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Darren Quinn

@ausmmt.bsky.social

740 followers 260 following 750 posts

MMT | Sustainable Sufficiency | Mental Health | Precariat | Torrens Uni | Aussie Experience with unemployment and self-study of MMT to advocate for social justice reforms. https://darrenquinn.substack.com/

darrenquinn.substack.com

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Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 1d

1/10 (🎣)

Why do some movements for a better world struggle to gain support?

It might come down to a single word.

For years, advocates for a sustainable economy have used the word "degrowth." What if that word itself is a trap? 🧵

#Degrowth

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 11h

9/9 📞:

This isn't a theory. It's the operational reality of how money flows. Understanding it gives you a superpower to see through political spin.

I break it all down in my new post, "The Missing Piece of the Puzzle." Read it here:

darrenquinn.substack.com/p/the-missin...

The Missing Piece of the Puzzle

Three Ways a Nation's Private Sector Can Save

darrenquinn.substack.com

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 11h

8/9:

When a politician promises a "budget surplus," they are promising to drain money from your pocket, unless they can guarantee foreigners will fill it back up.

It's a massive gamble with your financial security.

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 11h

7/9:

This is why Keating's surpluses were so brutal for my family. Australia was running a trade deficit, AND the government was running a surplus.

Both the government and foreigners were draining money from the private sector. A recession wasn't bad luck; it was an accounting certainty.

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 11h

6/9:

Scenario 3: The Risk. The government runs a surplus (draining our savings), and we are totally reliant on a massive trade surplus to stay afloat. Our financial stability depends entirely on foreign spending.

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 11h

5/9:

Scenario 2: The Norm. We run a trade deficit (draining our savings), but the government runs a deficit that's EVEN BIGGER. The government's spending more than offsets the drain from overseas. This is how we saved during the GFC.

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 11h

4/9:

So, there are only 3 ways we can save:

Scenario 1: The Dream. The government runs a deficit AND we run a trade surplus. Money flows into our pockets from two directions.

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 11h

3/9:

This means it's mathematically impossible for the private sector to have a surplus (to save money) unless at least one of the other sectors runs a deficit.

One sector's surplus IS another's deficit. No exceptions.

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 11h

2/9:

The puzzle is this: how does the private sector (all of us households & businesses) actually save money?

The answer is an accounting law, not a theory. The economy has 3 sectors:

Private (you and me)

Government

External (rest of the world)

Their financial balances MUST sum to zero. #MMT

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 11h

1/9 🎣:

When I was a kid in the 90s, my parents struggled through the "recession we had to have." The government was running surpluses, which we were told was "responsible."

Took me years to understand the accounting trick that was squeezing my family. This is the missing piece of the puzzle. 🧵

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 1d

11/11 I was honoured to contribute to this conversation in "Sufficiency & Wellbeing." You can read the full piece here:
[https://buff.ly/jJap7bC]

What other terms do you think need a rebrand? 👇

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 1d

10/10 (📞)
Language is the foundation of our movements. By choosing our words, we choose the world we can build.

From Degrowth to Directed Prosperity

A Journey in Reframing

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 1d

9/10 (📌)
This shift transforms the narrative. We stop being a movement against something (growth) and become a movement for something:

We are building a Sustainable Sufficiency Economy that delivers lasting Sustainable Prosperity for all. It's a story of hope and creation.

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 1d

8/10
A new definition is powerful, but it needs a new name. The article proposes a brilliant alternative for the movement: Directed Prosperity.

"Directed" speaks to intentional, democratic choice.
"Prosperity" reclaims the goal of genuine flourishing for all.

#Prosperity

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 1d

7/10 (💡)
The new framing centres the human goal: "The democratic re-organisation of the economy to enhance human well-being and secure social justice."

Suddenly, reducing our material footprint isn't the scary headline—it's just the logical tool we use to get there.

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 1d

6/10
So, the article outlines a journey to rebuild this language from the ground up.

Step 1 was to flip the definition. Instead of leading with "reduction," the new definition leads with the ultimate goal.

#WellbeingEconomy

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 1d

5/10
This isn't just about marketing. As linguist George Lakoff showed, words create "frames" that shape how we think.

The frame of 'degrowth' is negative. To build a broad coalition, we need a positive, aspirational frame. We need a new story.

#Framing

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 1d

4/10
See the problem? The name "degrowth" only points to #1, ignoring the four other principles that are actually inspiring!

It’s like naming a movement for health "appetite reduction" instead of "vibrant living." It names the medicine, not the positive outcome.

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 1d

3/10
But the idea behind degrowth is powerful.

An analysis of 115 academic definitions shows it’s a mix of 5 core principles:

Reduce material use 📉

In a democratic & just way 🤝

To respect planetary limits 🌍

To achieve human well-being ❤️

In over-consuming nations

#ClimateAction

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 1d

2/10
The word 'degrowth' is a communications dead-end. It immediately triggers images of austerity, sacrifice, and loss.

It forces supporters onto the defensive, trying to explain what they don't mean, before they can ever talk about their vision.

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 1d

1/10 (🎣)

Why do some movements for a better world struggle to gain support?

It might come down to a single word.

For years, advocates for a sustainable economy have used the word "degrowth." What if that word itself is a trap? 🧵

#Degrowth

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 2d

Many of you asked "Doesn't a trade surplus still mean we're saving more?" You've found the missing piece of the puzzle.

The answer reveals the 3 ways a nation can save, & it changes everything you think you know about Govt budgets.

darrenquinn.substack.com/p/the-missin...

#MMT #Economics #AusPol

The Missing Piece of the Puzzle

Three Ways a Nation's Private Sector Can Save

darrenquinn.substack.com

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 4d

10/10 (📞)
This isn't 'responsible management'; it's a political failure. To see the full breakdown of how the numbers betray everyday Australians, read the full article.

What are the biggest 'real deficits' you see in your community? Let me know. 👇

buff.ly/A7A2IjF

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 4d

9/10 (📌)
The verdict: The govt is measuring success by the wrong metrics. A smaller budget deficit is meaningless when we have huge deficits in jobs, housing, healthcare, and climate action. They are celebrating inaction while real people pay the price.

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 4d

8/10
This isn't new. For 40+ years, your productivity has soared, but your real wages have flatlined.

That massive gap between the value you produce and what you're paid? It's been systematically redirected into corporate profits. #Inequality

Darren Quinn @ausmmt.bsky.social · 4d

7/10 (💡)
This squeeze is a deliberate choice. They boast of 4.2% unemployment, but this isn't success.

It's a policy decision to keep a 'buffer stock' of unemployed people to suppress wage growth and keep power in the hands of employers.