Perhaps it's a case of your descriptive powers being a little over the top.
Poirot,
I'm dead sure that the holocaust victims would argue your point.
Growth is for those who can't perform. If you want to learn how to manage without growth may I suggest you join a standard australian family on a basic income. That, my friend, is managing without the convenience of growth backing your every incompetent tactic.
What the Germans did was to simply print more money. That stimulated their economy without inflation & without dumbar$ed Government wasting our funds. It can be done, the proof's out there. Of course the hangers on would need to pull their finger out. It won't be long before Germany employs a similar tactic after the Euro's had it's day.

individual,

I think you realise that I was critiquing your description of our current economic/political situation as "incomprehensible misery".
The German offensive of World War II and the ensuing Holocaust, of course, "was" incomprehensible misery to those affected....your comparison of it to our present situation "is" way over the top.

Peak oil Bazz to me does not look like a bell curve
Peak in my thoughts is the very top and the fall will not be a straight finish to oil.
It, in my view will be little little less sharpe than a bell curve.
How ever lets Say it is a bell curve.
And that the peak is a Sharpe one.
Even make the decline much sharper .
Now we have something else.
But surely ten years to find something new?
I think we could without trouble, convert to Natural Gas in that time, for every thing we needed to.
It may well be fuel will be twice its current price soon, for me this talks more about governments afraid to invest in new fuels, waiting till things get worse.
And addicted to tax.and the greens thoughts taxing it makes us use less.
Most of rural Australia is victim to that silly idea, forgetting the once Sunday drive was in affect good for highway shops and the kids.

Well Belly, it certainly is not sharp on the top.
It has been near flat but bumpy on the top since 2004.
That is the great guessing game at present as to when it turns down.
The experts study existing production rates, the progress of new
wells, the decline of existing fields then they grind them all up in
their computers and come up with decline between now and 2018.
The average of estimates is 2005.

To transition to natural gas is quite possible, but the cost of fitting
out every service station, to start converting existing high usage
fleets of cars and trucks and waiting for the rest of the fleets to
become obsolete will need an enormous amount of money and energy.

Then the real question, will the funds be available to do it ?

OK Bazz let us say we got to the top in 2004
And that the climb to that point was one hundred years long.
We both know the decent will be much less, increased population and use.
Say 15 years.
Think that is about right? I do not,but lets say.
Governments would know ok.
By increasing costs/tax's they still can not extend the end date, we will pay what it costs.
Now I do not believe its 15 years till the end.
I fear the silliness in the back ground as greens warn only making public transport free will fix it.
Question, given public transport was free,roads less congested why not spend on fuel to drive on roads rather than be sardined in to a train.
We must consider implications of every action but mate we will find answers.