Is Population Growth Good or Bad?

Thoughts and opinions on population growth . Let's talk about it.

Swordman - According to the UN's World Health Organisation, 43% of all births on planet earth will take place in Africa by 2100. And as climate change will create mega-droughts lasting around 35 years, this percentage will be probably be scythed down by the Grim Reaper as famine stalks the globe.
Whatever happens, anyway, I'll be long gone by then and that's why I'm not talking about it. Selfish? Well, the time left between now and final extinction flies past, and I'd rather spend it listening to the Jacques Loussier trio.


Gardener - I read somewhere that it is often the case that people in POOR countries like parts of Africa may have lots of children as a kind of INSURANCE policy against their own future ILL HEALTH/HANDICAP.
Seeing as they don't have SOCIAL SECURITY as we do, and are thus probably terrified of being unable to work and support themselves, feeling that if they have children, then THEY would be able to WORK and support the PARENTS if they became disabled.

What is the solution to such a possible case? Well, guaranteeing some form of social security to those poor people?


Lord of The Lords - The liberal left establishment who control our lives from everywhere including the EU, UN, BBC, civil service, media and Labour, Liberal and Cameron's Conservatives, refuse to talk about the global population explosion because eh its ...say it quietly... being driven by black African countries. Indeed in the last 18 months the UN upgraded its population predictions for Africa by the end of this century from 3 billion to 4 billion, and then just a month or so ago to 5 billion.
The long hoped for tail off in Africa's soaring population is just not happening. Nigeria's population is set to hit 900 million.
Yes its a global disaster but as its .. say it quietly.. black Africans who are responsible, we're not allowed to talk about it see. Hope that helps. Ssh ssh, mums the word.


Mr. Aristo - I agree the growth in Africa's population, may well be storing up huge problems for future African generations, but Africa is still relatively underpopulated, when compared to the other continents (except Antarctica), as well as using up far fewer of the world's resources per person, than the average American, European or indeed Asian.
Certainly, population growth needs addressing, but only in context with other major issues, such as climate change; habitat loss; use, distribution and depletion of resources. To look at any one of these issues in isolation is futile and simplistic.

Being British - Feeling British - Talking British

Thoughts and Opinions of Unpopular People about 'Britishness"


Jack - To talk about British 'customs' and the 'British way of life' is all very well, but I would like to see some definitions of these concepts that most Brits could agree to. And more important, these would have to be different from those of other countries, in Europe for example, otherwise how could they be defined as 'British', as opposed to 'European' ?

I suspect that if a 'British way of life' or British 'customs' could be defined in ways that made them specifically British the definitions would be far narrower than most Brits' interpretation of these concepts.

Haggard - Social mobility in Britain is as good as nil and Britain has the least social mobility in the developed world apart from the USA (OECD report) so we shouldn't get too carried away with British values. If you are working class and ambitious for your children, you are still better off emigrating if you can.

BTW In this country, while the government is pushing more and more of the working population into poverty, the rich are getting richer. Yeah, Great British values. Sod 'em. We need new values.



Delon - If you have the skills and qualifications to back them then you can forget the UK and the EU for places to live with a high quality of life. You would do far better to go to Australia, New Zealand or Canada for where there are cities with far higher quality of life. The long term prospects for the UK and EU are poor due to ageing demographics combined with the world's lowest economic growth and ever rising unfunded liabilites that cannot be met.



King - I don't think Britishness is about everyone ascribing to a single culture but rather a wide range of cultures that exist as part of a certain narrative and have over many years achieved a degree of synergy without necessarily converging.

That is not to say that all cultures that come to these shores should become part of Britishness. Some will never be able to achieve that synergy and some will simply converge into existing practices.

Indeed many cultures that arose in this country did not persist, we had our own fascist movement you recall and before that Quakers and Brownists most of whom left for the USA as they did not fit in to Britain.

There is a long tradition of teetotal folk in the UK which is part of that synergy.

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Banning E-Cigarettes Indoors - Good or Bad Idea?

Pupblic opinion on e-cigarettes are vividly divided.

Aaron - Depends on the situation and place. In pubs, if everyone around the smoker consents, then fine.. But nowhere around kids or food. It's not good to show kids its okay to vape, "'cause it's not smoking cigarettes", and it's unfair to be blowing vapour in someone's face when they don't want you to, or when they're eating. I've had a bad experience as an ex-house mate of mine used to use his e cigarette everywhere. Plus he had the most horrible smelling flavours. I know 90% of people are very considerate to others when using an e-cigarette, but there's always that 10% who take the pee.


Adrian - I also worry about the next generation who might be encouraged to get addicted to nicotine. I think they are a good idea for existing smokers, although I'm not sure of any harmful effects.


Kevin - The tobacco companies now virtually own all the "vape" supplies. When your heroin dealer starts selling methadone, you have to ask questions... Permitting vaping in public places merely normalizes the addiction, which can't be a good thing. Anyway, as an ex-smoker, I have no desire to ingest other people's spent narcotics.


Lance - This one's tricky. As a vaper, I would hate if vape stores would no longer be able to offer try-before-you-buy on the juices they stock. That new vape cafe in Shoreditch would have to close as well.
However, I'm not sure I'm keen on the idea of going for a meal out and having someone vaping a flavour I don't like sat at the table next to me.
I think establishments should be able to choose whether or not you can vape inside - like many do at the moment.
I also don't think you can blindly say that the vapour is not harmful to people nearby. People have allergies. PG allergies, even. Or allergies to the flavourings. I don't know whether someone that suffers from a peanut allergy would have a reaction to a flavour with a peanut base, but that could be quite serious.

Agricultural Commodities For Third World Consumers and Increasing Demand of West

Agricultural Commodities For Third World Consumers, Higher Food Prices and Increasing Western Demand

Comments and Opinions 

Nelson - For third world consumers, higher prices for agricultural commodities like coconut or quinoa are bad, but for farmers in developing countries, surely higher prices and export markets for their produce is a major benefit? In many countries the supply chain for fruit and vegetables is poor and a lot of produce is wasted - in Indonesia a grower recently complained to me that the price of guava was so low it wasn't worth taking it to the market - he and his family ate what they wanted but left the rest to rot since the 20 cents a kilo wasn't worth the effort.

Even better, if local companies in places like the Philippines can capture the value of processing coconuts for their milk and oil than more jobs are generated. For farmers it is better to sell for foreigner for high prices and generate higher income than to sell at low prices in the domestic market. That's as true for dairy producers in the west benefiting from higher Asian demand for cheese as it is for mango growers in Taiwan.

Local Consumers, Food Security and Economic Miracle

Amanda - Presenting this increase in prices as an unalloyed negative for countries that produce them is ridiculous. Yes, prices might go up for local consumers (many of whom may well also be producers) but rising prices also boosts export incomes and tax revenues. And it is not as if there are not local substitutes for these items.

Elements of this article, such as the suggestion that tourism development in Sri Lanka would lead to a food security 'disaster', seemed reminiscent of 'noble savage' romanticism. The thing about food security is you get it by eliminating poverty and increasing economic development, not by making sure everyone remains a subsistence farmer.


Oscar - But most local consumers are not also local producers. Therefore more local people tend to lose rather than gain on the deal. They also lose substitutes as more and more land is devoted to the export crop.
Sure, economic development and diversification is a way to equalise locals' buying power, but what do they eat while waiting for the economic miracle?
This is what you get when most locals don't have either access to the means of food production or any buying power relative to external markets.