Chris Parker at Treasury sometimes quips that there are no silver bullets for solving housing in NZ, only pieces of silver buckshot. Basically you’ve got to do a lot of things to solve the problem; any one of them on their own won’t do it. I was on RNZ’s The Panel yesterday afternoon (here, from around…
Water metering – a small piece of silver buckshot
Water metering – a small piece of silver buckshot
25 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, environmental economics, industrial organisation, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice, survivor principle Tags: economics of networks, privatization
My letter to the Chicago Maroon about Students for Justice in Palestine
25 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in defence economics, discrimination, economics of crime, economics of education, law and economics, laws of war, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, war and peace Tags: Age of Enlightenment, free speech, Gaza Strip, Israel, Middle-East politics, regressive left, war against terror
Over the last several months, I’ve seen and read about demonstrations on our campus by the pro-Palestinian group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which apparently has roughly 200 campus branches in the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand. SJP has been particularly active since last year’s October 7 massacre of Israelis and others, which they […]
My letter to the Chicago Maroon about Students for Justice in Palestine
The danger of the Treaty debate wearing us down
25 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of crime, economics of education, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights Tags: constitutional law
Screeds have been written about the Treaty of Waitangi. And there’s more to come as division over race and rights ramps up.Its content and meaning are getting lost in the crossfire and the danger of ‘contestants’ talking past each other looms, if not already happening.When matters get murky, and misunderstandings abound, there is also a…
The danger of the Treaty debate wearing us down
GEOFFREY MILLER: New Zealand’s huge shift in the Middle East
24 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of crime, law and economics, laws of war, liberalism, politics - New Zealand, war and peace Tags: Gaza Strip, Israel, Middle-East politics, political correctness, regressive left, war against terror
Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand is reshaping its foreign policy via the Middle East. A decision to provide intelligence support for future US and UK airstrikes on Yemen is highly symbolic. The Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, announced the deployment of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) troops to support the US-led military response to the attacks […]
GEOFFREY MILLER: New Zealand’s huge shift in the Middle East
Canada Supreme Court: Trudeau’s Use of Emergency Act “Unreasonable”, “Unconstitutional”
24 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, health economics, law and economics, liberalism Tags: Canada, economics of pandemics
Global News reports Federal Court finds Emergencies Act for ‘Freedom Convoy’ violated Charter. Excerpts in italics with my bolds and added images. The Federal Court has ruled the Trudeau government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act during the so-called “Freedom Convoy” that descended on Ottawa in 2022 violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In […]
Canada Supreme Court: Trudeau’s Use of Emergency Act “Unreasonable”, “Unconstitutional”
The misguided South African “genocide” accusation
23 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of crime, International law, law and economics, laws of war, war and peace Tags: Gaza Strip, Israel, Middle-East politics, war against terror
If you’ve been following the charade that is South Africa’s (SA’s) claim at the International Court of Justice that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, you’ll know that SA—that paradigm of good governance and equity—is relying heavily on statements by Israeli officials and military people made right after October 7—statements to the effect that Gazans […]
The misguided South African “genocide” accusation
Doing the jobs the SF cops won’t do
23 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, entrepreneurship, law and economics Tags: crime and punishment, law and order
Back in the lockdown depths of 2020 I posted about series of YouTube videos made by a former NASA engineer called Mark Rober who had built a fantastic set of squirrel mazes and then videoed the little buggers getting around his obstacles to get to the bowls of nuts that were the prize. But I’d […]
Doing the jobs the SF cops won’t do
MICHAEL BASSETT: TV ONE’S BEAT-UP ON THE TREATY AND THE KING’S HUI
21 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economic history, income redistribution, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: constitutional law
Last Friday night, TV One’s lead item on the 6pm news was a story by reporter Te Aniwa Hurihanganui. She had scored a leaked piece of advice not yet considered by Cabinet that was intended to warn ministers in the new government that they would run into trouble with Maori if they backed David Seymour’s…
MICHAEL BASSETT: TV ONE’S BEAT-UP ON THE TREATY AND THE KING’S HUI
Milei Speaks Truth to WEF Elite Power
19 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, Austrian economics, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, development economics, economic growth, economic history, entrepreneurship, growth disasters, growth miracles, history of economic thought, labour economics, law and economics, macroeconomics, property rights Tags: Argentina
Argentina’s President Javier Milei had a warning for those attending the annual WEF meeting in Davos, Switzerland; ‘the Western world is in danger’ from ‘collectivist experiments’ such as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and has called on the world to reject socialism and instead embrace “free enterprise capitalism” to end global poverty. H/T zerohedge “Today, […]
Milei Speaks Truth to WEF Elite Power
KARL DU FRESNE: The striking outpouring of media empathy for Golriz Ghahraman
19 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - New Zealand
Karl du Fresne writes – Rarely has the media’s all-pervasive pro-Left bias been demonstrated more emphatically than in the outpouring of empathy for Golriz Ghahraman. In the past 24 hours, the tone of media commentary on the scandal surrounding the former Green MP has shifted with striking uniformity. The focus has conveniently been diverted from […]
KARL DU FRESNE: The striking outpouring of media empathy for Golriz Ghahraman
Deirdre McCloskey: What Is Classical Liberalism? | Robinson’s Podcast #145
17 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, economic history, economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, history of economic thought, law and economics, liberalism, libertarianism, Marxist economics, political change, Public Choice, public economics
Robert Craig: The constitutional implications of legislating to exonerate the Post Office sub-postmasters
16 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics Tags: British politics, constitutional law
Some commentators have claimed that the decision to expedite the process of formally exonerating the sub-postmasters potentially runs afoul of certain core constitutional principles, in particular the separation of powers. It has also been claimed that the ‘crown does not have a prerogative of justice but only a prerogative of mercy’. This blog considers and challenges those claims. Technically, […]
Robert Craig: The constitutional implications of legislating to exonerate the Post Office sub-postmasters
‘Say it Nicer’: Hunter Makes a Familiar Last-Minute Offer to Congress
16 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election
Below is my column in The Hill on Hunter Biden’s sudden offer to appear for testimony in Congress. Biden’s demand presents institutional considerations that weigh against re-issuing the subpoena. This was a valid subpoena issued by multiple committees with independent subpoena authority. Few members relish Hunter and his team turning them into dancing bears for […]
‘Say it Nicer’: Hunter Makes a Familiar Last-Minute Offer to Congress
What Economics Gets Wrong Today – David Friedman | Podcast EP 29
15 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, David Friedman, economic history, economics of crime, energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, history of economic thought, law and economics, liberalism, libertarianism, market efficiency, Marxist economics, Milton Friedman, property rights
Lord Goldsmith given driving ban for four speeding offences – after backing 20mph limit
12 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, environmental economics, law and economics, transport economics, urban economics Tags: British politics
By Paul Homewood h/t Ian Magness Some things you could not make up! https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/01/11/zac-goldsmith-banned-driving-caught-speeding/
Lord Goldsmith given driving ban for four speeding offences – after backing 20mph limit
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