Ken Clarke

A._Badger

sabretoothtigger wrote: »

Its definitely a science because it makes my head spin but at the moment its obscured and subverted by politics which is pure babble.

No. It pretends to be a science by making predictions. If they fail to come true it is no more a science than is Mayan astronomy.

N1AK

michaels wrote: »

I'm glad you no doubt have the statistics to back this up.

:rotfl:Anyone who bases their argument on it being 'blindingly obvious' wouldn't know a statistically sound argument if it beat them round the head with an abacus.

In Conrad's defence we do allow 'minor' criminality to continue for too long before intervening. Where he would differ from you and I is what we think we should do when we intervene.

Kennyboy66

A._Badger wrote: »

Though I loathe Clark and could never understand what he was doing in the Conservative party in the first place, in his defence it should be pointed out that he has been a successful businessman and that it would be a fine idea if the UK's economic policy was steered by people with practical business experience instead of the usual parade of imbeciles, whose heads have been stuffed with unworkable theory during three years at university.

Does this argument apply to Tony Blair ?

As he is an advisor to JP Morgan and seemingly more wealthy (from post PM activities) than Clark by a large margin, perhaps he should be 'steering economic policy'.

Perhaps not.

Generali

A._Badger wrote: »

No. It pretends to be a science by making predictions. If they fail to come true it is no more a science than is Mayan astronomy.

I agree economics isn't a science, however it has been going for a fraction of the time other areas of study like physics, engineering etc have been so perhaps we should give economists a millennium or two to get their poo together before we slate them too badly.

After all this happened not too long ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mclp9QmCGs

and we still trust engineers to help design power plants, aircraft, cars, tall buildings etc.

sabretoothtigger

You do not have to go back to the 1940's to find a very similar occurrence though not quite as fatal. RIP doggie

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Bridge_(London)#Resonance
They spent 23m on a footbridge but apparently did not spend time to get a hundred people to walk across it before opening?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQK21572oSU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlOS_31Ubdo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&v=WEQrt_w7gN4&NR=1

On an electric piano especially plastic if you hit the right notes you can make the entire case vibrate . Everything has a wave at which it destroy itself. Engineers have to study modes of destruction, naturally occurring like rust, heat

In the engineering video above they mention phenomena which is an observable natural occurrence that is repeatable and therefore can be predicted and understood.
That also applies to economics, its a study of a natural system, we the people are the economy that is capitalism. That system may have waves of change occur throughout it.

There is repeatable and observable phenomena in an economy that can be predicted. I would also say as it is natural not artificial as politics wants, you can argue for waves, modes of destruction that will happen naturally. I would also make the jump and argue for resonance in economy.
Points at which we all become more sensitive to change? Easiest example would to mention feedback effects are very possible between people, between countries, easily observable as a bank run for example.
We will see that occur on greater scales and it can be predicted therefore economics is a science with parallels on the study of natural systems of change.

Present day political economics is more an artform where they strive to invent new forms of expression, I think this will be a facade that falls away in deference to the load bearing or working useful parts of economics and economies

phe·nom·e·non   
1.
a fact, occurrence, or circumstance observed or observable: to study the phenomena of nature.
2.
something that is impressive or extraordinary.