This evening, I made the following presentation on the Government’s financial position and intentions and on the genesis of this crisis. The PDF is here: How to create a crisis.
Tags: debt, Deficit, economics, Financial Crisis, Government, Inflation
Home » Posts tagged "Government" (Page 2)
Tag Archives: Government
Via Detlev Schlichter: Deceits and delusions – Some thoughts on the euro-crisis and democracy
Anybody with any knowledge of economics should feel uneasy at the sight of a country where half of recorded economic activity is conducted by the state. Are such semi-socialist societies operable, and if so, for how long? Read the article via Deceits and delusions – Some thoughts on the euro-crisis and democracy. Here’s the growth of the British Government to over half of GDP: We can escape this mess towards sustainable prosperity, but that escape will require substantial reforms towards [...]
Tags: Detlev Schlichter, economics, Financial Crisis, Government, Liberty, Prosperity, Statism, Tax
How government and the economy interact
Here’s another thought-provoking video from Learn Liberty: I have had a fascinating but concerning week, watching the Government commit to a giant state-planned, taxpayer-backed project in the shape of HS2, getting to know some of the surprisingly thoughtful people in the Occupy movement, speaking with Radio 4 Analysis about what is wrong with capitalism and, last night, speaking to Conservatives, LibDems and libertarians at Warwick University about the doctrine of liberty and why it matters so much today. As I [...]
Tags: economics, Government, LearnLiberty.org, Liberty, Video
Remember, remember, the 5th of November
As CNN reports, the V for Vendetta-style Guy Fawkes mask has inspired Occupy protesters around the world. CNN points out: Ironically Fawkes, far from being the anti-establishment hero he has come to be seen as in the years since his death, was a monarchist who merely wanted to replace the Anglican king with a Catholic queen. A transcript of his trial with co-conspirators is available here. It’s hard reading for one not accustomed to 17th century English but, in relation [...]
Tags: Authoritarianism, Democracy, Government, Hayek, Ideas, Liberty, Occupy, Schumpeter
More QE to be discussed today
If the Bank of England today decides on more Quantitative Easing, I’ll produce an article explaining why they are wrong, why QE is a grave source of injustice and how it will fail to revive the economy. In the meantime, here’s a flavour from James Tyler at The Cobden Centre: Governments achieve rising prices by encouraging the supply of new money. This new money comes from the central bank via its control of the banking system. The first users of [...]
Tags: economics, Government, Money, Quantitative Easing, Sophistry
The riots in England
Over the past few days, many constituents have written to me expressing anger and dismay about the riots, policing and justice. I share this anger and dismay. As I said in my article on Wednesday, we must establish that the state’s duty is to protect the law-abiding and their property first and foremost and that the police do not require the consent of rioters before acting with reasonable force. The Prime Minister has said that we will do whatever it takes [...]
Tags: Broken Society, Ethics, Government, Justice, Liberty, Responsibility, Riot, Society
Public life – how low can we go?
I came into politics out of fury with a political elite which was positively trampling the principles of democracy and an open society. By 2007, what Labour were doing to our country was awful enough, but then the handling of the Lisbon Treaty was the final straw: what a witches’ brew of deceit, sophisty and betrayal surrounded that unacceptable affront to government with the consent of the governed. I thought we could go no lower. And then came the expenses [...]
Tags: Ethics, Government, Liberty, Media, Press, Responsibility, Society
On the Coalition and the media
I’ve had a varied couple of days working for my constituents in Parliament – see theyworkforyou.com – but most interesting is what I have confirmed about the media. On this blog, I described various aspects of the political situation as a “pantomime” we should move past. That was picked up by the national media. Two news channels wanted to interview me. The BBC quoted me online, until a colleague said something more combative and less supportive of coalition. While government [...]
Tags: Government, Media
The Rise and Decline of the State
Brought forward. I just had cause to share this with a constituent in relation to the Kafkaesque nightmare they face. David Cameron has said that the era of big government has run its course. The foreword to our manifesto sets out the rotten state of Britain (see also Butler) and the change we offer: from big government to big society. What then is the history of big government? How did it come about? Has it run its course? Why has [...]
Tags: Books, Cameron, Conservatives, Government, History, Liberty, Optimism, Philosophy, Society, State
Government should be banned from borrowing
For a very long time, it has seemed perfectly natural that governments could and should borrow – to finance expensive wars or infrastructure projects, for example. Keynesian economists saw the occasional deficit as an important way of managing the economy. But once you give politicians the power to borrow, a huge moral hazard arises. It becomes just too tempting, and too easy, to borrow for the purposes of current consumption, rather than future benefit. More expensive schools, rising healthcare standards, [...]
Tags: Adam Smith Institute, Government, Incom
