HUMAN RIGHTS & GOVERNMENT ACTION In many of these essays on economics I have been at pains to point out that the prosperity of any community, anywhere, anytime, if it is to last, must be based on observance of the guiding principles of free people; free trade; sound money; and small government. Colleagues sometimes […]

  My colleague Steven Spencer has reminded me of an anecdote relayed by the owner of a brand new Corvette sports car.   A bystander speculated: “I wonder how many people could have been fed with the money that sports car cost?”   The owner replied: “ I really don’t know the answer to that one. But […]

EMILE WOOLF – GOING POSTAL [19-11-2018 – EP43] “DEBUNKING ECONOMIC MYTHOLOGY – PART 6” “WHAT GOVERNMENT CAN – AND CANNOT – DO” Whenever confronting a puzzling situation, it’s worth asking how it came about. When doing this I usually find it helpful to write about it and, given my personal orientation, my way through the […]

DEBUNKING ECONOMIC MYTHOLOGY – PART 4 My colleague Steven Spencer has reminded me of an anecdote relayed by the owner of a brand new Corvette sports car. A bystander speculated: “I wonder how many people could have been fed with the money that sports car cost?” The owner replied: “ I really don’t know the answer to […]

FRESH START AFTER BREXIT – GOING POSTAL 29-10-18 [EP41] One of last Monday’s blog-readers, “WinstonSmith”, challenged me to describe what I would do if, after Britain has finally left the EU, I were to be appointed Prime Minister! Well, I can’t miss out on an invitation like that. Recognising that a fresh approach requires a […]

ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES – 39 REAPING THE WHIRLWIND My wife and I have just returned from a couple of weeks in the USA. Among many sources of stimulation, debate between friends and family threw up a number of key issues of economic interest – two in particular stand out, and they are closely related: (i) Whether […]

GOING POSTAL – 15 OCTOBER 2018 DEBUNKING ECONOMIC MYTHOLOGY – PART 2   <EP4> THE INFLATION CONUNDRUM Typically, the general public confuses any economic phenomenon with its manifestation. Both are thought of as the same thing. For example, the phenomenon “inflation” is assumed to mean the same thing as its manifestation, which is rising prices. The […]

GOING POSTAL 20/8/18 [Part 1 of “This time it will be different” appeared as Going Postal last week.] PART 2 THE SCOURGE OF CREDIT EXPANSION – THE SYSTEM’S DEMISE COULD BE SOONER THAN YOU THINK The monetary conjuring trick employed after the last crisis, described in Part 1, required central banks to purchase government bonds […]

1 – THIS TIME IT WILL BE DIFFERENT – Yes, far worse! [ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES – 35] The last crash 2007/2008 Before the last financial crisis in 2007/2008 sub-prime mortgages were all the rage. The idea was that if mortgage lenders put a pot-pourri of mortgages in a parcel, the risks attaching to mortgages at the […]

EU MEMBERSHIP – UNDERSTANDING THE RULES While combatants wrestle over potential outcomes of the Brexit debate, we should recognise the part played in all these shenanigans by fear, borne of uncertainty. Many warnings against the dire consequences of leaving the EU have an emotional flavour not rooted in economic logic, while some Brexiteers counter such […]