May 11Why the markets are wobblingStock markets suffer setbacks on a frequent basis and the tricky issue for investors is to distinguish the temporary wobbles from the more serious events like 2000–02 and 2007–09. …Investment4 min read
Apr 17The three-card trick: how governments fool the public and avoid responsibilityThe British partygate scandal has been handled with a tactic so old, and so obvious, that it is amazing anyone falls for it. But the tactic is used becaue it appears to work. Or at least, it works because the tactic is hidden within a blizzard of obfuscation. In the…Partygate3 min read
Mar 6Democracy and the strong man problemSometimes it is easy to despair of democracy; how could a sensible system bring the likes of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson to power? These would seem to be the kind of leaders that Plato worried about. Their appeal is based on emotions and misleading information rather than logic and…Ukraine10 min read
Feb 25Have we reached peak podcast?The news that Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel, two senior journalists, are leaving the BBC to launch a new podcast has led to many headlines about a talent drain from the BBC. But perhaps the focus should be in another direction: have we reached peak podcast? The trend is strikingly…Media3 min read
Feb 18Boris Johnson and the furballGetting rid of a prime minister, between elections, is rather like a cat getting rid of a furball. The process is not pretty, can take some time and creates a nasty mess. But eventually the offending object is ejected. At the moment, Boris Johnson is the furball in the throat of…UK Politics3 min read
Nov 24, 2021Why modern culture resembles the Middle AgesChristians often lament the decline in religious belief in western societies. In Britain, for example, the 2021 census is expected to show that only half of adults identify as Christian, down from 71% in 2001. But while fewer people accept the doctrines of the church, secular western societies display many…Modern Culture4 min read
Sep 5, 2021The first lie that showed the truth about Boris JohnsonOn his first day in office as Britain’s prime minister, Boris Johnson declared that “I am announcing now — on the steps of Downing Street — that we will fix the crisis in social care once and for all with a clear plan we have prepared to give every older…Politics3 min read
Feb 19, 2021The revolution in economic policy; how Thatcher’s legacy has been overturnedForty years ago, it was widely assumed that high interest rates were the only responsible policy to deal with the economic problems of the day. Now it is widely assumed that only low interest rates can suffice. Clearly the decline of high inflation has played a large part in this…6 min read
Jan 29, 2021Gamestop: beware the madness of crowdsIt has been portrayed as the revenge of the underdog, of Main Street getting one over on Wall Street. The saga of Gamestop, a video game retailer, has been all over the news in recent days, thanks to its incredible share price surge. As the company’s annual report makes clear…Investing4 min read
Jan 11, 2021The threats to US democracyThe President is an agent of international communism. Elites are surrendering American sovereignty to the United Nations. Foreign troops are massing in Mexico, and the Georgia swamps, prior to a takeover of the US. Those rumours sound contemporary but they are not. They were circulating in the late 1950s, when…Democracy7 min read
