A libertarian returns to Scotland

"Freedom and Whisky gang thegither"

- Robert Burns

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The continuing saga on Political Betting

 

I've just posted this over on Political Betting:

I have to agree that James Kelly is a bit misguided. Because he is a socialist, that is.

But on the question at hand he has my full support. Mike has built up the best political site in the UK. And as a hard-core libertarian I fully support Mike’s right to make any rules whatsoever. However, the best sites do tend to run off thread very quickly simply because of the volume of traffic. Look at the excellent Belmont Club blog for example. The solution for the Brit Nats (or English Nats – it’s sometimes difficult to tell) is simply to out post the Scot Nats.

My own background is both English and Scottish. Generally speaking I believe that the Union has been a good thing and the UK a force for good in the world. But I must say that I am increasingly likely to vote for independence, as are many others in the Scottish business community. I am however open to persuasion, not that there’s any sign of intelligent campaigning from the Unionists.

Whether the UK continues to exist for more than another thirty months is clearly the most important issue facing the country. Restricting comments about Scotland is just the sort of thing that contributes to nationalist feelings. I urge a change of policy.

posted by David Farrer at 19:04
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Margaret McAlpine and Joan Thatcher

 

The SNP MSP Margaret Joan McAlpine has got herself into a bit of trouble:

What I said that day was clipped on some television bulletins in a way which cut me off mid-sentence so that I seem to be saying that Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Tories were anti-Scottish, full stop.

But there was no full stop. The sentence goes on to say “in coming together to defy the will of the Scottish people and the democratic mandate that they gave us to hold a referendum at a time of our choosing.”

I can fully understand Joan's annoyance at being misquoted, in particular by the egregious Douglas Alexander on Question Time.

But cast our minds back to around twenty-five years ago.

The then UK prime minister Joan Margaret Thatcher shocked us all by stating that: "There is no such thing as society".

This "quote" has been continuously thrown at Mrs Thatcher.

Except that's not quite what she said, was it?

Here's the full quote:

And, you know, there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look to themselves first. It's our duty to look after ourselves and then, also to look after our neighbour.

I strongly suspect that plenty of SNP politicians have "quoted" Mrs Thatcher wrongly over the years. What goes around comes around.

On balance this event is probably a useful lesson for the SNP. More than two years before the referendum they've learnt that they are in a fight to the death. One side will win and one will be destroyed.

posted by David Farrer at 18:05
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Quote of the day

 

From Mises: The Last Knight of Liberalism:

In the interwar period, the large Austrian banks had consciously sought to win economists of Schumpeter's standing as front men to reassure their creditors from abroad. They had also asked Mises for support several times, but he always rejected these proposals because he thought the commercial banks were all bankrupt. This was not a pose. He had in fact always kept his personal account with Austria's postal savings bank.

posted by David Farrer at 09:08
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Pre-Christmas inbox

 

posted by David Farrer at 16:30
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Currently reading

 

posted by David Farrer at 16:26
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Am I the only one not calling for a subsidy?

 

Here we go again:

PUBLIC money should be used to subsidise more direct flights from Scotland to China, Russia, India and Brazil

Now I'm a fan of aviation having been brought up at Prestwick, but this is ridiculous. Just the sort of nonsense one would expect from the Labour party.

But read on:

Both Labour and the Conservatives yesterday urged SNP ministers to set up a dedicated pot of cash to tempt airlines to fly routes direct to the new global economic powerhouses.

So the Tories are at it just like Labour. No wonder lots of us have given up voting for them.

The best way to attract air services to Scotland is to have a low tax, low regulation economy. It would also help to re-establish our once world beating education system. Subsidising airlines is not the answer. Eliminating the Air Passenger Duty on the other hand is exactly what's needed.

posted by David Farrer at 15:48
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How to save the Union

 

I'm not saying that one should or shouldn't want to save the Union but simply explaining how it could be saved. And this is the only way.

Back in May I wrote this:

I have no doubt at all that most nationalists are motivated by questions of identity, not finance. Of course it helps their case if the economics look good but what they are working towards is for Scotland to be a normal country.

It really is rather unusual for somewhere to have its own national legal system, its own national Church, its own national sporting teams and representation, and almost all of the other attributes of nationality and yet not be independent. That's what motivates the SNP, not whether an independent Scotland would be richer or poorer.

It's a question of identity, and nothing else. Forget all about oil, not to mention Barnett and GERS.

Five years ago I had this to say:

Everything would be much clearer if the SNP were known as the Scottish Normalcy Party instead of the Scottish National Party. Almost all Scots, nationalist or otherwise, get extremely upset about what I call The Presumption of the English Norm. For example, there are apparently several countries in which one can look up "British Embassy" in the local phone book (and in the local language) and find no entry. It's under "English Embassy", even when the language in question has a word for "British". And given that the Bank of "England" hasn't been renamed makes me think that Gordon Brown could be an SNP agent. I don't believe that our southern friends have any idea how annoying this kind of thing is, but imagine how they would feel if the rest of the world used the word "French" to mean "English".

If you visit the country where the locals speak Japanese, the government is known as the Japanese government, and the country is called - wait for it - "Japan". The country where folk speak French is ruled by the French government and it's called "France". It's the same almost everywhere. So it follows that the country where people speak English is ruled by the English government and is called "England", does it not? Well, no, it doesn't. But most of the world, including most English people, talks as if that were so. Well then, why does this happen?

I think that it's all to do with the language of Britain - the UK actually - being called "English" rather than "British". This would be less of an issue if it weren't for the fact that English is also the language of the world's most powerful nation, of science, of business, of finance and also of the Internet. That linguistic domination continuously reminds the rest of the world of the concept "England", while millions of Scots keep shouting: "You mean Britain."

Some of us like myself put up with this while still being annoyed and just accept that the UK is a very unusual country - one that is a multinational state. (Confusingly, the US is a multi-state nation.) But for many Scots this issue is all consuming, and more than anything else in politics they want to live in a "normal" country. So what's normal?

Back when the SNP was founded "normal" meant independent, like Norway or Switzerland today. But most countries in Europe are now members of the EU - that's the new norm, however much we may dislike it. And that's why the SNP wants Scotland to join the EU. It doesn't matter to them if it all leads to a federal superstate - or worse, a non-federal superstate - as long as Scotland has the same status as everywhere else. While Scotland remains an invisible part of a country known to most of the world as "England", membership of the EU is seen as a better option by members of the SNP - the Scottish Normalcy Party.

All of that remains true and answers the perennial question about why Scotland might wish to leave the British union only to join a European one.

So, if the British establishment wishes to save the Union, and it does for they are far better informed than the English blogosphere, what needs to be done is clear. And nothing else will do the job.

There must be a joint announcement by David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg.

With immediate effect any public servant or MP who uses the term "England" when they mean "Britain" or the "United Kingdom" will be dismissed on the spot, without compensation, and with loss of all pension rights. This will obviously also apply to those employed by quangos, especially by the BBC. The Bank of England will be renamed the Bank of the United Kingdom.

Any foreign government getting it wrong will find that diplomatic recognition will be removed for one month for every offence. If M Sarkozy refers to the UK as "England", we will call France "Bretagne". Should President Obama get it wrong, we'll start to call the US "North Dakota". But if Ron Paul gets elected and makes a mistake we'll give him a second chance...

So, is all of this going to happen?

I don't think so, and that's why I expect to be a holder of a Scottish passport in the not too distant future.

posted by David Farrer at 16:30
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Merry Christmas

 

With acknowledgement to: these guys.

(CLICK image for clearer version)

posted by David Farrer at 22:11
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The Edinburgh pound?

 

A local currency for Edinburgh?

Perhaps:

PLANS to introduce a new local currency for Edinburgh have been approved, despite concerns about forgeries.

I see that Councillor Jim Lowrie has "raised concerns about the potential for counterfeiting". I know Cllr. Lowrie, and he's right.

The problem is that any government created paper currency is counterfeit unless it's backed 100% by some real asset. Will I be able to cash in my Edinburgh pound for - let's see - part of a tram? Probably not.

We've been through this sort of thing before:

As Mises explained, a sound currency can only come into existence by winning the hearts and minds of people in the marketplace.

We really need the government to get completely out of the money business altogether. It's all explained in this book, which updates the Mises argument. All the current talk about whether an independent Scotland would use the Pound, Euro or some other statist currency misses the point entirely.
posted by David Farrer at 16:17
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Back again

 

Sorry about the long gap.
posted by David Farrer at 16:10
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Be afraid, be very afraid...

 

The lack of postings since the Vienna trip is partly because I'm trying to arrange my affairs as best as possible while faced with the current financial situation.

Here's a good interview in which James Turk talks to Adam Fergusson.

posted by David Farrer at 17:11
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Dollars and nonsense

 

These two signs were photographed at the same tram stop in Vienna. Just outside the university as it happens.

Mr Engels was of course one of the people behind communism. But who knows about Joachimsthaler? Actually, his name ultimately led to the word dollar.

A hundred years ago the professors at Vienna University understood why communism couldn't work. And they'd probably have been horrified to be told that the dollar would eventually become just another fiat currency.

posted by David Farrer at 18:25
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Big Slovak is watching you...

 

posted by David Farrer at 15:50
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Vienna 2011

 

Last week I went to the Mises Institute conference in Vienna.

The world's greatest economist was born 130 years ago and it was appropriate for us to mark that anniversary by meeting in the home of the Austrian School of Economics. Remember when back in 2008 the Queen asked why no-one saw the economic crisis coming? Well, the Austrians did. And we know why the crisis continues, and we see no sign of the political class understanding what actions are required.

Here is Hans-Hermann Hoppe giving the closing address in the stunning Akademie Der Wissenschaften, in which some of the founders of the Austrian School taught.

And here are links to other photos that I took in Vienna and in Bratislava.

posted by David Farrer at 16:12
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Scottish Saturday

 

posted by David Farrer at 18:59
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Dava Sobel

 

Sobel is the author of the excellent Longitude book that I had read some time ago. I hadn't realised that her new work on Copernicus was originally planned to be a play but the play is now contained in the book. We were treated to a short extract from the play performed by two Scottish actors. Sobel herself is American. I'd never seen anything like this before at the Book Festival but it went well and received a big round of applause. An interesting session.
posted by David Farrer at 20:07
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Melvyn Bragg

 

This morning we went along to hear Melvyn Bragg on the King James Bible. Bragg spent a lot of time talking about the use of short Anglo-Saxon words, often from Tyndale:

Around 85 per cent of the Authorised Version comes from Tyndale, whose muscular poetry he describes as “bitten into our tongue”. Tyndale gave us so many enduring phrases: “let there be light”, “a man after his own heart”, “rise and shine”, “filthy lucre”. But even by the KJB’s time some of this language had what Bragg acknowledges to be “a halo of antiquity”. The verilys were already quaint.

Many Christians today use more modern translations: surely as democratising in their clarity as Tyndale was in his. I poll my friends and find that the practising Christians use modern translations – arguing that the King James Bible is “elitist and exclusive” – while defence of the KJB comes from my secular, literary friends.

Orwell too was a great fan of using short and simple words whenever possible. And as for elitism, I for one think that we have far too little of it!

This event was marred by a continuous noise of background music from somewhere in Charlotte Square behind the tent. Bragg himself mentioned it during his talk. Someone from the Festival should have gone outside and sorted it immediately. Perhaps such an action would be seen as elitist! Well, that's what we were paying for.

posted by David Farrer at 19:51
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Elish Angiolini

 

At eight this evening I heard a talk by Elish Angiolini, formerly the Lord Advocate, the first woman and the first solicitor to hold this post.

Dull but worthy would sum up this event.

Angiolini probably isn't going to be a media star like Ferguson, but then again Ferguson isn't ever going to be Lord Advocate...

posted by David Farrer at 22:58
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Niall Ferguson

 

Early evening found us once more in the big tent at the Book Festival, this time to hear Niall Ferguson. The event was chaired by Iain Macwhirter, a Herald journalist who is also Rector of Edinburgh University.

You may think that Mr Macwhirter is a traditional old-time socialist, but some of us have been working on him! A few months ago I attended a dinner that featured Macwhirter as guest speaker. After his speech I chatted about the banking crisis, insisting that it was caused by government, not the free market. I explained that (unlike conservatives) libertarians had fully expected such a crisis, understood its cause, and had opposed the bailouts. And so it was with great pleasure that I heard Macwhirter introduce Ferguson just as would a hardcore libertarian, including a reference to "communist banking". The invisible hand in action!

From a presentational point of view Ferguson was easily the best speaker I've heard so far at the Festival. More importantly, his talk was a direct attack on the soft collectivism that so threatens Britain and especially Scotland. Mention was made of the Austrian School and why people were turning to gold. We heard about the six "killer apps" that had enabled to West to beat the Rest:

1. Competition

2. Science

3. Property rights

4. Medicine

5. The consumer society

6. The work ethic.

These apps are all in the process of being "deleted" here while being "downloaded" elsewhere, particularly in Asia. I for one see no sign of this process being reversed.

Later on I had a nice chat with Macwhirter after getting Ferguson to sign a couple of books.

posted by David Farrer at 22:37
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RBS misleads children

 

Mrs F&W picked up the Summer 2011 issue of Pocket Money, a Royal Bank publication that seems to be aimed at children. Nothing wrong with that of course, but then we spotted this:

When the price of goods goes up over a period of time it's known as inflation.

That's true. Increasing prices are now known as inflation. However, I prefer the original definition: inflation is an increase in the money supply, which (other things being equal) leads to price rises.

Perhaps RBS does employ at least one person who gets this simple point.

Perhaps.

More worrying were the next two sentences:

When goods go up in price, it also gets more expensive to borrow money. A good time to save!

Well, perhaps in the good old days that would have been a good time to save. Not now! The political class is bailing out its banker friends by keeping interest rates below the rate of inflation and savers are being ripped off. Royally ripped off perhaps...
posted by David Farrer at 16:32
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Ian Kershaw

 

I enjoyed hearing about Kershaw's new book which was published today and is already on its third printing. There were certainly plenty of reviews last weekend.

This was a very professional presentation that was followed by lots of questions. Sadly, the hardcover version costs £30. I'll wait for the paperback.

posted by David Farrer at 21:27
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Down Mexico Way

 

Tonight we heard Ed Vulliamy speak about his new book. We'd kind of expected it to be about the huge inflow of Mexicans into the US as described so vividly by Victor Davis Hanson.

But the talk (and the book) was mainly about the huge drug industry on the Mexican side of the border:

This absorbing odyssey along the Mexican-American border gives pause for thought to anyone who ignores the side-effects of cocaine. Not those on the users, but the calamitous impact on Mexico and its people.

At one point Vulliamy praised the work of the US police and said that was perhaps an unusual position for a Guardian writer to take. Back in standard Guardian mode he complained about widespread gun ownership in US Border states but then said the El Paso had one of the lowest murder rates in the country!

We had an interesting chat with Mr Vulliamy after his presentation. We discussed Ron Paul and the other Republican candidates. Vulliamy thought that Rick Perry would get the nomination and would win the presidency.

He said that a big problem in Mexico was what he described as the "privatisation" of previously communally owned land in the border villages. This was apparently a consequence of the introduction of NAFTA. I countered by saying that, on the contrary, such a transfer was the opposite of privatisation, and represented theft by the state of existing privately owned property to be given to the friends of the state. Land owned by the villagers since time immemorial is just as much private property as when it is owned by corporations. Vulliamy accepted my point and I extended this line of argument to cover the banking crisis in which we also saw the state bail out its friends - the exact opposite of the free market.

Vulliamy said that there is a body of opinion that holds that the financial crisis of 2008 would have happened earlier were the big banks not stuffed full with drug money.

I vividly recall my own one-day visit to Mexico that ended up with a scary drive through an unlit Tijuana trying to find the US border. After this talk that's not something I'd wish to risk again.

posted by David Farrer at 22:03
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John Hegarty

 

I was really looking forward to hearing John Hegarty speak tonight. I worked in the advertising business from 1975 to 1995 and John was one of the big names in the eighties and nineties through the Bartle Bogle Hegarty agency.

I'd guess that most of the Book Festival regulars are more Guardian than Telegraph types, to put in English terms, and I wasn't too sure what folk would make of a Thatcher-era adman. Nae problem: John had them eating out of his hands. Looking every inch the creative director in his brown shoes, stripey socks and powder blue suit with a garish lining John won lots of laughs and applause, especially when he explained just why he personally was responsible for the introduction of boxer shorts into the UK. Buy the book if you want to know...

Sadly, I wasn't called in the questioning session - there were so many raised hands. I was going to ask about the relationship between the creatives and the finance folk in agencies. And if any of you ask about "creative accounting" I'd say that my former boss and I spent ten years of drinking time wondering where the 20p difference was in our ancient hand-written ledger!

posted by David Farrer at 21:01
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Wrong suspect

 

Around twenty years ago when I was living in London I knew an Andrew O'Hagan. He was the son of one of our directors and he worked in our post room before going to university. If I recall correctly, he wanted to be a writer. His parents came from Glasgow and they also had Ayrshire connections. All of this fitted in perfectly with the biography of the novelist Andrew O'Hagan. Even the photos on the books looked right.

But when O'Hagan came onto the stage he seemed too short. And the accent was wrong. I spoke to this O'Hagan afterwards and he was rather amazed to discover that he had a doppelganger.

O'Hagan's hour-long talk was an impressive performance, even if I disagreed with quite a bit. He spoke widely about the Scottish condition and the full talk is here. I liked this recollection:

I tried to tell a story my auntie had told at the counter of a chip shop in Shettleston. It was about the war, about an old couple in the Gallowgate who suffered a bomb blast that blew both of them out of their living room into the street below. They survived. ‘It was awright,’ said the man to a reporter later, ‘it’s the first time we’ve been oot thegither for 40 year.’

Unfortunately there was far too much of that mawkish collectivism that so mars Scottish life. It really will have to go if we ever become independent.
posted by David Farrer at 21:05
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