Economist Guy Standing will be at the Pig this Thursday.

Standing room only: rescuing the economy of the sea

Chris Connelley previews an upcoming book event at The Pig this coming Thursday.

Printed Matter bookshop on Queens Road has built a strong reputation for hosting compelling author events over the six years it has traded in the town, the latest of which, presented in partnership with the Hastings Green Party, is a talk by economist and public intellectual Guy Standing on the Blue Commons, the subject of his latest book.

In it, he laments the current exclusion of the oceans from calls for a Green New Deal and argues that it is imperative to include them as a key constituent of any systematic attempt to tackle climate change.

His critically acclaimed book makes the case for a Blue Commons alternative as a “transformative worldview” that can “ prioritise the historic rights of local communities, the wellbeing of all people and with it, the health of our oceans”

Guy Standing has held academic posts at Monash University in Australia,  and Bath University, here in the United Kingdom, and is currently a Professorial Research Associate at SOAS University of London. He is also a founding member and honorary co-president of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN), a non-governmental organisation that promotes a basic income for all.

He will be returning to Hastings for the third time, en route from his home in Vienna to the Hay-on-Wye book festival, having spoken previously about universal basic income and his manifesto for sharing public wealth.

Hastings Council Green Group Leadern, Councillor Julia Hilton, commented, “we warmly welcome Professor Standing back to Hastings to share his thoughts on a topic that seems incredibly relevant to us here on the coast with our fishing fleet struggling against huge trawler factory ships and the ongoing sewage pollution issues where privatised water companies seem to be able to continue to pollute our seas with impunity. The Green Party has long promoted a Green New Deal but so far the essential importance of our oceans and their potential to help tackle the climate and ecological crisis have been neglected. Guy has a great ability to synthesise these problems and come up with practical solutions”.

Lee Humphries, the owner of Printed Matter Bookshop, added, “author events have the power to introduce new knowledge and understanding on major concerns like climate change, and to shine a light on specific areas that are currently neglected. I am looking forward to a fascinating talk and an engaging discussion afterwards in the best tradition of Hastings book events”.

The event takes place on Thursday 25 May at The Pig pub, at 37 White Rock,  on the Hastings seafront, starting at 6pm. Tickets cost £3 on the door. 

Also in: Politics