The government has drawn a line in the sand on sovereignty: Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says the Government will not agree to Treaty settlements that dispute whether the Crown is now sovereign. Goldsmith made the comments to the Māori Affairs select committee this morning amid ongoing negotiations with East Coast iwi Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and […]
Sovereignty line in sand
Sovereignty line in sand
18 Jun 2025 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, economic history, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice Tags: constitutional law
Bish vs the numpties
18 Jun 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, environmental economics, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, urban economics Tags: heritage protection
Chris Bishop announced: The derelict and unsafe Gordon Wilson Flats in Wellington will lose its protected heritage status and become eligible for demolition through an amendment to the Resource Management Act (RMA) in the coming weeks, RMA Reform and Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Gordon Wilson Flats were used as social housing until 2012, […]
Bish vs the numpties
Bill Maher: The MUSKeteers (with Fetterman lagniappe)
16 Jun 2025 Leave a comment
in politics - USA, television, TV shows Tags: political correctness, regressive left
Here’s the comedy/news bit from yesterday’s “Real Time”: another New Rules bit called “The MUSKeteers,” so you know what the subject is. Maher takes up Musk’s suggestion that we create a new political party comprising the 80% of Americans “in the middle.” Maher admires Musk’s engineering ability, but not his ability to manage the government; […]
Bill Maher: The MUSKeteers (with Fetterman lagniappe)
“In the Spirit of Your Loyalty”: LA Citycouncil Member Asks Police to Warn Citizens of Federal Operations
15 Jun 2025 Leave a comment
in law and economics, politics - USA Tags: economics of immigration, law and order
There was an extraordinary moment this week in Los Angeles where City Councilmember Imelda Padilla asked LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell to monitor and warn citizens whenever the federal authorities are conducting an operation or seeking to make an arrest. Padilla asked McDonnell if they could use “AI” and other means to give immigrants a heads […]
“In the Spirit of Your Loyalty”: LA Citycouncil Member Asks Police to Warn Citizens of Federal Operations
Stefan Theil: Medical Incapacity and the UK Constitution
15 Jun 2025 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, economic history, politics, Public Choice Tags: British constitutional law
In the United Kingdom, the mental health of politicians has traditionally commanded relatively little attention, perhaps due to popular cynicism and distrust towards elected officials. Still, those involved in UK political life have characterised it as a ‘rough old game’, with MPs referencing broken marriages, overwork, loss of friendships and poor sleep. Over time, MPs […]
Stefan Theil: Medical Incapacity and the UK Constitution
How New Zealand invented inflation targeting
13 Jun 2025 1 Comment
in business cycles, history of economic thought, inflation targeting, labour economics, macroeconomics, monetary economics, politics - New Zealand, unemployment Tags: monetary policy
…the very next day, [Roger] Douglas appeared on TV declaring his intention to reduce inflation to ‘around 0 or 0 to 1 percent’ over the next couple of years, and then went on to make several similar comments in the following days. Douglas would soften his stance on specific timelines but ask the Reserve Bank and […]
How New Zealand invented inflation targeting
The Orr story (well, part of it anyway)
11 Jun 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, inflation targeting, macroeconomics, monetary economics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice Tags: monetary policy
Months after various OIAs had been lodged on the question of Adrian Orr’s sudden departure on 5 March, we finally got a partial dump of documents this morning. (Sufficiently mishandled that at 10:04 this morning they’d send an email to OIA requesters saying they’d email out the response at 10:45 and then have it on […]
The Orr story (well, part of it anyway)
Will the Haredi parties really force an election?
11 Jun 2025 Leave a comment
Unless it gets pulled from the agenda, the Knesset (parliament of Israel) may begin the voting process as soon as 11 June on a measure that would set an early election. This effectively could force an early end to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition of right-wing and religious parties. The two Haredi parties, United Torah […]
Will the Haredi parties really force an election?
Always Ready, Always There: Democrats Mobilize Against the National Guard Deployment
10 Jun 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: constitutional law, economics of immigration, law and order
Below is my column in Fox.com on the deployment of National Guard in Los Angeles. Another round of court challenges are unfolding, but the escalation is likely to continue on both sides. While the Guard’s motto is “Always Ready, Always There!,” California Democrats do not want them between rioters and federal law enforcement. Here is […]
Always Ready, Always There: Democrats Mobilize Against the National Guard Deployment
The Maori Party thumbs its nose at democracy
10 Jun 2025 Leave a comment
in law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: constitutional law, racial discrimination
Michael Bassett writes – Have you noticed how contemptuous the Maori Party’s MPs are of democracy? After all, people who self-designate themselves as Maori are only 17% of the population. And amongst them, only a small proportion vote for the Maori Party. The brutal reality is that much higher numbers of Maori support Labour, while […]
The Maori Party thumbs its nose at democracy
Very Expensive Affordable Housing
10 Jun 2025 1 Comment
in applied price theory, economics of regulation, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights, urban economics Tags: housing affordability, offsetting behavior, The fatal conceit, unintended consequences
In my post Affordable Housing is Almost Pointless, I highlighted how point systems for awarding tax credits prioritize DEI, environmental features, energy efficiency, and other secondary goals far more than low cost. A near-comic example comes from D.C., where so-called affordable housing units now cost between $800,000 and $1.3 million dollars each! One such unit […]
Very Expensive Affordable Housing
HA.,HA., Thump: Hawaii Sued by the Babylon Bee and Other Groups Over Speech Crimes
09 Jun 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, politics - USA Tags: free speech
We have previously discussed laws that seek to criminalize “materially deceptive” political content worldwide, including memes and parodies. A civil law was blocked in California, where satirists and comedians opposed a Democratic law barring parodies and other expressions considered misleading. Now, legislators in Hawaii are trying again with a new law (S 2687) that criminalizes […]
HA.,HA., Thump: Hawaii Sued by the Babylon Bee and Other Groups Over Speech Crimes
Hard Landing: The Return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
09 Jun 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: economics of immigration
Below is my column at Fox.com on the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and what lies ahead in the case. Regardless of the outcome of the criminal prosecution, one thing seems virtually certain: Abrego Garcia will eventually go home . . . to El Salvador. Here is the column:
Hard Landing: The Return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
America’s Housing Supply Problem: The Closing of the Suburban Frontier?
08 Jun 2025 1 Comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of regulation, income redistribution, politics - USA, Public Choice, regulation, rentseeking, urban economics Tags: housing affordability, land supply, zoning
Housing prices across much of America have hit historic highs, while less housing is being built. If the U.S. housing stock had expanded at the same rate from 2000-2020 as it did from 1980-2000, there would be 15 million more housing units. This paper analyzes the decline of America’s new housing supply, focusing on large […]
America’s Housing Supply Problem: The Closing of the Suburban Frontier?
Bill Maher’s newest rule
08 Jun 2025 Leave a comment
in politics - USA, television, TV shows
Bill Maher’s “new rule” deals once again with why Democrats have lost power. Maher considers that we need a “liberal Joe Rogan,” but notes that Rogan doesn’t seem to have hewed too close to the Trumpian dogma. He adds that Musk, too, used to be more liberal, and explains their conversion, in part, due to […]
Bill Maher’s newest rule
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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