Across the Western democracies, the political centre is under pressure. The populist right is rising, especially in Europe and the United States, while younger voters are showing renewed interest in socialism, or at least in much more interventionist economic policies. The result is not that the centre has vanished, but that it has lost much […]
The Hollowing of the Political Centre
The Hollowing of the Political Centre
27 Jun 2026 1 Comment
in liberalism, politics - New Zealand, politics - Australia, politics - USA, Marxist economics Tags: voter demographics
Net Zero Just Cut Aussie Wheat Production by 50%
03 Jun 2026 1 Comment
in economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, politics - Australia
Too bad all those Aussie oil refineries had to close. The post Net Zero Just Cut Aussie Wheat Production by 50% appeared first on Watts Up With That?.
Net Zero Just Cut Aussie Wheat Production by 50%
What do Muslim immigrants think?
31 May 2026 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of crime, economics of media and culture, economics of religion, law and economics, liberalism, politics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: economics of immigration
Tomas Pueyo has collated a huge amount of public opinion data from Muslims in Western countries. He finds: Depending on the country of origin and destination:~10-40% of Muslims are moderate & well integrated~20-50% are conservative, religious, pious~25% are fundamentalists~Of which 15% (pp) are radical Islamists Some findings in the US: He concludes: In summary, the…
What do Muslim immigrants think?
NZ First’s foray into transgender issues might be ethically dubious, but politically it could be a winner
27 May 2026 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economics of regulation, gender, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, property rights Tags: 2024 presidential election, sex discrimination
One political advertisement stood out from the thousands that blitzed the US presidential campaign of 2024. It inflicted enormous damage on the Democratic Party’s flagbearer, Kamala Harris. The ad’s central tagline deployed just two sentences: “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.” Former President Bill Clinton urged the Harris Campaign to come back […]
NZ First’s foray into transgender issues might be ethically dubious, but politically it could be a winner
Dane Luo: Andy Burnham and the Constitution – The Conventions on the Appointment of the Prime Minister
20 May 2026 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, economic history, politics, politics - Australia Tags: British constitutional law, British politics, Canada, constitutional law
After disastrous local government election results for the Labour Party, speculation has been rife about an internal leadership challenge to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. On Thursday 14 May 2026, the Member of Makerfield, Josh Simons, announced he was resigning his Manchester-based seat (formally given effect by an appointment to an ‘office of profit under the […]
Dane Luo: Andy Burnham and the Constitution – The Conventions on the Appointment of the Prime Minister
Bigger than Ben Hur
16 May 2026 1 Comment
in Austrian economics, economics of regulation, health economics, industrial organisation, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand Tags: black markets, economics of smoking
Radio NZ reports: Deakin University associate criminology professor Dr James Martin told RNZ the Australian approach had relied on enforcement to suppress the black market. “This has been really ineffective,” he said. “We’ve got between 50-60 percent of all tobacco and nearly all vaping products in Australia now come from criminal suppliers, and it’s generated…
Bigger than Ben Hur
Net Zero Parties Annihilated By Trump Aligned Candidates in British and Australian Elections
11 May 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, politics - Australia, Public Choice Tags: British politics, net zero
Turns out the public has higher priorities than ensuring their great grandkids enjoy 0.01ºC lower temperatures in 100 years. The post Net Zero Parties Annihilated By Trump Aligned Candidates in British and Australian Elections appeared first on Watts Up With That?.
Net Zero Parties Annihilated By Trump Aligned Candidates in British and Australian Elections
“Get Rid of the Department of Climate Change”: Aussie One Nation’s Condition for a Future Coalition Government Deal
05 May 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, politics - Australia
One Nation, which is riding high in national polls, has laid out a hard condition for supporting any future right wing Aussie coalition government. The post “Get Rid of the Department of Climate Change”: Aussie One Nation’s Condition for a Future Coalition Government Deal appeared first on Watts Up With That?.
“Get Rid of the Department of Climate Change”: Aussie One Nation’s Condition for a Future Coalition Government Deal
Australia’s ‘Renewable’ Obsession Decimates Industry
19 Apr 2026 1 Comment
in energy economics, environmentalism, politics - Australia Tags: solar power, wind power
Driving Australia’s current trajectory is the mythical claim that so-called renewables – are inherently cheap and that any short‑term pain will give way to lasting price declines. The post Australia’s ‘Renewable’ Obsession Decimates Industry appeared first on Watts Up With That?.
Australia’s ‘Renewable’ Obsession Decimates Industry
Australia puts fostering “indigenous knowledge systems” as its first priority in developing marine biology
12 Apr 2026 1 Comment
in economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - Australia Tags: conjecture and refutation, philosophy of science, regressive left
As always, an Aussie who wishes to remain anonymous sent me this link, and noted that New Zealand isn’t the only country in the Antipodes that tries to make science (again “Western science”) coequal with indigenous knowledge. Clicking on the screenshot below will take you to the strategy developed by the Aussie government: the “Australian…
Australia puts fostering “indigenous knowledge systems” as its first priority in developing marine biology
What Freedom of Speech Is For: The case against silencing
11 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of crime, economics of education, economics of religion, Karl Popper, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: Age of Enlightenment, conjecture and refutation, free speech, Freedom of religion, philosophy of science, political correctness, regressive left
In 1633, the Roman Inquisition condemned Galileo for heresy. His offence was to argue that the Earth moves around the Sun. The Church was not acting out of malice. It was protecting a politically approved consensus against what was considered to be dangerous nonsense. The theologians and philosophers who condemned Galileo were not fools. They […]
What Freedom of Speech Is For: The case against silencing
Francesca Jackson: King Charles, President Trump and the State Visit: Some Constitutional Considerations
08 Apr 2026 1 Comment
in constitutional political economy, economic history, politics - Australia Tags: British constitutional law, British politics
Buckingham Palace has finally announced that the King and Queen’s planned visit to the US will indeed go ahead at the end of April 2026. After US President Donald Trump launched a string of verbal attacks on the UK Prime Minister, there had been growing calls for Keir Starmer to cancel the King’s visit, which […]
Francesca Jackson: King Charles, President Trump and the State Visit: Some Constitutional Considerations
Believe women – except Jewish ones
29 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
in defence economics, discrimination, economics of crime, gender, law and economics, laws of war, politics - Australia, war and peace Tags: Israel, Gaza Strip, war against terror, Middle-East politics, regressive left
Grace Tame was the 2021 Australian of the Year for her work as an advocate of survivors of sexual abuse. Sadly, but not surprisingly, she is only an advocate for rape and sexual abuse victims if they are not Jewish. News.com.au reports: Child safety campaigner Grace Tame has come under fire for suggesting rapes and…
Believe women – except Jewish ones
Dismantling the competition myth
06 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
in Austrian economics, comparative institutional analysis, economic history, economics of regulation, entrepreneurship, history of economic thought, industrial organisation, law and economics, organisational economics, politics - Australia, technological progress, theory of the firm Tags: competition law, creative destruction
Ask anyone in Australia’s competition law community what transformed the economy, and you will hear a familiar story. Australia was once a cartelised, complacent place where businesses divided up markets and consumers paid the price. Then came the Trade Practices Act in 1974, and competition law forced firms to compete. This is not a fringe […]
Dismantling the competition myth
Why Most Australian Writers’ Festivals Are Pro-Palestinian
05 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of education, economics of media and culture, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - Australia
Australian writers’ festivals are frequently accused of being “pro-Palestinian” or anti-Israeli. The charge is usually made in frustration: panels on Gaza and Palestinian literature are common; strongly pro-Israel voices are rare; and anyone who questions the imbalance is quickly told they are confusing “balance” with “morality”. Yet the more interesting question is not whether a […]
Why Most Australian Writers’ Festivals Are Pro-Palestinian
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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