade it needs to be useful. A currency that cannot be traded outside a small area is not useful or successful in my view and is a backwards step. But isn't that the real agenda behind the whole transition town thing? Going backwards to some ideal time that never really existed?
Ben, yes I do trade locally and quite frankly if we were to accept Lewes pounds then I would have to spend more time (time = money in the real world) converting those Lewes pounds into sterling. My suppliers and my rent is ONLY paid in sterling. As a result goods or services which i would charge 1 sterling for I would have to charge 1.50 or 2 Lewes pounds for the same to make up for the inconvenience and time spent re-converting that currency. So immediately it would be de-valued rather than have extra value. So my objections to it are practical not idealogical. I honestly do not believe it will lead to an increase in trade at all.
On 15 Aug 2008 at 4:33pm An economist wrote:
Well, this is what the dismal science has to say on the issue:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimum_currency_area
For what it's worth, Mundell won a Nobel prize for his work on exchange rates. I don't believe he would view Lewes as an Optimal Currency Area - it is a tad too small.