I think this brings us up to seven or eight ”number threes” killed in the al-Qaeda hierachy since 2001. Must be a hell of a corporate flow chart they have. I wonder what country the next guy will be situated in when our government decides to “promote” him. Somehow I think it will end up being whatever country […]
From The Liberty Papers
Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom
Just who is paying whom and for what? Giudo finds a journalist defending Ken Livingstone who had worked on a writing project that Ken Livingstone disbursed the taxpayer’s money for. As, Netsmith recalls, did Polly T get £7,000 for such a project.
It really does seem that no one has thought this ID card idea through as yet. Some will have to pay £ thousands to travel just to get their barcodes.
On which subject, the Freedom of Information Act seems to obscure more than it reveals.
Danny Finkelstein really doesn’t get the modern order. Yes, of course it’s only left whingers who are allowed to have insights. Tsk, it’s obvious, isn’t it?
EU news: The EU Parliament won’t have to worry about pesky journalists for much longer, they’re going to report on themselves. Futher, yes, they did vote to ban patio heaters today.
Someone’s found a new mapping tool. Here, changes in the distribution of the world population.
And finally, just what would Hugo Chavez’ Facebook page look like?
From Adam Smith Institute
Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom
Bill Clinton in Colorado:
“We just have to slow down our economy and cut back our greenhouse gas emissions ’cause we have to save the planet for our grandchildren.”
And there you have it, the progressives are anti-progress.
From The Liberty Papers
Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom
the footballer Nashat Akram the chance to play for Manchester City. The rejection came because Nashat is Iraqi, and Iraq is rated 72nd in the world rankings. Permits are only given to players from international teams in the top 70. This decision was made despite Nashat’s remarkable performances in Iraq’s surprise triumph in the Asia Cup, all the more remarkable given the disorder in his home country.
It is also not the first time the Home Office has been in the news over footballer’s work permits. Jason Scotland (Trinidad and Tobago) and Mark González (Chile) were both denied permits, with latter being a deal worth £2.35 million. Perhaps the government is best left out of such decisions; at least until the mandarins at the Home Office can meet the fan’s demand by scoring goals like Akram (see here and here).
As it would happen, Philippe Legrain, author of "Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them" will be arguing along these lines tonight at the Adam Smith Institute. If you would like to come, please contact Steve at steve@adamsmith.org or us call on 020 7222 4995.
From Adam Smith Institute
Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom
22. "The free market is unfair because we do not all have equal votes as we do in a democracy."
The argument is that people with more resources unfairly have more market power than others, whereas in a democracy everyone counts equally. We would think it absurd if everyone voted on what kind of MP3 player people should have, and everyone received the one which gained the majority vote; yet this is how democracies work.
In a market we can all choose what type of MP3 player we want, and receive the one we choose, even if it is not the one preferred by a majority. This makes the market a source of greater freedom than a democracy. In a democracy we have to settle for the majority choice on a large package of issue taken together. In a market we can pick and choose to satisfy our preferences on individual items. We can take Apple for some products and Sony for others. We cannot in our government choose different parties for different policy areas.
People do not have the same buying power. Some people can offer goods and services worth more than those of other people. Older people might have more savings or command higher salaries than younger people. Those with more education and skills might become wealthier than others as a result, and the same applies to those with special talents, such as footballers, musicians, or entrepreneurs.
It means that some people can afford more or better goods and services in their market choices. This is because they offer more valuable service to others, and it is what spurs others to try and do likewise. If the rewards were allocated by equal votes, a majority could vote themselves a large share of the total, and make entrepreneurial activity no longer worthwhile. The economy would stagnate and no-one would benefit. This is not the kind of "fairness" that is worth having.
From Adam Smith Institute
Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom
I was interviewed on Sky News yesterday morning, giving my take on the European Parliament’s plan to prohibit the sale patio heaters. Unlike the other guest, Friends of the Earth’s Tony Juniper, I thought this was a ridiculous idea.
First of all, the only reason so many people are using patio heaters is the smoking ban. Attempting to outlaw patio heaters is a classic example of one ill-conceived and illiberal piece of legislation having to follow another, with little thought for the unintended consequences. In this case, the pub industry thinks it could lose as much as £250 million pounds a year in lost trade if outdoor heaters were banned.
My second point was that no one actually believes banning patio heaters would make the slightest bit of difference to the global climate anyway. Yes, these heaters are inefficient, but their emissions are miniscule in the grand scheme of things. Tony Juniper said we should lead the world by example, but it didn’t think our banning patio heaters would really make much difference to the Chinese. They’re going to build a coal-fired power station every week for the next ten years anyway.
Patio heaters are just the latest symbolic thing for environmentalists to get worked up about, like food miles or budget airlines. It’s not about being practical, or actually improving the environment, it is just another way to tell people that they should stop being so wicked and ‘live more simply’.
I suggested that instead of banning outdoor heaters, the EU should focus on reforming its emissions trading scheme so that it actually works, encouraging the development of clean technologies. And since agriculture contributes 17 percent of global emissions, they might like to abolish the common agricultural policy too. The developing world would certainly thank them for it.
From Adam Smith Institute
Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom
I was rather surprised to discover that Oklahoma, of all places, is using State power not to just silence critics, but to send them to prison for up to ten years! I simply never expected this sort of political repression to take hold in America. The Oklahoma government should simply be ashamed of the way they are sullying the American ideal. I would suggest to Oklahoman's that they fight fire with fire. The outside agitators…
From Samizdata.net
Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom
My father told me a while back that I was distantly related to Henry Blofeld, landowner and legendary cricket commentator. The Blofelds are an old Norfolk landowning family. Well, if it turns out I am related to a family that has the same surname as one of the greatest Bond villains, then maybe I should invest in something suitably sinister. It may be cheaper than a hollowed-out volcano, if only slightly….
From Samizdata.net
Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom
On some, if not all issues, Rod Liddle is a man of sound views. He loathes the nanny state; he is unconvinced that we need to crack down on freedom of speech in order to avoid giving offence to religious groups. He is a patriot. In this week's edition of the Spectator, where other authors rant away splendidly, Liddle rails against the six-month-old government ban on smoking in all public buildings, including privately owned ones…
From Samizdata.net
Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom
The controversial Australian euthanasia advocate and doctor Phillip Nitschke has been arrested in Auckland, New Zealand, and books that he had in his possession have been seized. Nitschke, the moving spirit behind Exit International, had gone to New Zealand to host some 'workshops' on euthanasia. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of euthanasia, this seems to me to be a clear case of 'thoughtcrime', and New Zealand authorities deserve nothing but scorn for this….
From Samizdata.net
Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom
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