Before the British burst onto the scene, Helmand was ‘stable’ in the sense that there was almost no Taliban presence and little prospect of any. After three years of British presence, the province was the most savage combat zone in the world. With British forces and their commanders out of their depth, it was only […]
Investment in Blood: The True Cost of Britain’s Afghan War by Frank Ledwidge (2013)
Investment in Blood: The True Cost of Britain’s Afghan War by Frank Ledwidge (2013)
25 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
in defence economics, war and peace Tags: Afghanistan, war against terror
October 24, 1648: The Peace of Westphalia
25 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
The Peace of Westphalia is the collective name for two peace treaties signed on October 24, 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648) and brought peace to the Holy Roman Empire, closing a calamitous period of European history. Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III, the kingdoms of […]
October 24, 1648: The Peace of Westphalia
What is it we do and do not know about macroeconomics?
25 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
in global financial crisis (GFC), great recession, history of economic thought, macroeconomics
That is the topic of my latest Bloomberg column, here is one excerpt: Another episode frequently cited as evidence against economists is the Great Recession of 2007-2009. Economists did make some mistakes on that one — but they are not the ones you usually hear about. When real estate prices started to slow down and then […]
What is it we do and do not know about macroeconomics?
Steve Williamson, the recession, and New Keynesian economics
25 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
This recent post by Steve Williamson explains, far better than I did, why no more conventional stimulus is needed in the US. It’s an argument that carries over fairly neatly to the UK. And the sort of analysis that confronts head on calls for the authorities to pump up demand by the likes of Paul […]
Steve Williamson, the recession, and New Keynesian economics
Which Is Better: Capitalism or Socialism?
25 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, development economics, economic history, growth disasters, growth miracles, history of economic thought
Here is debate audio for last week’s Capitalism versus Socialism Debate at TCU. Scott Sehon was a fine opponent, in the same league as John Marsh. Enjoy!P.S. Thanks again to Rob Garnett and Sam Arnold for hosting.
Which Is Better: Capitalism or Socialism?
No, Congress Should Not Expel the Squad
25 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

Below is my column in the Daily Beast on the call from Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) to expel members of the Squad from Congress. Five members recently made public comments against Israel at rallies in Washington: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Cori Bush of Missouri. Similar to calls from Democrats to disqualify […]
No, Congress Should Not Expel the Squad
The President’s Taunt to Show Him the Money May Have Just Backfired
25 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

Below is my column in The Hill on the recent discovery of a $200,000 payment to Joe Biden from his brother James Biden. The investigation into the massive influence peddling operation of the Bidens has revealed a consistent pattern of corruption. Frank, James, and Hunter all were in financial distress at different points with few […]
The President’s Taunt to Show Him the Money May Have Just Backfired
Jenna Ellis Admits to Criminal False Statements in Ominous Plea for Trump
25 Oct 2023 2 Comments
The image most of us had of former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis was a remarkably cheerful mugshot after her arrest in the RICO case brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Ellis made a very different appearance today in state court as she pleaded guilty to intentionally interfering in the election process in the […]
Jenna Ellis Admits to Criminal False Statements in Ominous Plea for Trump
Record US Heat? More Guardian Lies!
25 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

By Paul Homewood If you tell a lie often enough, most people believe it! https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/13/climate-breakdown-majority-americans-experienced-record-hot-summer  Record heat? Not according to NOAA: The summer across the US as a whole was only the 15th hottest on mean temperatures, and 22nd for maximums, well below the 1930s. Only one State, Louisiana, […]
Record US Heat? More Guardian Lies!
Some Links
25 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
TweetDavid Gillette and Warren Barge decry the FTC’s assault on Amazon. A slice: The FTC argues that Amazon’s market power inhibits the ability of competitors to enter the retail superstore marketplace. Such concerns are likely overblown. The striking similarities between Amazon and previous market giants deserve consideration. Let’s compare Amazon with Sears. Both companies started…
Some Links
Wind & Solar Transition Guaranteed to Deliver Mass Blackouts This Summer
25 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
in energy economics, environmental economics, global warming

The ‘transition’ to portable electric generators, flashlights and candles is well on its way. The inevitable consequence of attempting to run on sunshine and breezes is having power only when the sun is up and the wind is blowing, just right. Grid-scale energy storage is a myth, as is waffle about so-called ‘green’ hydrogen. The […]
Wind & Solar Transition Guaranteed to Deliver Mass Blackouts This Summer
What Caused Severe Floods In The 1950s, Sky News?
24 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

By Paul Homewood https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2023/10/22/sky-blame-babet-floods-on-climate-change/ Sky think that climate change is making floods worse. Maybe they might like to explain why flooding was so bad in the 1950s: A trawl through the Met Office monthly weather reports of the time finds these references to severe floods:
What Caused Severe Floods In The 1950s, Sky News?
Let’s talk about international law, Hamas and Israel
24 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
Who is Natasha Hausdorff?After a law degree at Oxford University and an LL.M. specialising in public international law, Natasha clerked for the President of the Supreme Court of Israel in Jerusalem, acquiring a particular insight into the Court’s application of international law. In 2018, as a Pegasus Scholar, Natasha was a Fellow at Columbia Law…
Let’s talk about international law, Hamas and Israel
Israel’s economic performance
24 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

The grim events of the last couple of weeks, and a note from a reader last week about a short post I’d written several years ago comparing the economic performance of Israel and New Zealand, prompted me to take another look at the data. This was the chart from the earlier (2018) post As I […]
Israel’s economic performance
BRIAN EASTON: Claudia Goldin Wins The 2023 Nobel Economics Laureateship
24 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economic history, gender, health and safety, history of economic thought, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, poverty and inequality Tags: gender wage gap, sex discrimination
Brian Easton writes – A woman who was once chief executive of New Zealand’s biggest company said ‘It is true that a large percentage of the [women’s pay] gap is unexplained and that’s where the issue comes about; could it be bias even if that’s unconscious bias? Regardless of how we’ve got a gap … […]
BRIAN EASTON: Claudia Goldin Wins The 2023 Nobel Economics Laureateship
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