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POST Think global act local, currency edition

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Three of the country’s four largest parties – the Five Star Movement, the Northern League and former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia – have proposed introducing a new currency following an election scheduled for next year.

From Three Of Italy's Top Four Political Parties Seek A New Parallel Currency | Zero Hedge

A couple of years ago, I had lunch with the Northern League to discuss digital currencies and the potential for local and community currencies to spring up because of the decentralising nature of new technology. I was in Rome to take part in a hearing about Bitcoin in the Italian Parliament organised by my good friend Geronimo Emili from No Cash Day and was invited to the lunch as part of the day. As Geronimo is a PR wizard, there is of course a photo album of the day online.

Naturally I told them that the era of fiat currencies was coming to an end, that in the future economies would be city-centric and that communities would develop currencies that embedded their own values. The usual stuff, discussed at greater length in Before Babylon, Beyond Bitcoin (available at all good bookstores).

I wasn’t there to reflect on their politics, of course. But I must note that new technology makes the potential for community currencies widely available and therefore it will inevitability impact politics. Suppose the people of Catalonia decide to start using their own currency and ignore the euro? What if Milan and its hinterland switches to its own currency and you have to have it in order to pay taxes?

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