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Category Archives: Free Market
Who’s afraid of ‘radical’ politics?
As the 2017 election approaches the question has been asked of ‘the left’ in New Zealand – Is it time to ‘go radical‘? It’s a question especially relevant to the Labour Party given recent polling. But it’s almost exactly the … Continue reading
Posted in Democracy, Free Market, Human Wellbeing, Labour, New Zealand Politics, Political Psychology
Tagged capitalism, Elections, Freedom, National, New Zealand Identity, Voting
7 Comments
Into the dark: Clinton vs Trump – A Black and White decision?
We live in ‘interesting times’ – as the mythical ‘Chinese curse’ understatedly put it. It’s almost unbearably ‘interesting. From environmental catastrophe gathering its inevitable head of steam to global ructions in the political world and outright wars in the geopolitical world there’s more … Continue reading
Posted in Democracy, Economics, Free Market, Human Wellbeing, Poverty
Comments Off on Into the dark: Clinton vs Trump – A Black and White decision?
When is bias no longer bias? When it’s everything.
Is Mike Hosking politically biased? I think the answer is ‘yes’. Is our media politically biased? I think the answer is also ‘yes’. Is our society politically biased? That’s not quite so easy to answer. But for a more worrying reason … Continue reading
Posted in Democracy, Economics, Free Market, Human Nature, Media, New Zealand Politics, Political Psychology
Tagged markets, Media, Mike Hosking, political psychology
3 Comments
Seven Sharp, Campbell Live and TV Ratings – The ‘Nudge’ Factor
University of Chicago economist Richard Thaler and Harvard Law Professor Cass Sunstein wrote a generally well-received book in 2008 called ‘Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness‘. It was an accessible assemblage of very well known work in psychology … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Free Market, Human Nature, Political Psychology
Tagged journalism, markets, Media, political psychology
5 Comments
Adam Smith on the appeal of the iPhone
“How many people ruin themselves by laying out money on trinkets of frivolous utility? What pleases these lovers of toys is not so much the utility, as the aptness of the machines which are fitted to promote it.” (Part IV, … Continue reading
Adam Smith and the Left and Right of Moral Sentiment – A Christmas Tale
[I’m on holiday in a place with very limited and irregular cellphone coverage and access to the internet. That means I haven’t included links in this post but, when I’ve quoted from Adam Smith’s work, I’ve referenced the ‘Part’ and … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Free Market, Human Nature, Human Wellbeing, National Identity, New Zealand Politics, Philosophy
Tagged Adam Smith, capitalism, human nature, ideology
3 Comments
And to the victors, the spoils – ‘business as usual’ in Christchurch
[Warning: Very Long Post] The strangely mis-named Christchurch and Canterbury ‘recovery’ continues to unfold in highly predictable ways. Even Christchurch’s arsonists appear to have aligned their activity with the interests of the ‘recovery’ – or at least with the plans … Continue reading
Posted in Earthquakes, Economics, Free Market
Tagged Christchurch, cities, community, disaster, Local Government, private sector, wealth
12 Comments
‘Human capital depreciation’ and the Pike River Mining Disaster
There are moments when a few words can open up a vista on an entire worldview. The words shoot through the air for a few days like a rapidly fading spark on Guy Fawkes night but, every so often, and … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Education, Free Market, Human Wellbeing, Labour, New Zealand Politics, Welfare
Tagged capitalism, community, self-interest, welfare, wellbeing
2 Comments
Underneath the ‘underclass’
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 capitalism, community, economic history, John Key, markets, self-interest, unity, urbanisation, welfare, wellbeing
13 Comments
Water, Waitangi, ownership and power
There’s a reason why we talk about property rights. Owning property without having any rights to it makes as much sense as having rights to something without owning it in some way. ‘Water rights’ and ‘water ownership’ are, in all … Continue reading
Posted in Democracy, Economics, Free Market, Freedom, Maori, National Identity, New Zealand Politics
Tagged capitalism, Freedom, John Key, Maori, markets, New Zealand Identity, Treaty of Waitangi
Comments Off on Water, Waitangi, ownership and power