Be wary of ‘respected’ sources

The comment by Michael Economides in the 9 August issue, “Green jobs: “Fast-tracking economic suicide” raises a number of interesting questions such as, Who funded the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos study?, and Who finances the think-tank Open Europe?

I have recently contracted for the installation of 10kw of solar power on my home, the power to be sold at a profit to the power company. I am paying for this (no subsidy) out of savings as a potentially profitable private investment. This supports the jobs of the workers in Germany who build the solar panels (and of their suppliers), the workers who transport them to Cyprus, the Cypriot workers who bring them to my house and install the equipment, etc. All that I have done is to provide the money, heretofore lying idle in a virtually no-interest bank account.

By mobilising previously idle funds, Mr. Economides, what jobs have I destroyed? As an economist myself, long years of experience have taught me to be wary of ex-cathedra pronouncements that just may have hidden motivations. Indeed, your article could easily have been written by a shill from an oil company (not, of course, that I suggest that actually happened!). My point is that we must be wary of these claims by “respected” sources and always ask the question, “Whence cometh the cash?”

John Knowles
Peyia

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