The BBC and terrorism
The language we use matters – it provides clarity to our own thoughts and enables us to be clear to others about what we mean. The language people use to us matters doubly, both as an attempt to control, or at least move, our thoughts, and also as a guide to the beliefs of those […]
We Should Pay Medical Personnel For Each Procedure They Perform
It is now generally acknowledged that the structure of the NHS needs to be overhauled to make it more responsive to patient needs, and more efficient. We should apply the lessons learned from Australia’s national healthcare, where medical personnel are paid for the procedures they perform rather than for simply having patients on their books. […]
The Scrubbers Are Failing
In the film Apollo 13, a loss of oxygen causes the crew to start inadvertently poisoning themselves with their exhalations. The engineers back on earth race to devise a way to ensure the buildup of carbon dioxide doesn’t choke them, and then communicate it to the dying astronauts before they become too weak and disorientated […]
Wondering whether an idea is actually correct or not
There’s an idea out there which seems intuitive but then so many ideas do seem that way. It;s whether they actually hold up in reality that matters. Another way of describing much the same thing is that vast numbers of things happen in an economy and someone will do near anything in response to an […]
Is Cryptocurrency Our Revolution, Or Theirs?
When we think about the darkly opaque goals of modern central bankers as they relate to the global monetary system, their conduct raises the question – are they racing to repair it, or preparing to replace it? Let’s speculate wildly about the latter. Back in 1988 the Economist told us to get ready for a […]
Playing The Mischief With Us
As the papers recently filled with the distressing images of desperate souls looking to escape the imminent religious tyranny of the Taliban, I’m reminded of our own history, and also the words of Frederick Douglass who cautioned against interventions in his own culture: “Everybody has asked the question. . .”What shall we do with the […]
Aunt Agatha is PUBLISHED!
Aunt Agatha has been published (the money came from an anonymous donor). It was £2500+ If you’d like a copy, donate £10+ and you’ll get one in the post (after a quick char) Drop us a donation here, and we’ll shoot you a copy! 🙂 BUY AGATHA
Cars in London
From our Swindon Correspondent: From On London On the face of it, then, we’ve seen red route traffic increase since March to a point where it is just a few per cent less than was normal pre-Covid for this time of year. If that is a trend and it continues, we seem to be on […]
Independent Verification
From our Swindon Correspondent: One of my favourite techniques to verify data is to try and find other data, produced by other, unconnected means that should match an effect. The problem when people are connected is that they can often base their estimations on similar root information that is wrong. For example. if you wanted to […]
Jim, For The Good Of The Company, You’ll Be Gay On Tuesdays
There are three little problems with this idea from NASDAQ. The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday approved a Nasdaq proposal that could make company boards — and, by extension, the companies themselves — more diverse. The rule requires companies listed on its exchange to report their board diversity and have on their board — […]
China, The EU And Power Over Tech Companies
I just love this confluence. The manner in which Inman, at The Guardian, licks his lips over the power the European Union will – or should – have over Big Tech. As compared to what actually happens with that power over Big Tech when someone has it, as in China. Inman: In the twilight years […]
How Poor Are The Poor, Really?
From our Swindon Correspondent: I’m a big fan of the comedian Doug Stanhope, and there’s a routine that he once did which is about people’s poverty being their own fault. From Wikiquote If you listen to anyone bitch about the economy for long enough, just let them talk, cuz you’ll eventually hear why it’s exactly their […]
It’s Worse To Be In Council Care Than To Be Abused At Home
That is one of the statements in an official report into the care of children in council homes in Lambeth. That to be in one of the homes was worse than to remain at home and be abused: Although most of the children had been taken into care after suffering violence and neglect at the […]
Electric Cars Aren’t Going To Be Cheap For All That Long
Not that they’re cheap to buy right now, but once bought they are currently cheap to operate. Which isn’t going to continue. Nope, not a chance: It’s not my Enyaq: it has been loaned to me by Škoda. This one costs £34,495 to buy, including a £2,500 government grant. Still a fair old whack, but […]
Yes Mr. Kirkup – But It’s How You Get Markets To Work That Matters
James Kirkup wants us all to know that net zero is going to be really lovely and easy because markets work. Well, yes and no. Markets do work but the question is how do we get them to do so? Those Tory opponents of wind power were wrong, and wrong in a very un-Conservative way: […]
How Stupid Are These People In Government?
There seems to be a certain lack of knowledge here., An absence of having met any actual human beings. Which isn’t, in fact, all that useful an attribute when considering how a group – a nation – of human beings might be ruled. Boris Johnson is to launch a government-backed rewards programme for families switching […]
Is Democracy The Highest Value Or Not?
We get told, interminably, by those over to our left that we should have a truly democratic economy. The argument being, as I understand it, that voting on stuff is the highest value. Who does what, how, at what price, is something that should be determined by us all marking a piece of paper so […]
Grossly, Absurdly, Stupid Claim Of The Day
Apparently we should tax the rich more because Jeff Bezos has gone into space on his own rocket. No, that really is the claim: Third, it is apparent that in the light of such failings we need tax reform. We need to tax the rich because they are rich. We need to tax them so […]
Identifying Germany’s Actual Problem
I’m a great believer in it being systems which go wrong, not individuals who nominally control them. Russian style socialism didn’t fail because Brezhnev, or Andropov, were in charge, the Soviet system failed because the Soviet system was a shite manner of trying to organise the world. Pol Pot may well have directed the Khmer […]
Housing Interference
From our Swindon Correspondent: From the Times Writing in The Times Red Box today, Jenrick says people have become disillusioned with developers after decades of poor design and that new homes must be beautiful to win public approval. “Urban planning since the war has at times been a disaster,” he writes. “It is little wonder people […]
The BBC and terrorism
The language we use matters – it provides clarity to our own thoughts and enables us to be clear to others about what we mean. The language people use to us matters doubly, both as an attempt to control, or at least move, our thoughts, and also as a guide to the beliefs of those […]
We Should Pay Medical Personnel For Each Procedure They Perform
It is now generally acknowledged that the structure of the NHS needs to be overhauled to make it more responsive to patient needs, and more efficient. We should apply the lessons learned from Australia’s national healthcare, where medical personnel are paid for the procedures they perform rather than for simply having patients on their books. […]
The Scrubbers Are Failing
In the film Apollo 13, a loss of oxygen causes the crew to start inadvertently poisoning themselves with their exhalations. The engineers back on earth race to devise a way to ensure the buildup of carbon dioxide doesn’t choke them, and then communicate it to the dying astronauts before they become too weak and disorientated […]
Wondering whether an idea is actually correct or not
There’s an idea out there which seems intuitive but then so many ideas do seem that way. It;s whether they actually hold up in reality that matters. Another way of describing much the same thing is that vast numbers of things happen in an economy and someone will do near anything in response to an […]
Is Cryptocurrency Our Revolution, Or Theirs?
When we think about the darkly opaque goals of modern central bankers as they relate to the global monetary system, their conduct raises the question – are they racing to repair it, or preparing to replace it? Let’s speculate wildly about the latter. Back in 1988 the Economist told us to get ready for a […]
Playing The Mischief With Us
As the papers recently filled with the distressing images of desperate souls looking to escape the imminent religious tyranny of the Taliban, I’m reminded of our own history, and also the words of Frederick Douglass who cautioned against interventions in his own culture: “Everybody has asked the question. . .”What shall we do with the […]
Aunt Agatha is PUBLISHED!
Aunt Agatha has been published (the money came from an anonymous donor). It was £2500+ If you’d like a copy, donate £10+ and you’ll get one in the post (after a quick char) Drop us a donation here, and we’ll shoot you a copy! 🙂 BUY AGATHA
Cars in London
From our Swindon Correspondent: From On London On the face of it, then, we’ve seen red route traffic increase since March to a point where it is just a few per cent less than was normal pre-Covid for this time of year. If that is a trend and it continues, we seem to be on […]
Independent Verification
From our Swindon Correspondent: One of my favourite techniques to verify data is to try and find other data, produced by other, unconnected means that should match an effect. The problem when people are connected is that they can often base their estimations on similar root information that is wrong. For example. if you wanted to […]
Jim, For The Good Of The Company, You’ll Be Gay On Tuesdays
There are three little problems with this idea from NASDAQ. The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday approved a Nasdaq proposal that could make company boards — and, by extension, the companies themselves — more diverse. The rule requires companies listed on its exchange to report their board diversity and have on their board — […]
Lifestyle
The BBC and terrorism
The language we use matters – it provides clarity to our own thoughts and enables us to be clear to others about what we mean. The language people use to us matters doubly, both as an attempt to control, or at least move, our thoughts, and also as a guide to the beliefs of those […]
We Should Pay Medical Personnel For Each Procedure They Perform
It is now generally acknowledged that the structure of the NHS needs to be overhauled to make it more responsive to patient needs, and more efficient. We should apply the lessons learned from Australia’s national healthcare, where medical personnel are paid for the procedures they perform rather than for simply having patients on their books. […]
The Scrubbers Are Failing
In the film Apollo 13, a loss of oxygen causes the crew to start inadvertently poisoning themselves with their exhalations. The engineers back on earth race to devise a way to ensure the buildup of carbon dioxide doesn’t choke them, and then communicate it to the dying astronauts before they become too weak and disorientated […]
Wondering whether an idea is actually correct or not
There’s an idea out there which seems intuitive but then so many ideas do seem that way. It;s whether they actually hold up in reality that matters. Another way of describing much the same thing is that vast numbers of things happen in an economy and someone will do near anything in response to an […]
Is Cryptocurrency Our Revolution, Or Theirs?
When we think about the darkly opaque goals of modern central bankers as they relate to the global monetary system, their conduct raises the question – are they racing to repair it, or preparing to replace it? Let’s speculate wildly about the latter. Back in 1988 the Economist told us to get ready for a […]
Playing The Mischief With Us
As the papers recently filled with the distressing images of desperate souls looking to escape the imminent religious tyranny of the Taliban, I’m reminded of our own history, and also the words of Frederick Douglass who cautioned against interventions in his own culture: “Everybody has asked the question. . .”What shall we do with the […]
Aunt Agatha is PUBLISHED!
Aunt Agatha has been published (the money came from an anonymous donor). It was £2500+ If you’d like a copy, donate £10+ and you’ll get one in the post (after a quick char) Drop us a donation here, and we’ll shoot you a copy! 🙂 BUY AGATHA
Cars in London
From our Swindon Correspondent: From On London On the face of it, then, we’ve seen red route traffic increase since March to a point where it is just a few per cent less than was normal pre-Covid for this time of year. If that is a trend and it continues, we seem to be on […]
Independent Verification
From our Swindon Correspondent: One of my favourite techniques to verify data is to try and find other data, produced by other, unconnected means that should match an effect. The problem when people are connected is that they can often base their estimations on similar root information that is wrong. For example. if you wanted to […]
Jim, For The Good Of The Company, You’ll Be Gay On Tuesdays
There are three little problems with this idea from NASDAQ. The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday approved a Nasdaq proposal that could make company boards — and, by extension, the companies themselves — more diverse. The rule requires companies listed on its exchange to report their board diversity and have on their board — […]
The BBC and terrorism
The language we use matters – it provides clarity to our own thoughts and enables us to be clear to others about what we mean. The language people use to us matters doubly, both as an attempt to control, or at least move, our thoughts, and also as a guide to the beliefs of those […]
We Should Pay Medical Personnel For Each Procedure They Perform
It is now generally acknowledged that the structure of the NHS needs to be overhauled to make it more responsive to patient needs, and more efficient. We should apply the lessons learned from Australia’s national healthcare, where medical personnel are paid for the procedures they perform rather than for simply having patients on their books. […]
The Scrubbers Are Failing
In the film Apollo 13, a loss of oxygen causes the crew to start inadvertently poisoning themselves with their exhalations. The engineers back on earth race to devise a way to ensure the buildup of carbon dioxide doesn’t choke them, and then communicate it to the dying astronauts before they become too weak and disorientated […]
Wondering whether an idea is actually correct or not
There’s an idea out there which seems intuitive but then so many ideas do seem that way. It;s whether they actually hold up in reality that matters. Another way of describing much the same thing is that vast numbers of things happen in an economy and someone will do near anything in response to an […]
Is Cryptocurrency Our Revolution, Or Theirs?
When we think about the darkly opaque goals of modern central bankers as they relate to the global monetary system, their conduct raises the question – are they racing to repair it, or preparing to replace it? Let’s speculate wildly about the latter. Back in 1988 the Economist told us to get ready for a […]
Playing The Mischief With Us
As the papers recently filled with the distressing images of desperate souls looking to escape the imminent religious tyranny of the Taliban, I’m reminded of our own history, and also the words of Frederick Douglass who cautioned against interventions in his own culture: “Everybody has asked the question. . .”What shall we do with the […]
Aunt Agatha is PUBLISHED!
Aunt Agatha has been published (the money came from an anonymous donor). It was £2500+ If you’d like a copy, donate £10+ and you’ll get one in the post (after a quick char) Drop us a donation here, and we’ll shoot you a copy! 🙂 BUY AGATHA
Cars in London
From our Swindon Correspondent: From On London On the face of it, then, we’ve seen red route traffic increase since March to a point where it is just a few per cent less than was normal pre-Covid for this time of year. If that is a trend and it continues, we seem to be on […]
Independent Verification
From our Swindon Correspondent: One of my favourite techniques to verify data is to try and find other data, produced by other, unconnected means that should match an effect. The problem when people are connected is that they can often base their estimations on similar root information that is wrong. For example. if you wanted to […]
Jim, For The Good Of The Company, You’ll Be Gay On Tuesdays
There are three little problems with this idea from NASDAQ. The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday approved a Nasdaq proposal that could make company boards — and, by extension, the companies themselves — more diverse. The rule requires companies listed on its exchange to report their board diversity and have on their board — […]
The BBC and terrorism
The language we use matters – it provides clarity to our own thoughts and enables us to be clear to others about what we mean. The language people use to us matters doubly, both as an attempt to control, or at least move, our thoughts, and also as a guide to the beliefs of those […]
We Should Pay Medical Personnel For Each Procedure They Perform
It is now generally acknowledged that the structure of the NHS needs to be overhauled to make it more responsive to patient needs, and more efficient. We should apply the lessons learned from Australia’s national healthcare, where medical personnel are paid for the procedures they perform rather than for simply having patients on their books. […]
The Scrubbers Are Failing
In the film Apollo 13, a loss of oxygen causes the crew to start inadvertently poisoning themselves with their exhalations. The engineers back on earth race to devise a way to ensure the buildup of carbon dioxide doesn’t choke them, and then communicate it to the dying astronauts before they become too weak and disorientated […]
Wondering whether an idea is actually correct or not
There’s an idea out there which seems intuitive but then so many ideas do seem that way. It;s whether they actually hold up in reality that matters. Another way of describing much the same thing is that vast numbers of things happen in an economy and someone will do near anything in response to an […]
Is Cryptocurrency Our Revolution, Or Theirs?
When we think about the darkly opaque goals of modern central bankers as they relate to the global monetary system, their conduct raises the question – are they racing to repair it, or preparing to replace it? Let’s speculate wildly about the latter. Back in 1988 the Economist told us to get ready for a […]
Playing The Mischief With Us
As the papers recently filled with the distressing images of desperate souls looking to escape the imminent religious tyranny of the Taliban, I’m reminded of our own history, and also the words of Frederick Douglass who cautioned against interventions in his own culture: “Everybody has asked the question. . .”What shall we do with the […]
Aunt Agatha is PUBLISHED!
Aunt Agatha has been published (the money came from an anonymous donor). It was £2500+ If you’d like a copy, donate £10+ and you’ll get one in the post (after a quick char) Drop us a donation here, and we’ll shoot you a copy! 🙂 BUY AGATHA
Cars in London
From our Swindon Correspondent: From On London On the face of it, then, we’ve seen red route traffic increase since March to a point where it is just a few per cent less than was normal pre-Covid for this time of year. If that is a trend and it continues, we seem to be on […]
Independent Verification
From our Swindon Correspondent: One of my favourite techniques to verify data is to try and find other data, produced by other, unconnected means that should match an effect. The problem when people are connected is that they can often base their estimations on similar root information that is wrong. For example. if you wanted to […]
Jim, For The Good Of The Company, You’ll Be Gay On Tuesdays
There are three little problems with this idea from NASDAQ. The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday approved a Nasdaq proposal that could make company boards — and, by extension, the companies themselves — more diverse. The rule requires companies listed on its exchange to report their board diversity and have on their board — […]
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The BBC and terrorism
The language we use matters – it provides clarity to our own thoughts and enables us to be clear to others about what we mean. The language people use to us matters doubly, both as an attempt to control, or at least move, our thoughts, and also as a guide to the beliefs of those […]
We Should Pay Medical Personnel For Each Procedure They Perform
It is now generally acknowledged that the structure of the NHS needs to be overhauled to make it more responsive to patient needs, and more efficient. We should apply the lessons learned from Australia’s national healthcare, where medical personnel are paid for the procedures they perform rather than for simply having patients on their books. […]
The Scrubbers Are Failing
In the film Apollo 13, a loss of oxygen causes the crew to start inadvertently poisoning themselves with their exhalations. The engineers back on earth race to devise a way to ensure the buildup of carbon dioxide doesn’t choke them, and then communicate it to the dying astronauts before they become too weak and disorientated […]
Wondering whether an idea is actually correct or not
There’s an idea out there which seems intuitive but then so many ideas do seem that way. It;s whether they actually hold up in reality that matters. Another way of describing much the same thing is that vast numbers of things happen in an economy and someone will do near anything in response to an […]
Is Cryptocurrency Our Revolution, Or Theirs?
When we think about the darkly opaque goals of modern central bankers as they relate to the global monetary system, their conduct raises the question – are they racing to repair it, or preparing to replace it? Let’s speculate wildly about the latter. Back in 1988 the Economist told us to get ready for a […]
Playing The Mischief With Us
As the papers recently filled with the distressing images of desperate souls looking to escape the imminent religious tyranny of the Taliban, I’m reminded of our own history, and also the words of Frederick Douglass who cautioned against interventions in his own culture: “Everybody has asked the question. . .”What shall we do with the […]
Aunt Agatha is PUBLISHED!
Aunt Agatha has been published (the money came from an anonymous donor). It was £2500+ If you’d like a copy, donate £10+ and you’ll get one in the post (after a quick char) Drop us a donation here, and we’ll shoot you a copy! 🙂 BUY AGATHA
Cars in London
From our Swindon Correspondent: From On London On the face of it, then, we’ve seen red route traffic increase since March to a point where it is just a few per cent less than was normal pre-Covid for this time of year. If that is a trend and it continues, we seem to be on […]
Independent Verification
From our Swindon Correspondent: One of my favourite techniques to verify data is to try and find other data, produced by other, unconnected means that should match an effect. The problem when people are connected is that they can often base their estimations on similar root information that is wrong. For example. if you wanted to […]
Jim, For The Good Of The Company, You’ll Be Gay On Tuesdays
There are three little problems with this idea from NASDAQ. The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday approved a Nasdaq proposal that could make company boards — and, by extension, the companies themselves — more diverse. The rule requires companies listed on its exchange to report their board diversity and have on their board — […]
China, The EU And Power Over Tech Companies
I just love this confluence. The manner in which Inman, at The Guardian, licks his lips over the power the European Union will – or should – have over Big Tech. As compared to what actually happens with that power over Big Tech when someone has it, as in China. Inman: In the twilight years […]
How Poor Are The Poor, Really?
From our Swindon Correspondent: I’m a big fan of the comedian Doug Stanhope, and there’s a routine that he once did which is about people’s poverty being their own fault. From Wikiquote If you listen to anyone bitch about the economy for long enough, just let them talk, cuz you’ll eventually hear why it’s exactly their […]
It’s Worse To Be In Council Care Than To Be Abused At Home
That is one of the statements in an official report into the care of children in council homes in Lambeth. That to be in one of the homes was worse than to remain at home and be abused: Although most of the children had been taken into care after suffering violence and neglect at the […]
Electric Cars Aren’t Going To Be Cheap For All That Long
Not that they’re cheap to buy right now, but once bought they are currently cheap to operate. Which isn’t going to continue. Nope, not a chance: It’s not my Enyaq: it has been loaned to me by Škoda. This one costs £34,495 to buy, including a £2,500 government grant. Still a fair old whack, but […]
Yes Mr. Kirkup – But It’s How You Get Markets To Work That Matters
James Kirkup wants us all to know that net zero is going to be really lovely and easy because markets work. Well, yes and no. Markets do work but the question is how do we get them to do so? Those Tory opponents of wind power were wrong, and wrong in a very un-Conservative way: […]
How Stupid Are These People In Government?
There seems to be a certain lack of knowledge here., An absence of having met any actual human beings. Which isn’t, in fact, all that useful an attribute when considering how a group – a nation – of human beings might be ruled. Boris Johnson is to launch a government-backed rewards programme for families switching […]
Is Democracy The Highest Value Or Not?
We get told, interminably, by those over to our left that we should have a truly democratic economy. The argument being, as I understand it, that voting on stuff is the highest value. Who does what, how, at what price, is something that should be determined by us all marking a piece of paper so […]
Grossly, Absurdly, Stupid Claim Of The Day
Apparently we should tax the rich more because Jeff Bezos has gone into space on his own rocket. No, that really is the claim: Third, it is apparent that in the light of such failings we need tax reform. We need to tax the rich because they are rich. We need to tax them so […]
Identifying Germany’s Actual Problem
I’m a great believer in it being systems which go wrong, not individuals who nominally control them. Russian style socialism didn’t fail because Brezhnev, or Andropov, were in charge, the Soviet system failed because the Soviet system was a shite manner of trying to organise the world. Pol Pot may well have directed the Khmer […]
Housing Interference
From our Swindon Correspondent: From the Times Writing in The Times Red Box today, Jenrick says people have become disillusioned with developers after decades of poor design and that new homes must be beautiful to win public approval. “Urban planning since the war has at times been a disaster,” he writes. “It is little wonder people […]
But We Want Free Trade *In Order* To Kill Sugar Beet Production
The UK now allows in some cane sugar, free of duty, to compete with domestic production of sugar from beet. OK, that’s good, that’s what we want to be happening. Well, except those producing beet to make sugar from of course: At the end of last year, the Trade Secretary, Liz Truss, moved to unilaterally […]
You will not move. Confirm command.
It’s so lovely to have admitted liars return the freedoms they stole from us. But wait………all is not well. The pressure is on us to behave as if those freedoms had NOT been returned. After all, it’s hard to get a medical tyranny to stick without the collusion of the people – those with COVID […]
Maybe Facebook Is Killing People. And?
Joe Biden tells us that Facebook is literally killing people by allowing disinformation about vaccines to be spread on its pages. Well, yes, and Mr President? A serious question there, not just some flight of rhetoric. So, this is true – imagine it is true at least – and so what are we going to […]
Cubans and Government
From Yahoo News We are committed to supporting the Haitian government as it seeks justice in this case. And we affirm the United States support for the people of Haiti. We also stand in solidarity with the Cuban people and their calls for freedom from the repression and economic suffering that Cuba’s authoritarian regime is causing. […]
So How Many Types Of KitKat Should There Be
The idiot Henry Dimbleby tells us – in a quote that’s being picked up around the place – that there’s something wrong with the British food system because: It is bizarre, but not really surprising, that in the UK you can buy 28 different kinds of KitKat. And? No, really, and? Which is the bit […]
The EU And Indian Made AstraZeneca Vaccines
This is not just about Brexit – although there’s almost certainly some of that in there – this is a wake up call to how the medical licencing system needs to be changed. The European Union is recognising the AstraZeneca vaccine as being good if it comes from certain factories, not good if it comes […]
Segmented Sleep – I Don’t Believe It For A Moment
There’s an idea out there that humans, entirely naturally, have two sleep segments in a night. Go to bed, sleep a bit, wake up, potter about, go back to sleep. The originator talking about someone who doubts it: In the winter, whether for conviviality or work, preindustrial households remained active well after sunset, not retiring […]
With Lookouts Like These…
Jeremy Warner of the Telegraph has a stark warning for us. “If you are coming off an interest rate of just 0.1pc, the effect on big debtors such as governments of a rise to say 3pc would be hugely more destructive than an increase of a similar order of magnitude back in the late Eighties […]
Why 4 O’Clock?
Just a little thing here but as such little things often can be, an indicator of something much more important. The more important bit here being to kill off one of those memes, or perhaps mimetic misunderstandings, about banking. You don’t have to travel far – perhaps as far as Positive Money – to be […]
It’s Not A £40 Billion Brexit Bill – It’s Actually £0
As I might have mentioned before the country is not facing a £40 billion Brexit bill. The actual bill for Brexit is zero. Final bill for Brexit is £40bn, as EU demands £2bn more than expected Cost would have been higher but Brussels owes the UK nearly £2bn for its previous share of fines imposed […]
Dear God Saez And Zucman Are Lying Bastards
What they say here is absolutely true: Unfortunately it’s said in a manner which deliberately misleads. Meaning that it’s fair – because deliberate – to call them lying bastards. Corporate tax breaks have helped business owners amass inconceivable amounts of money over the past few decades. Meanwhile, middle-class Americans have footed the bill, as Congress […]
OK David, You Can Be An Idiot About Open Access, If You Wish
It always helps if one of these journalistic broadsides against summat understands the summat that the broadside is against. This not being the case often enough at The American Prospect and this not being the case at all in this piece by David Dayen. The specific complaint is that Juul – those folks that make […]
The Four Day Week
From our Swindon Correspondent: From the BBC Trials of a four-day week in Iceland were an “overwhelming success” and led to many workers moving to shorter hours, researchers have said. The trials, in which workers were paid the same amount for shorter hours, took place between 2015 and 2019. Productivity remained the same or improved in […]
If Only He Understood Business Or Economics
So we’ve Richard Murphy – now actually wearing his academic hat – telling us that modern day capitalism is really, no, really, very terrible. And it needs to be reformed by the tender ministrations of Richard Murphy. You couldn’t see that one coming, could you? The problem here being that he’s not grasped how capitalism […]
The Impact of China’s Crackdown on Crypto
The Impact of China’s Crackdown on Crypto As a topic of discussion in finance over the past decade, cryptocurrency has often only pointed in one direction, up. Although early critics and sceptics had doubts that the decentralized currencies would ever find mainstream use, the past few years have certainly shown that not to be the […]
Blame The Army Corps Of Engineers, Not Climate Change
So Louisiana is sinking below the waves, is it? With higher temperatures, eggs are hatching faster. Despite a harvesting programme, there are now two million wild alligators in the state, up from 100,000 half a century ago. It’s yet another sign of the devastating impact of climate change in Louisiana. Hundreds of thousands of people […]
Doesn’t This Just Kill The Idea That Fast Food Makes Us Porkers
It’s a standard complaint these days that eating in restaurants – OK, fast food restaurants – is what makes us the gargantuan porkers that we are. All those evil capitalists conspiring to push more calories down our throats merely for profit. OK, well, we’ve just had a grand experiment, haven’t we? Peeps haven’t been able […]
If You Confuse Democracy With Civil Liberty You’ll End Up With Neither
I’m not exactly a cheerleader for Victor Orban over in Hungary but this is entirely ridiculous: The new anti-LGBTQ rules — which were tacked on at the last minute to a bill increasing penalties for sex crimes against children — are part of a broader slate of legal attacks on the queer community that strengthen […]
They’re Really Trying To Screw Trump, Aren’t They?
Apparently Donald Trump, or his company, or some executive or other of it, might become the subject of criminal charges. Which tells us an interesting thing about American politics, doesn’t it? That interesting thing being that the Blob – or the Deep State or, heck, just call it the Democratic Party – thinks that he’s […]
We Haven’t A Clue – So Give Us Lots Of Power
This is the demand of a group of scientists. They’ve not the first clue about the subject under discussion therefore they should be given lots of power. Power to regulate the thing they’ve no clue about. The thing is social media. They posit, rightly, that being able to communicate with millions near instantly is different […]
CCTV and Office Security
From our Swindon Correspondent: From the Daily Mail The footage of Mr Hancock kissing Gina Coladangelo was caught on a CCTV camera in his office on May 6, and secretly recorded by a member of his department’s staff. After allowing a month to elapse, the whistleblower approached lockdown sceptics and asked them to help sell the […]
Planning Is Just Such A Difficult Thing, Isn’t It?
Today’s installment of why Hayek was right. You know, that bit in the Nobel Lecture, The Pretence of Knowledge. The point being made was that people really will start to think – even after all that evidence of how scientific socialism didn’t work – that they would be able to know enough about the world […]
Resolved, The Laffer Curve Exists
The Laffer Curve is the contention that there is a tax rate which maximises revenue collection. That’s all it is too. It does not claim – although Art Laffer often does – that this rate is lower than the current one. It just claims that there is a revenue maximising rate. Underneath the hood there […]
Younger Remote Workers
From our Swindon Correspondent: From City AM The current messy hybrid working compromise risks creating a generational divide. Many older workers will continue to stay at home while younger workers, keen to escape their flat-share or their parents’ kitchen, will come back into the office. People keep on making this mistake about remote work, because they’re […]
EU Cultural Diversity
From our Swindon Correspondent: From The Guardian Under the EU’s audiovisual media services directive, a majority of airtime must be given to such European content on terrestrial television and it must make up at least 30% of the number of titles on video on demand (VOD) platforms such as Netflix and Amazon. Countries such as France […]
The Bureaucracy As An Hereditary Caste
Donald Trump brought in the kiddies as advisors in the White House. Jack Kennedy did so with the cabinet. Well, you know, times change and all that. What is actually far worse than that is when we end up with the bureaucracy being an hereditary caste. These people, because they are the righteous children of […]
Unbelievable, I Know, But This Man Used To Teach Economics In A British University
We have an interesting little example of what’s wrong with academia here. Someone who doesn’t in fact know their subject has been teaching it. The example is, as you might have guessed, Richard Murphy who has held no fewer than four professorships at British universities. Specifically, here, he’s arguing that the effects of economic stimulus […]
Incentives Matter, Yea Even For Refugees And Asylum Seekers
This is not a point about refugees. Nor is it one about asylum seekers, economic immigrants. It is instead one about that base point that economics tries to dun into all too many unlistening heads – incentives matter: So far this year, more than 18,000 migrants and refugees have landed in Italy after crossing the […]
Rail Cuts
From our Swindon Correspondent: From the Guardian Train operators, Network Rail and unions have agreed to talks over cutting rail services and axing thousands of jobs to save the industry up to £2bn a year as it plans for a post-Covid future of fewer passengers. Under a framework agreement signed by the four main transport unions […]
Government Debt – So Far So Good
When rich people feel overtaxed, they often find ways to avoid paying tax. As a result, governments get less, despite having demanded more. So governments try to avoid making rich people feel overtaxed. The most amount of plucking, with the least amount of hissing. If governments want to keep spending past the Laffer Peak, they […]
Health
The BBC and terrorism
The language we use matters – it provides clarity to our own thoughts and enables us to be clear to others about what we mean. The language people use to us matters doubly, both as an attempt to control, or at least move, our thoughts, and also as a guide to the beliefs of those […]
We Should Pay Medical Personnel For Each Procedure They Perform
It is now generally acknowledged that the structure of the NHS needs to be overhauled to make it more responsive to patient needs, and more efficient. We should apply the lessons learned from Australia’s national healthcare, where medical personnel are paid for the procedures they perform rather than for simply having patients on their books. […]
The Scrubbers Are Failing
In the film Apollo 13, a loss of oxygen causes the crew to start inadvertently poisoning themselves with their exhalations. The engineers back on earth race to devise a way to ensure the buildup of carbon dioxide doesn’t choke them, and then communicate it to the dying astronauts before they become too weak and disorientated […]
Wondering whether an idea is actually correct or not
There’s an idea out there which seems intuitive but then so many ideas do seem that way. It;s whether they actually hold up in reality that matters. Another way of describing much the same thing is that vast numbers of things happen in an economy and someone will do near anything in response to an […]
Is Cryptocurrency Our Revolution, Or Theirs?
When we think about the darkly opaque goals of modern central bankers as they relate to the global monetary system, their conduct raises the question – are they racing to repair it, or preparing to replace it? Let’s speculate wildly about the latter. Back in 1988 the Economist told us to get ready for a […]
Playing The Mischief With Us
As the papers recently filled with the distressing images of desperate souls looking to escape the imminent religious tyranny of the Taliban, I’m reminded of our own history, and also the words of Frederick Douglass who cautioned against interventions in his own culture: “Everybody has asked the question. . .”What shall we do with the […]
Aunt Agatha is PUBLISHED!
Aunt Agatha has been published (the money came from an anonymous donor). It was £2500+ If you’d like a copy, donate £10+ and you’ll get one in the post (after a quick char) Drop us a donation here, and we’ll shoot you a copy! 🙂 BUY AGATHA
Cars in London
From our Swindon Correspondent: From On London On the face of it, then, we’ve seen red route traffic increase since March to a point where it is just a few per cent less than was normal pre-Covid for this time of year. If that is a trend and it continues, we seem to be on […]
Independent Verification
From our Swindon Correspondent: One of my favourite techniques to verify data is to try and find other data, produced by other, unconnected means that should match an effect. The problem when people are connected is that they can often base their estimations on similar root information that is wrong. For example. if you wanted to […]
Jim, For The Good Of The Company, You’ll Be Gay On Tuesdays
There are three little problems with this idea from NASDAQ. The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday approved a Nasdaq proposal that could make company boards — and, by extension, the companies themselves — more diverse. The rule requires companies listed on its exchange to report their board diversity and have on their board — […]
The BBC and terrorism
The language we use matters – it provides clarity to our own thoughts and enables us to be clear to others about what we mean. The language people use to us matters doubly, both as an attempt to control, or at least move, our thoughts, and also as a guide to the beliefs of those […]
We Should Pay Medical Personnel For Each Procedure They Perform
It is now generally acknowledged that the structure of the NHS needs to be overhauled to make it more responsive to patient needs, and more efficient. We should apply the lessons learned from Australia’s national healthcare, where medical personnel are paid for the procedures they perform rather than for simply having patients on their books. […]
The Scrubbers Are Failing
In the film Apollo 13, a loss of oxygen causes the crew to start inadvertently poisoning themselves with their exhalations. The engineers back on earth race to devise a way to ensure the buildup of carbon dioxide doesn’t choke them, and then communicate it to the dying astronauts before they become too weak and disorientated […]
Wondering whether an idea is actually correct or not
There’s an idea out there which seems intuitive but then so many ideas do seem that way. It;s whether they actually hold up in reality that matters. Another way of describing much the same thing is that vast numbers of things happen in an economy and someone will do near anything in response to an […]
Is Cryptocurrency Our Revolution, Or Theirs?
When we think about the darkly opaque goals of modern central bankers as they relate to the global monetary system, their conduct raises the question – are they racing to repair it, or preparing to replace it? Let’s speculate wildly about the latter. Back in 1988 the Economist told us to get ready for a […]
Playing The Mischief With Us
As the papers recently filled with the distressing images of desperate souls looking to escape the imminent religious tyranny of the Taliban, I’m reminded of our own history, and also the words of Frederick Douglass who cautioned against interventions in his own culture: “Everybody has asked the question. . .”What shall we do with the […]
Aunt Agatha is PUBLISHED!
Aunt Agatha has been published (the money came from an anonymous donor). It was £2500+ If you’d like a copy, donate £10+ and you’ll get one in the post (after a quick char) Drop us a donation here, and we’ll shoot you a copy! 🙂 BUY AGATHA
Cars in London
From our Swindon Correspondent: From On London On the face of it, then, we’ve seen red route traffic increase since March to a point where it is just a few per cent less than was normal pre-Covid for this time of year. If that is a trend and it continues, we seem to be on […]
Independent Verification
From our Swindon Correspondent: One of my favourite techniques to verify data is to try and find other data, produced by other, unconnected means that should match an effect. The problem when people are connected is that they can often base their estimations on similar root information that is wrong. For example. if you wanted to […]
Jim, For The Good Of The Company, You’ll Be Gay On Tuesdays
There are three little problems with this idea from NASDAQ. The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday approved a Nasdaq proposal that could make company boards — and, by extension, the companies themselves — more diverse. The rule requires companies listed on its exchange to report their board diversity and have on their board — […]
The BBC and terrorism
The language we use matters – it provides clarity to our own thoughts and enables us to be clear to others about what we mean. The language people use to us matters doubly, both as an attempt to control, or at least move, our thoughts, and also as a guide to the beliefs of those […]
We Should Pay Medical Personnel For Each Procedure They Perform
It is now generally acknowledged that the structure of the NHS needs to be overhauled to make it more responsive to patient needs, and more efficient. We should apply the lessons learned from Australia’s national healthcare, where medical personnel are paid for the procedures they perform rather than for simply having patients on their books. […]
The Scrubbers Are Failing
In the film Apollo 13, a loss of oxygen causes the crew to start inadvertently poisoning themselves with their exhalations. The engineers back on earth race to devise a way to ensure the buildup of carbon dioxide doesn’t choke them, and then communicate it to the dying astronauts before they become too weak and disorientated […]
Wondering whether an idea is actually correct or not
There’s an idea out there which seems intuitive but then so many ideas do seem that way. It;s whether they actually hold up in reality that matters. Another way of describing much the same thing is that vast numbers of things happen in an economy and someone will do near anything in response to an […]
Is Cryptocurrency Our Revolution, Or Theirs?
When we think about the darkly opaque goals of modern central bankers as they relate to the global monetary system, their conduct raises the question – are they racing to repair it, or preparing to replace it? Let’s speculate wildly about the latter. Back in 1988 the Economist told us to get ready for a […]
Playing The Mischief With Us
As the papers recently filled with the distressing images of desperate souls looking to escape the imminent religious tyranny of the Taliban, I’m reminded of our own history, and also the words of Frederick Douglass who cautioned against interventions in his own culture: “Everybody has asked the question. . .”What shall we do with the […]
Aunt Agatha is PUBLISHED!
Aunt Agatha has been published (the money came from an anonymous donor). It was £2500+ If you’d like a copy, donate £10+ and you’ll get one in the post (after a quick char) Drop us a donation here, and we’ll shoot you a copy! 🙂 BUY AGATHA
Cars in London
From our Swindon Correspondent: From On London On the face of it, then, we’ve seen red route traffic increase since March to a point where it is just a few per cent less than was normal pre-Covid for this time of year. If that is a trend and it continues, we seem to be on […]
Independent Verification
From our Swindon Correspondent: One of my favourite techniques to verify data is to try and find other data, produced by other, unconnected means that should match an effect. The problem when people are connected is that they can often base their estimations on similar root information that is wrong. For example. if you wanted to […]
Jim, For The Good Of The Company, You’ll Be Gay On Tuesdays
There are three little problems with this idea from NASDAQ. The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday approved a Nasdaq proposal that could make company boards — and, by extension, the companies themselves — more diverse. The rule requires companies listed on its exchange to report their board diversity and have on their board — […]
The Latest
The BBC and terrorism
The language we use matters – it provides clarity to our own thoughts and enables us to be clear to others about what we mean. The language people use to us matters doubly, both as an attempt to control, or at least move, our thoughts, and also as a guide to the beliefs of those […]
We Should Pay Medical Personnel For Each Procedure They Perform
It is now generally acknowledged that the structure of the NHS needs to be overhauled to make it more responsive to patient needs, and more efficient. We should apply the lessons learned from Australia’s national healthcare, where medical personnel are paid for the procedures they perform rather than for simply having patients on their books. […]
The Scrubbers Are Failing
In the film Apollo 13, a loss of oxygen causes the crew to start inadvertently poisoning themselves with their exhalations. The engineers back on earth race to devise a way to ensure the buildup of carbon dioxide doesn’t choke them, and then communicate it to the dying astronauts before they become too weak and disorientated […]
Wondering whether an idea is actually correct or not
There’s an idea out there which seems intuitive but then so many ideas do seem that way. It;s whether they actually hold up in reality that matters. Another way of describing much the same thing is that vast numbers of things happen in an economy and someone will do near anything in response to an […]
Is Cryptocurrency Our Revolution, Or Theirs?
When we think about the darkly opaque goals of modern central bankers as they relate to the global monetary system, their conduct raises the question – are they racing to repair it, or preparing to replace it? Let’s speculate wildly about the latter. Back in 1988 the Economist told us to get ready for a […]
Playing The Mischief With Us
As the papers recently filled with the distressing images of desperate souls looking to escape the imminent religious tyranny of the Taliban, I’m reminded of our own history, and also the words of Frederick Douglass who cautioned against interventions in his own culture: “Everybody has asked the question. . .”What shall we do with the […]
Aunt Agatha is PUBLISHED!
Aunt Agatha has been published (the money came from an anonymous donor). It was £2500+ If you’d like a copy, donate £10+ and you’ll get one in the post (after a quick char) Drop us a donation here, and we’ll shoot you a copy! 🙂 BUY AGATHA
Cars in London
From our Swindon Correspondent: From On London On the face of it, then, we’ve seen red route traffic increase since March to a point where it is just a few per cent less than was normal pre-Covid for this time of year. If that is a trend and it continues, we seem to be on […]
Independent Verification
From our Swindon Correspondent: One of my favourite techniques to verify data is to try and find other data, produced by other, unconnected means that should match an effect. The problem when people are connected is that they can often base their estimations on similar root information that is wrong. For example. if you wanted to […]
Jim, For The Good Of The Company, You’ll Be Gay On Tuesdays
There are three little problems with this idea from NASDAQ. The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday approved a Nasdaq proposal that could make company boards — and, by extension, the companies themselves — more diverse. The rule requires companies listed on its exchange to report their board diversity and have on their board — […]
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The BBC and terrorism
The language we use matters – it provides clarity to our own thoughts and enables us to be clear to others about what we mean. The language people use to us matters doubly, both as an attempt to control, or at least move, our thoughts, and also as a guide to the beliefs of those […]
We Should Pay Medical Personnel For Each Procedure They Perform
It is now generally acknowledged that the structure of the NHS needs to be overhauled to make it more responsive to patient needs, and more efficient. We should apply the lessons learned from Australia’s national healthcare, where medical personnel are paid for the procedures they perform rather than for simply having patients on their books. […]
The Scrubbers Are Failing
In the film Apollo 13, a loss of oxygen causes the crew to start inadvertently poisoning themselves with their exhalations. The engineers back on earth race to devise a way to ensure the buildup of carbon dioxide doesn’t choke them, and then communicate it to the dying astronauts before they become too weak and disorientated […]
Wondering whether an idea is actually correct or not
There’s an idea out there which seems intuitive but then so many ideas do seem that way. It;s whether they actually hold up in reality that matters. Another way of describing much the same thing is that vast numbers of things happen in an economy and someone will do near anything in response to an […]
Is Cryptocurrency Our Revolution, Or Theirs?
When we think about the darkly opaque goals of modern central bankers as they relate to the global monetary system, their conduct raises the question – are they racing to repair it, or preparing to replace it? Let’s speculate wildly about the latter. Back in 1988 the Economist told us to get ready for a […]
Playing The Mischief With Us
As the papers recently filled with the distressing images of desperate souls looking to escape the imminent religious tyranny of the Taliban, I’m reminded of our own history, and also the words of Frederick Douglass who cautioned against interventions in his own culture: “Everybody has asked the question. . .”What shall we do with the […]
Aunt Agatha is PUBLISHED!
Aunt Agatha has been published (the money came from an anonymous donor). It was £2500+ If you’d like a copy, donate £10+ and you’ll get one in the post (after a quick char) Drop us a donation here, and we’ll shoot you a copy! 🙂 BUY AGATHA
Cars in London
From our Swindon Correspondent: From On London On the face of it, then, we’ve seen red route traffic increase since March to a point where it is just a few per cent less than was normal pre-Covid for this time of year. If that is a trend and it continues, we seem to be on […]
Independent Verification
From our Swindon Correspondent: One of my favourite techniques to verify data is to try and find other data, produced by other, unconnected means that should match an effect. The problem when people are connected is that they can often base their estimations on similar root information that is wrong. For example. if you wanted to […]
Jim, For The Good Of The Company, You’ll Be Gay On Tuesdays
There are three little problems with this idea from NASDAQ. The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday approved a Nasdaq proposal that could make company boards — and, by extension, the companies themselves — more diverse. The rule requires companies listed on its exchange to report their board diversity and have on their board — […]
China, The EU And Power Over Tech Companies
I just love this confluence. The manner in which Inman, at The Guardian, licks his lips over the power the European Union will – or should – have over Big Tech. As compared to what actually happens with that power over Big Tech when someone has it, as in China. Inman: In the twilight years […]
How Poor Are The Poor, Really?
From our Swindon Correspondent: I’m a big fan of the comedian Doug Stanhope, and there’s a routine that he once did which is about people’s poverty being their own fault. From Wikiquote If you listen to anyone bitch about the economy for long enough, just let them talk, cuz you’ll eventually hear why it’s exactly their […]
It’s Worse To Be In Council Care Than To Be Abused At Home
That is one of the statements in an official report into the care of children in council homes in Lambeth. That to be in one of the homes was worse than to remain at home and be abused: Although most of the children had been taken into care after suffering violence and neglect at the […]
Electric Cars Aren’t Going To Be Cheap For All That Long
Not that they’re cheap to buy right now, but once bought they are currently cheap to operate. Which isn’t going to continue. Nope, not a chance: It’s not my Enyaq: it has been loaned to me by Škoda. This one costs £34,495 to buy, including a £2,500 government grant. Still a fair old whack, but […]
Yes Mr. Kirkup – But It’s How You Get Markets To Work That Matters
James Kirkup wants us all to know that net zero is going to be really lovely and easy because markets work. Well, yes and no. Markets do work but the question is how do we get them to do so? Those Tory opponents of wind power were wrong, and wrong in a very un-Conservative way: […]
How Stupid Are These People In Government?
There seems to be a certain lack of knowledge here., An absence of having met any actual human beings. Which isn’t, in fact, all that useful an attribute when considering how a group – a nation – of human beings might be ruled. Boris Johnson is to launch a government-backed rewards programme for families switching […]
Is Democracy The Highest Value Or Not?
We get told, interminably, by those over to our left that we should have a truly democratic economy. The argument being, as I understand it, that voting on stuff is the highest value. Who does what, how, at what price, is something that should be determined by us all marking a piece of paper so […]
Grossly, Absurdly, Stupid Claim Of The Day
Apparently we should tax the rich more because Jeff Bezos has gone into space on his own rocket. No, that really is the claim: Third, it is apparent that in the light of such failings we need tax reform. We need to tax the rich because they are rich. We need to tax them so […]
Identifying Germany’s Actual Problem
I’m a great believer in it being systems which go wrong, not individuals who nominally control them. Russian style socialism didn’t fail because Brezhnev, or Andropov, were in charge, the Soviet system failed because the Soviet system was a shite manner of trying to organise the world. Pol Pot may well have directed the Khmer […]
Housing Interference
From our Swindon Correspondent: From the Times Writing in The Times Red Box today, Jenrick says people have become disillusioned with developers after decades of poor design and that new homes must be beautiful to win public approval. “Urban planning since the war has at times been a disaster,” he writes. “It is little wonder people […]
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