Tag Archives: economic history

Underneath the ‘underclass’

Posted on 29th Jul, 2012 by Puddleglum

Joe Bageant died on the 26th of March last year. Apparently, he was sometimes referred to as an American ‘leftneck’ – which is not a bad label for him. Bageant’s book (and, more generally, his literary life) has been devoted to laying … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Economics, Education, Free Market, Human Wellbeing, New Zealand Politics, Welfare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

A bit rich

Posted on 27th Jul, 2012 by Puddleglum

The National Business Review has released its 2012 ‘Rich List’ of the wealthiest New Zealanders. Well, the wealthiest people who occasionally drop in to New Zealand … or, maybe, own some land in New Zealand … or, maybe, have an … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Human Nature, New Zealand Politics, Philosophy, Political Psychology, politics of envy | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

What ground is ‘left’ when it comes to land, assets – and nationalism?

Posted on 29th Feb, 2012 by Puddleglum

It’s the issue that won’t go away [and here], so it’s probably a good time to ask “Where should the left stand on the land (and ‘our’ assets)?” “Stand in the place where you live” – so sang REM in what … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Freedom, Human Nature, Human Wellbeing, National Identity, New Zealand Politics | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Right’s Dependence on Welfare

Posted on 15th May, 2011 by Puddleglum

A recent comment by Don Brash [about 7mins45secs into the video] gave me the clue as to why the right are so dependent on the ‘welfare’ argument. They are, to put it bluntly, dependent on ‘welfare’ as the explanation for all … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Market, Human Nature, Human Wellbeing, Labour, New Zealand Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The limits of human nature – and books I have read: Part I

Posted on 12th Feb, 2011 by Puddleglum

This is getting interesting. Lisek has posted again on my post – which is very welcome, as I genuinely do welcome debate and discussion. It’s not quite as welcome to find an accusation in the title of the post to … Continue reading →

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Ten Degrees of Difference: Is it all just a tragic misunderstanding?

Posted on 28th Jan, 2011 by Puddleglum

I’d like to thank Walenty Lisek at The Life of the Mind blog for the detailed response to my post on the Tragic Vision. I’ll try to reciprocate as best I can with ten points in response. I should start, however, … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Market, Freedom, Human Nature, Human Wellbeing, International Politics, Military | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

‘On the buses’ – and other evolving systems

Posted on 25th Nov, 2010 by Puddleglum

Waiting at a bus stop for 34 minutes gives you time to get over the irritation and start to think. It’s largely passed beneath the radar of national news but Christchurch has been experiencing supposed ‘aftershocks‘ from the September 4th … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Market, Freedom, New Zealand Politics, Transport | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

‘Mother of harlots and earth’s abominations’

Posted on 17th Oct, 2010 by Puddleglum

Saturday Morning on Radio New Zealand National featured Doug Saunders – journalist and author – talking about his book ‘Arrival Cities: How the largest Migration in History is Reshaping Our World‘. You can go here for the link to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Nature, International Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment