Tim Worstall

A huge screed talking about how appalling it is that the local producers might have their grip on the throats of the locals reduced by competition. And one in which we have the usual Guardian approach to statistics. One pound in every seven spent in Britain goes to Tesco alone Entirely, horrendously, bollocks. He links [...]

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Labour also warned that a government- commissioned review into the future of the high street, led by the broadcaster and retail guru Mary Portas, is likely to involve other supermarket chains lobby for tougher competition laws to prevent the further dominance of Tesco. Businessmen willing to use the law to shackle a comeptitor. Ain’t that [...]

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So, let’s have quantitative easing but let’s do it right this time: Already, examining the UK’s flatlining economy, the International Monetary Fund has called this week for more quantitative easing, essentially the Bank printing money. But will it be done as badly as before? The Bank’s own research shows it can’t track where the money [...]

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At the ASI. Crowding out of good deeds does really happen. Thus to make the Big Society work we’ve got to fire lots of the bureaucrats.

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There is currently no criminal sanction against those subletting their council homes. Seriously? Ministers are targeting the 50,000 people who cash in on their council homes by renting them out while they live elsewhere. Under new laws those abusing the system will have their homes taken off them and face imprisonment, The Daily Telegraph can [...]

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In all cases supply side reforms, such as reducing labor and product market protectionism, while simplifying tax systems, need to be implemented simultaneously. Other large nations, such as France, must follow similarly. …. At the same time, each troubled nation will need to end its budget deficit quickly. The most direct route, as discussed above, [...]

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20) That will do for now – I have no doubt refinement will be needed over the next few days though. Quite possibly. I do agree with one point though: 5) Long term banking reform will be essential: never again must we let this scenario recur. The intent to do this must be announced and [...]

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A hint: illegal is not a synonym for something Ritchie disapproves of. So, on low value consignment relief for VAT we get this from the Telegraph. Up until now, the UK government was concerned about facing possible legal action if it attempted to stop the likes of Amazon, HMV and Play.com from exploiting a legal [...]

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Haven’t we been here before? Startlingly good centre, playing for England against Wales? Made a fool of? Anyone remember Matthew Tait against Gavin Henson? Ah, yes, The Guardian does: It is six years since England named a young, trembling debutant called Mathew Tait to face Wales, an experiment that ended in conspicuous failure. Now they [...]

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In an interview with a local newspaper, Sir Stephen said:……….“There is something fundamentally wrong with the nursing profession and the way it is focussed at the moment. You’re in a position to know, certainly. Unions and professional bodies have suggested that the problems are down to staff being over-worked or forced to focus on Government [...]

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I had a letter in the Evening Standard yesterday. And I can I find their letters page? Can I buggery. Do they actually put it online?

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No, really: Indeed, it is probably no exaggeration to say that economics developed mainly as the outcome of the investigation and refutation of successive Utopian proposals – if by “Utopian” we mean proposals for the improvement of undesirable effects of the existing system, based upon a complete disregard of those forces which actually enabled it [...]

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Example 1: Using a nominal dollars graph when real per capita–or even share of GDP–graph would be appropriate. And relying on a researcher at Cato. Shame. Shame. Shame. Tyler knows better. Will ought to have learned better by now. Deciding that your first priority is to play on Team Republican (or Team Democrat) rots your [...]

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I just realised that plenty of mainstream US Democrats, having spent the last however long castigating people to the left of them for perceiving some progressive tendencies in the government of Fidel Castro, are now reduced to supporting the re-election of a President who imprisons people without human rights in Cuba, but who has made [...]

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There are lessons in the report for all policymakers. As the failure of the NHS private finance scheme has also shown, the government is an inept purchaser of private services: indecisive, ponderous, overambitious and wasteful. Mass centralisation does not reduce costs, but it kills flexibility. Under the national scheme, NHS professionals were given expensive systems [...]

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Shell faces a bill of hundreds of millions of dollars after accepting full liability for two massive oil spills that devastated a Nigerian community of 69,000 people and may take at least 20 years to clean up. Right, OK, big spills, environmental damage, should be put right. Proceedings against Royal Dutch Shell and Shell petroleum [...]

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What an idea! And if necessary the countries of Europe and beyond will have to demand that banks deposit their cash in Treasury deposit receipts with central banks (as happened in the UK in the second world war) to ensure resources are taken out of the feral economy and made available for the public good [...]

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Sao Paulo council calls for Heterosexual Pride Day Someone was always going to do this, weren’t they? Rentaquotes are out: The Brazilian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Association criticised the legislation, saying it could provoke homophobic violence. ……..”How many LGBTs will be attacked because of the message that only heterosexuality makes someone a moral person [...]

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The top rate of tax could be replaced with a mansion tax or a levy on the richest in society if it is scrapped, The problem with the mansion tax, as was pointed out when Vince first suggested it, is that it’s not so much a tax on wealth as a tax on geography. Property [...]

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Care to email me this article in full? I can see from reports that she’s using numbers that I started to throw around a couple of years ago.   Update: OK, thanks, I have this now.

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