21st Century
A New Generalplan Ost
“What are you doing next week?” asked the voice on the other end of the phone, “Nothing that I cannot move or delay,” I replied; recognising the voice as Linas, a Lithuanian with whom I [more…]
European Union
Authoritarianism
Europe’s Agrarian Uprisings: Brussels is reaping what it sowed
Across the European landscape, a disquiet rumbles beneath the surface of rolling hills and fertile plains. It emanates from the very backbone of the continent – its farmers. From the tractor rallies of France and [more…]
Communism
Intentional Causes and Unintentional Effects
Ursula Von der Leyen, Chief of the European Commission, complains bitterly that the Chinese are keeping the price of their electric cars artificially low by “giving their manufacturers huge state subsidies, and this is distorting [more…]
Conservatives
Where Are We Now?
It’s been a while since I wrote anything for the blog for various reasons, but I was determined to, as the saying goes, squeeze one out. Last time I wrote I think Boris was PM [more…]
Economics
The “great Ponzi scheme” coming to an end?
In a recent conference, the EU’s Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, gave a dire warning: “We have a shrinking workforce all across Europe, all countries are losing their workforce.” Indeed, in just 10 years, [more…]
Authoritarianism
The price of energy
The rise in energy prices has been confusing me. With standing charges being increased three or more fold and the cost per unit heading for the stratosphere, what on earth is going on. There is [more…]
Business
The death of the middle class is the death of civil society
The blame game As we know from every crisis in human history, and especially the more recent ones, the most important item on any politician’s agenda is to find someone else to blame for it. [more…]
Business
The death of the middle class is the death of civil society
The middle class in the West has been shrinking for years, but after the covid crisis and especially after the inflation explosion, whatever was left of it is now basically under threat of extinction. This [more…]
Authoritarianism
Civil Freedom and its Contemporary Enemies
One of the greatest literary works of the age, James Joyce’s “Ulysses”, reveals its author’s surprising, yet profound, understanding of some of the most basic issues in economics. In the early days of the 20th [more…]