This video, professionally made and showing Kiri Tamihere-Waititi doing what can only be called ranting about her oppression and that of the Māori people, and then winding up by calling for the overthrow of the New Zealand, has caused a stir in that country. I am told that Tamihere-Waititi is a powerful member of Te […]
Māori Party political leader curses and rants on video, calling for overthrow of New Zealand’s government
Māori Party political leader curses and rants on video, calling for overthrow of New Zealand’s government
24 Jul 2024 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, economics of crime, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice Tags: constitutional law, free speech, Maori economic development, political correctness, regressive left
Supreme Folly: The Lingering and Ironic Legacy of President Biden on Court “Limits”
22 Jul 2024 Leave a comment
in law and economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election, constitutional law
Below is my Hill column on President Joe Biden shifting his position on the Supreme Court and agreeing to “limits” on the Supreme Court. This ran before President Biden finally consented to withdraw from the race. It makes this last ditch effort even more tragic for his legacy. As I mentioned in the column, the […]
Supreme Folly: The Lingering and Ironic Legacy of President Biden on Court “Limits”
Flooding Housing Policy
22 Jul 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economics of regulation, law and economics, macroeconomics, monetary economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, urban economics Tags: housing affordability, land supply, monetary policy
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment. Brian Easton writes – Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the […]
Flooding Housing Policy
British Labour Government Pressured to Release Just Stop Oil “Truth Tellers”
22 Jul 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, law and economics Tags: British politics, climate activists
If they release Just Stop Oil, they’ll upset the voters. If they keep JSO activists incarcerated, they’ll upset the donors.
British Labour Government Pressured to Release Just Stop Oil “Truth Tellers”
XR Founder Roger Hallam Sentenced 5 Years In Prison For Blocking M25 Motorway In 2022
22 Jul 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, law and economics Tags: British politics, climate activists
7 weeks of rain and 5 years in prison By Klimanachrichten Five years ago, we published an article about Roger Hallam in this blog. He is the founder of XTinction Rebellion and an activist with Stop Oil. Interestingly, these groups are/were funded with money from oil heirs. Already in 2019 we had many doubts about…
XR Founder Roger Hallam Sentenced 5 Years In Prison For Blocking M25 Motorway In 2022
MICHAEL BASSETT: DEALING WITH TODAY’S SMALL, RAUCOUS, CRAZY MAORI FRINGE
22 Jul 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, economic history, income redistribution, International law, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: constitutional law, Maori economic development
Anyone watching and trying to understand last Sunday’s Q&A where Jack Tame interviewed Debbie Ngarewa-Packer will realise that she seems to be beyond reason. Tame tried to examine bits of her blather and her obvious misuse of words, but she immediately slithered like an eel under a rock and made louder assertions about how Maori “korero”…
MICHAEL BASSETT: DEALING WITH TODAY’S SMALL, RAUCOUS, CRAZY MAORI FRINGE
Hollywood evidence on McCarthyism
21 Jul 2024 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of media and culture, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, movies, politics - USA Tags: free speech, political correctness, regressive left
There is a new NBER working paper on this topic by Hui Ren Tan and Tianyi Wang, here is the abstract: We study a far-reaching episode of demagoguery in American history. From the late 1940s to 1950s, anti-communist hysteria led by Senator Joseph McCarthy and others gripped the nation. Hundreds of professionals in Hollywood were […]
Hollywood evidence on McCarthyism
Right to Repair
21 Jul 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economics of information, economics of regulation, industrial organisation, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights Tags: consumer protection
The Green Party has a Member’s Bill up arguing for a consumer right of repair; Auckland University’s Alex Sims has written a few columns in support of such a thing. I’d had an email asking about that legislation; figured I’d share my response here – tidied up a bit.If it’s more expensive to produce a product…
Right to Repair
Lessons from the UK
21 Jul 2024 Leave a comment
in income redistribution, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: British politics
There are many lessons for New Zealand in last week’s British election result, which saw the 14-year reign of the Conservative Party ending in a crushing defeat. While the number of seats won by Labour appeared to indicate a huge swing to the left in support of Sir Keir Starmer’s Party, that isn’t the case […]
Lessons from the UK
Another Fake Climate Case Bites the Dust
20 Jul 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: climate activists, climate alarmism
The decisive ruling against climate lawfare is reported at Washington Free Beacon Dem-Appointed Judge Tosses Major Climate Case Against Oil and Gas Producers in Blow to Environmental Activists. Excerpts in italics with my bolds and added images. Baltimore judge deals blow to left-wing effort to punish oil companies for global warming A Baltimore judge tossed […]
Another Fake Climate Case Bites the Dust
Roger Hallam Receives Five Year Sentence, other Just Stop Oil Co-Conspirators Receive Four Years
19 Jul 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, law and economics Tags: climate activists, crime and punishment, criminal deterrence, free speech, law and order, regressive left
Five Just Stop Oil protesters, including one of its co-founders, have been jailed for conspiring to organise protests that blocked the M25 motorway.
Roger Hallam Receives Five Year Sentence, other Just Stop Oil Co-Conspirators Receive Four Years
Guest Post: Will John Minto condemn Hamas for refusing to free the hostages?
19 Jul 2024 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of crime, International law, law and economics, laws of war, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, war and peace Tags: Gaza Strip, Israel, Middle-East politics, regressive left
A guest post by Lucy Rogers: I woke up this morning to initial elation at the news that Israel and Hamas are apparently close to a ceasefire deal. The proposal involves the return of 33 hostages and Hamas’ removal from power, in exchange for the release of several hundred Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, Israel’s […]
Guest Post: Will John Minto condemn Hamas for refusing to free the hostages?
Robert Swetlic: For Constitutional Clarity, Should Angela Rayner be Named First Secretary of State?
19 Jul 2024 Leave a comment
in law and economics, politics, Public Choice Tags: British constitutional law, British politics
Barely 24 hours after Labour’s victory at the polls, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s top team of MPs began to line the path to No. 10 Downing Street, hoping to have their shadow portfolios translated into long-awaited ministerial roles. First among the parade of MPs was Angela Rayner, who was appointed Secretary of State for Housing, […]
Robert Swetlic: For Constitutional Clarity, Should Angela Rayner be Named First Secretary of State?
France Bans Muslim Hijabs from the Olympics
18 Jul 2024 Leave a comment
in law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA Tags: Age of Enlightenment, France, free speech, Freedom of religion, political correctness, regressive left
France’s Sports Minister, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, has announced that French Muslim athletes will be barred from wearing hijabs at the Olympics. The decision is a gross violation of the religious freedom of Muslim athletes and should be condemned throughout the world.
France Bans Muslim Hijabs from the Olympics
Sensible Sentencing Trust launches Stop the Three Strikes Sellout website
18 Jul 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: crime and punishment, criminal deterrence, law and order
The Sensible Sentencing Trust has announced: Before Labour repealed it in 2022, the Three Strikes law operated for 12 years from 2010. In that time, there were: Every one of the 25 Third Strikers was a recidivist serious violent or sexual offender, by definition, having committed at least three “strike” offences. However, the Government’s proposed […]
Sensible Sentencing Trust launches Stop the Three Strikes Sellout website
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
Recent Comments