Positive Money annual report is now available.
This annual report covers our second full year of activity, from June 2011 to May 2012.
Short summary:
In our second year, a major focus of our work involves improving public understanding of our current monetary system and the need for fundamental reform.
Our primary channel to educate the public and raise awareness was our website. Total number of unique visitors between June 2011 and May 2012 stood at 137,500, up 200% on the previous year. Over the course of the year, the number of people who signed up to receive regular (fortnightly) email updates from Positive Money grew from 4,900 to 8,253. Our videos on YouTube have now been watched a total of 230,000 times, with 897 subscribers.
We were speaking at a wide range of events, including an event at the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Money, Economics and Banking in Westminster Parliament, cross-party event in the Welsh Assembly, The American Monetary Institute’s annual conference in Chicago, TEDx Brum (Birmingham), Newcastle University International Development Conference, Friends of the Earth’s Just Banking conference in Edinburgh.
In October 2011 we held our one-day annual conference that was attended by just under 200 people, with the speakers list including a Labour MP, a Conservative MP and Paul Moore, former Head of Group Regulatory Risk at HBOS (known as the “HBOS Whistleblower”)
In November 2010 Positive Money, nef (the new economics foundation), and Professor Richard Werner of the University of Southampton made a joint submission to the Independent Commission on Banking. In April 2011 the ICB released their interim report with misleading and factually incorrect statement about our proposal.
Positive Money was featured in a new documentary, “97% Owned”, an analysis of the monetary system, international finance, debt, banking and the potential for reform. It was released on May 1st 2012 and has been viewed on YouTube over 100,000 times in first 4 weeks.
We had a total of 59 meetups have been held over the last 12 months, organized by our supporters around the country.
We organized a speakers training for speakers who could host events and represent us at conferences around the country. We have provided 4 full-days trainings to over 80 speakers in London (twice), Leeds and Edinburgh.
Positive Money’s Head of Research Andrew Jackson co-authored the book Where Does Money Come From?. With a foreword from Professor Charles Goodhart, the book gives the most accurate and up-to-date exposition of the UK banking system. The book has been an asset to the Positive Money team ensuring that there is accurate information for campaigners and academics. It has sold approximately 3,000 copies to date.
Other research projects we have been working on during last year:
- Shift of power from Parliament to the financial sector
- Impact of the Current Banking System on Inflation and Credit
- Impact that switching from bank-created, debt-based money to state-issued ‘debt-free’ money would have on the economy
- A Guide to Reforming the Banking System
We are now starting to attract media attention, having advised BBC and Channel 4 producers. We had an article published in Guardian’s Comment is Free section and independent journalists have written about us in papers such as the Ecologist.
