East Dulwich ?'s

[Otto]

I keep reading about all these alternative currencies in use in small towns in America. Basically, the local businesses get together, print "community" money and people can exchange regular dollars or pounds for this new money for 10% off - eg one pound costs 90p. The idea is to give people a deal, and, to get people to buy local - the local shops accept the alternative currency as currency which encourages traffic and supports the local independent shopowners.

Interesting idea but surely not foolproof...food for thought anyway.

See here for a incredibly tedious pontificating video that gives an idea of how it works in Ithaca New York...it does not have to be so political an idea, but, it seems to be in Ithaca...in Ithaca, the scheme is a bit different in that you can also choose to receive the currency for pay or, use it to pay a worker which makes a bit more involved (and potential tax issue) than just a shopkeeper enterprise...

http://missmarketcrash.blogspot.com/2009/04/print-your-own-money.html

Best, Otto

[Leaf]

The Brixton pound...

http://www.site.transitiontownbrixton.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=147&Itemid=82

[Otto]

yes...thanks for that - meant to mention that too! So why not ED?

[louisiana]

Otto Wrote:

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> I keep reading about all these alternative

> currencies in use in small towns in America.

In the UK: the Totnes pound, the Lewes pound. See the extensive literature online on the Transition Towns movement.

This news story was published around a year after launch in Totnes.

No discount is required. People use them anyway.

[lenk]

this book is an interesting read on LetsLink alternative currency systems - they tried the 'bobbins' system of payment for services successfully in Manchester in the late 90s.

this excerpt talks about the pros and cons of them - superficially they are rather ideallist and hard to upscale - http://bit.ly/bobbins

[Otto]

Yes - good link. Skipping the earnings side (being paid in an alternative currency) of the idea and concentrating on the small businesses issuing the currency at a discount keeps it a working idea...and generates business for the local shops and discounts for the consumers...

Or maybe too much effort for a tiny spot? It is at least an idea worth discussion and pondering...

[snorky]

The horror, the horror of this idea

( EDP =Easy to fake though)

[PeckhamRose]

What's wrong with money?

Or what's wrong with people exchanging skills off their own back?

Why formalise everything?

Now, would someone like to come round and make good our small hall walls and ceilings, in exchange for....

Maybe this one's for another thread in Wanteds section!

[louisiana]

PeckhamRose, you are right of course. Nothing wrong with good old barter. Unless you're a taxman B)

[lenk]

PeckhamRose Wrote:

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> What's wrong with money?

> Or what's wrong with people exchanging skills off

> their own back?

The answer is something similar to the same reason people choose to use open source software such as Linux instead of Windows, and on paper it is a lot more community-minded - the 'bobbins' / whatever you call the currency has to stay in the area - because it's worthless elsewhere.

[Huguenot]

It's just protectionism under another name isn't it?

If all ED depended on the local grocers for grub I reckon you'd be dead in three days. I'd have no-one to harass.

[LegalEagle-ish]

Are you saying we can't eat spangly nick-nacks and bugaboos?

[Huguenot]

Well I'm not sure that groceries are all life has to offer...

... and I wouldn't want my life to become a one-dimensional cabbage related universe.

In an appropriate and free-trade environment I'd expect us to capitalise on our strengths, and if that's chintz, then chintz it is.

I'm sure we'd be able to buy more cabbage with our knick knack stranglehold than Quids would ever drag out of his sorry allotment ;-)

[bawdy-nan]

Oh but they had a nightmare, endless episode sustaining, debacle with this on the archers . Ambridge still feels the ripples from time - only the new telephone box tourist info admin controversy has distracted the residents.