Tim Worstall

Let’s imagine that Etxebarria is, indeed, going to teach creative writing. What she’ll discover on her first day is that the students in her seminar room have very little interest in how much money they are likely to make from their published work. I teach on just such a course at UEA, and I can [...]

[Read more →]

Rightwing libertarianism recognises few legitimate constraints on the power to act, regardless of the impact on the lives of others. In the UK it is forcefully promoted by groups like the TaxPayers’ Alliance, the Adam Smith Institute, the Institute of Economic Affairs, and Policy Exchange. Their concept of freedom looks to me like nothing but [...]

[Read more →]

This, layaway. Is it something that exists in the UK? If so, at which stores?

[Read more →]

So, the wifie didn’t sleep well. Feeling a bit Meh. “I’m off for a deep hot bath. Maybe then I’ll feel like doing the housework”. “OK, although having the bath before the work is interesting….” An hour later. Wifie on sofa. “Didn’t the bath make you feel better?” “Yes, but how can I clean the [...]

[Read more →]

Given that I’ve lost it somewhere, very rarely use it when I haven’t lost it and certainly don’t understand how to retrieve voicemails given that it’s all in Portuguese, it would actually be useful if someone would. Plus I cuold do with a couple of hundred grand. Promise not to leave my family for the [...]

[Read more →]

The evidence coming from Mr. Mba on the Goldman Sachs, Harnett “deal“. Mr Hartnett is Britain’s leading taxman but faced a political storm in October when HMRC confirmed it struck a deal with Goldman on waiving interest of “smaller than £10m” on a £30m tax bill. The tax was on bankers’ bonuses paid through an [...]

[Read more →]

@oikonomenos Enrique Viaña Remis Ley de Worstall: “Todas las organizaciones terminan siendo dirigidas por quienes son capaces de mantenerse despiertos en las reuniones”

[Read more →]

Bastiat’s essence, therefore, was not that he wrote clearly, for audiences of non-economists, about economics.  It was not that he used humor frequently and effectively.  It was not that he was a master stylist.  No.  Bastiat’s distinguishing feature was his tireless effort to defend the case for free markets and free trade from the many [...]

[Read more →]

Is that we’re actually getting excited over this: Amazing how you miss supermarket choice when you don’t have it really…..

[Read more →]

Have to say that these two consecutive (well, consecutive on my timeline or whatever) amused me: @spanneredbooks Bert Random @wood5y Pretty much – Worstall is a libertarian zealot, with a really unpleasant (and often hypocritical) view of the world… @alikichapple alikichapple @RegularGrrrl Don’t worry too much about Worstall, he is a hard-right authoritarian conservative who [...]

[Read more →]

@hal_berstram Hal Berstram @Van_Patten Worstall is crazy – he seems to spend most of his time attempting to character assassinate Murphy. A fair and accurate description of this blog, don’t you think?

[Read more →]

The professoriate here I come then. ecaf_2111 It’s an adaptation of the piece I did for the IEA showing why UKUncut are almost entirely wrong in their wibbling about Boots, Arcadia, Vodafone and Barclays. And just for Arnald: in there, at the end, are some positive suggestions for how to tax. How to raise the [...]

[Read more →]

I’ve got a paper in Economic Affairs this month. It’s a journal, a Journal even, so does this mean I’ve published a “paper” in the accepted sense? How does this work? Or is something in a Journal a journal article? I’m pretty sure there wasn’t “peer review”, at least I didn’t get anything back from [...]

[Read more →]

So, at least we know what amount a Monbiot is now. £75,000 a year gross or thereabouts. As opposed to a Toynbee which runs at £116,000 I’m told, or a Rusbridger which is £500,000 plus bonus and pension contributions. Entering into the spirit of things, my income from various sources: From corporate paymasters, spinners and [...]

[Read more →]

So this George Wright fella, found in a village in Portugal. I used to cycle through that village occasionally, when we lived up near Lisbon. It’s a lovely part of the world, that does have to be said. No, I’ve no stories of cheerful waves from an elderly black man or anything. Umm, bit boring [...]

[Read more →]

BT denies it is sitting on a ‘copper mine’ worth £50bn Tee hee. This all started with my piece for The Register. But Friday when BT was faced with claims its copper wires could be worth £50bn – an attractive prospect for thieves – the company was forced to start furiously downplaying the value of [...]

[Read more →]

This might surprise some. But Cleggy’s announcement that paternity/maternity leave will be transferable, shareable. Umm, that’s my fault, sorry. Me banging on for years about how maternity leave itself leads to at least a part of the gender pay gap got as reader here thinking about how that ill-effect could be ameliorated. If young men [...]

[Read more →]

Off on business related travels for a few days. Late booked trip at a point when funds are low: not exactly a direct route I’m taking. May or may not be any stuff here for a few days. Be nice to each other while I’m away. What I’m trying to find out is “just where [...]

[Read more →]

Bloke we know here, Howard, we no longer know here. Bugger. Got bitten by a tick, died of tick disease. Bugger. One of the rickettsiae I assume. Bugger. That thin thin barrier between here and gone. Wake on Thursday, funeral Fri. Bugger. Ex-jailbird, not the brightest on the block our Howard. Kim his inamorata loved [...]

[Read more →]

So, pottering along on my bicycle, 45 km into my planned 50 km potter, starting to go up a hill and rather than changing down gear (for it’s a short hill) I rise up off the seat to better stand upon and thus turn the pedals and The next thing I know I’m sitting on [...]

[Read more →]