Who wants to be a millionaire?

If I were to move from EH3 to EH4, it could be me!

Taxes curved and flat

So the Tories are going to put economic stability before tax cuts! Pass the sick bag.

I must confess that I don't really know if Mr Cameron's endless Blairite pronouncements are really a clever con trick to be revealed as such when he becomes prime minister, but if I were a betting man I'd say no. Nevertheless, one would have thought that the Tories might just make the odd reference to the Laffer Curve or the debate on flat taxes. I don't imagine for a moment that the Conservative party is about to point out that all taxation is immoral, but one does despair when reading this:

... he was set to make plain that sorting out the public finances must take priority over reducing taxes.

The public finances will never be "sorted" until there's a massive cut in expenditure.

More, please

I note that the blessed staff of the NHS are moaning about their pay again. I wonder how many of them know just how well off they are. I bet ZaNu-Lab won't tell them.

Stuff and nonsense

Also in Money Week I note this quote from actress Emma Thompson:

The insanity of consumption bothers me. Talk about the opiate of the masses. It ain't religion any more. It's stuff. Why don't governments stop people from making crap?

One sympathises - It's not as if Emma can afford a lot of "stuff":

In an article named What Stars are Really Worth, Entertainment Weekly (4/12/96) had this to say about Em:

Emma Thompson (Makes art-house movies seem like fun)
Intangible Worth (on a scale of 0-25)= 18

Average Domestic Gross In Millions= 26
Average Foreign Gross In Millions= 44
Recent Salary/Asking Price= 3
Should Earn= 6.2

Appropriately, Emma's daughter has been given the decidedly unstuffy name of Gaia Romilly. How very Nu Conservative. But no, for the NuCons love the NHS and it seems that Gaia made her very first appearance on the distinctly private stage of the Hospital of St John & St Elizabeth in Blairite London NW8.

Social etiquette in London must be so confusing these days.

The dog that didn't bark

In this week's issue of the excellent Money Week, there's mention of The Bumper Book of Government Waste that's been published recently.

My favourite item was this:

One advertisement for the Inland Revenue had to be remade because Gordon Brown didn't like the dog: cost £20,000.

Independence for politicians, not people

Last Friday, the Scotsman carried an article about the SNP's manifesto for the next elections for the Scottish Parliament:

Ms Sturgeon also revealed that the working title of the SNP's manifesto for the 2007 Scottish parliament elections is "A Culture of Independence".

The Nationalists would be arguing that their political aim of independence for Scotland is replicated in their policy approach. Their aspiration for Scottish independence would be matched by an aspiration for "personal and individual independence", Ms Sturgeon said.

Peter MacMahon rightly noted that there's a wee bit of a contradiction here: the SNP's activists are overwhelmingly anti-individualist.

Nicola Sturgeon responded a few days later and insisted that her party favours personal as well as national independence.

But her letter shows that the SNP just doesn't get it:

For example, we want to get rid of student loans and tuition fees so that young graduates do not start their working lives weighed down by debt.

And that's an example of personal independence! No, it's dependence. Someone else, including non-graduates, will have to pay.

Then:

first-time buyers' grants to help young people get a foot on the housing ladder

Another subsidy from the taxpayer.

Next, she wants:

a small business charter to encourage and reward enterprise.

Business doesn't need a politician's "charter"; it needs a politician's absence.

I'm afraid that the SNP has a very long way to go before it even begins to understand what personal independence really means.

Report from the class war

I note that the Federation of Small Businesses is up in arms over an Inland Revenue advert that demonises the self-employed:

The advert, publicising a hotline to report self-employed people who do not pay their taxes, depicts a plumber hiding under a kitchen sink.

The FSB states that:

We find it particularly offensive that the implication is that all self-employed people do not pay their taxes."

I share their anger, but wouldn't it be even better if the FSB were to point out that their tormentors don't pay any taxes themselves?

Swedish Role

I note that the manager of a football team of a nation not too far from here has fallen for the old Sheikh con.

Even more astounding is this news in today's Scotsman:

Yesterday, the Swiss (sic) responded to the revelations by stressing that he remains "100 per cent committed" to England.

Swiss? You could have fooled me: I never knew they were so raunchy.

Steam trains and smoke

Before our short trip down to the Borders on Sunday morning I completed this 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle that I received at Christmas. If you look very carefully at the enlarged picture you may be able to see that the great Brunel is still enjoying his cigar:

Puzzle
Originally uploaded by David Farrer.

Puzzle Brunel Cigar
Originally uploaded by David Farrer.

Melrose Abbey this afternoon

Melrose Abbey
Originally uploaded by David Farrer.

We enjoyed a nice lunch in the Kings Arms.

Good news from Cumbria

When one read things like this, it's very tempting to despair of our economic future:

THE number of staff employed by the public sector in Scotland has increased by 7,000 in the last year and now stands at 487,000.

I'm sure that it's much the same down south.

Then I saw this heartening story in today's FT. Read the whole thing to see how an entrepreneur kept fighting even when faced with seemingly overwhelming odds:

It is a year since record flooding submerged the Cumbrian city of Carlisle, but the memory is still fresh for Paul Ashley, whose industrial door manufacturing business, Clark Door, was sunk under seven feet of polluted water.

Would that ever growing army of public sector "workers" have coped? Mr Ashley did:

However, through a mixture of good local contacts, teamwork, business support and sheer determination, the company was able to get back to 80 per cent of its production capacity within six weeks without losing a single customer.

And for anyone who is thinking along the lines of "exploiting" capitalist, consider this:

Clark Door employs 80 people, many of whom suffered personally with damage to their homes. But the swift action to rebuild the site meant that no one lost their jobs.

"I told those whose homes were flooded to sort that out first. If they had got their mind somewhere else, they were no use to me."

Perhaps I'm too much of a pessimist. When people like Mr Ashley finally shrug, all of those public sector workers won't know what's hit them.

(Incidentally, if Scotland ever does become independent one must hope that Cumbria will choose to rejoin the Kingdom of Strathclyde.)

I feel a Midlothian Campaign coming on

Interesting post over on Guido Fawkes about the LibDem leadership contest:

Surely only members can vote? Correct, only those who are members on January 26 will be able to vote. Membership is open, it costs a minimum of six pounds, so join and vote. For about 300,000 pounds the Tories can choose the new LibDem leader.

Surely modern technology can enable us to clone Mr Gladstone?

One an hour

So, we've employed another 9,000 public sector workers (sic) in Scotland in the last year.

But, don't worry:

Ministers said the rise reflected a strong economy...

This isn't reassuring:

Although the private sector employs about three times as many people, public sector employment is growing at nearly twice the rate.

Perhaps this may be a somewhat naive question, but haven't these people ever heard of Frederic Bastiat?

No, thought not.

May I recommend this quotation from the great man:

... you will oblige me to call out, "Stop there! Your theory is confined to that which is seen; it takes no account of that which is not seen."

The problem isn't just the huge cost of this growing army of tax-consumers (that which is seen), but the opportunity cost of what the 9,000 could have produced in the real economy (that which is not seen).

New Links

These days I tend to access sites by using the excellent Bloglines service instead of clicking on my Blogroll as was previously the case. Still, it's time to update the Blogroll by adding some new links.

First, some sites that I have added to the "Freedom" section of the Blogroll:

Anglo Austria
The Bewilderness
The Liberal Online

Then, a couple of aviation sites now linked to from the Blogroll under "And":

Airlines - Topix.Net
Enplaned

Finally, an addition to the "Whisky" section:

J Arthur Macnumpty.

Apologies...

... for the lack of posts recently. My new freelance assignment has necessitated more hours than I had originally anticipated. Still, it's all good money, and I have an excuse to visit the Ox, where encountering F&W readers is not that unusual.

Fur coats and nae knickers

The Edinburgh version of this?

Edinburgh this morning

Over on the other blog I've posted some photographs of old and new Edinburgh that were taken earlier today.

Some samples:

Edinburgh 8th January 2006
Originally uploaded by David Farrer.

Edinburgh 8th January 2006
Originally uploaded by David Farrer.

What am I?

Yet another of these tests. They're certainly a big improvement on the conventional left/right axis, which is completely useless for describing those of us who are libertarians. But this one still hasn't got it quite right and I suspect that's why I have been categorised as more of a capitalist than a libertarian.

For example, one proposition is this:

The fact that many people starve to death is unfortunate but unavoidable.

I am meant to agree or disagree. But I don't accept the question! I believe that starvation is both unfortunate and avoidable. Simply introduce free markets and property rights.

Then, what about this:

We need stronger laws for protecting the environment.

We do. But the laws required are the same as those needed to avoid starvation - free markets and property rights. Not probably what the quizmaster had in mind.

Then we get:

Employees should have the right to go on strike without the risk of being permanently replaced.

Yes or No? It depends on what their contract says.

But here's my result:

You are a Social Liberal (61% permissive) and an... Economic Conservative (88% permissive) You are best described as a: Capitalist Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Are you free?

I know that other bloggers have cast doubt on the methodology used in the Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom. Fair enough, but I can't help noting that eight of the top twelve "economically free" countries are members of the Anglosphere:

Hong Kong 1 [1.28]
Singapore 2 [1.56]
Ireland 3 [1.58]
Luxembourg 4 [1.60]
United Kingdom 5 [1.74]
Iceland 5 [1.74]
Estonia 7 [1.75]
Denmark 8 [1.78]
United States 9 [1.84]
Australia 9 [1.84]
New Zealand 9 [1.84]
Canada 12 [1.85]

Can there really be any doubt that economic freedom and the resulting material prosperity are best served by having a tradition of limited government, objective laws, recognition of property rights and a system of sound money? Unfortunately, most members of the political class in the Anglosphere don't uphold the values that need to be defended.

Reaching for my revolver

I guess that I must be middle class - using the term "class" in its common but wrong sense. I'm an owner-occupier, have a degree and a professional qualification, and even wear a tie now and again. I also agree that Jamie Oliver is a good bloke:

JAMIE Oliver is the biggest celebrity influence on Britain's middle classes, ahead of everyone from David Cameron to Sir Trevor McDonald, according to a new style guide.

But then I read in my paper that:

David Cameron, an Old Etonian, is in second place for wooing middle England when he ousted David Davis to win the leadership of the Conservative Party.

Come on now guys: the Scotsman shouldn't start an article about "Britain" and then suddenly be writing about "England". That's the kind of sloppiness that we associate with newspapers published in the hometown of Jamie and "Dave". Was the Scotsman sub-editor having his tea break?

Anyway, I'll let them off this time because I was even more outraged by the next bit:

And the millionaire anti-poverty campaigner Chris Martin, the lead singer of easy-listening rock band Coldplay, came third for bringing such issues to a wider audience.

Let's get this straight: when I see the terms "millionaire" and "anti-poverty campaigner" used in the same sentence, I reach for my revolver unless absolutely convinced that the millionaire in question is campaigning against poverty by advocating more capitalism. Rarely is that the case.

A Foggy Day in Edinburgh Town

This is why I should carry my tripod whenever I go out!

Today we saw an extraordinary variation in visibility across the city. This morning I drove to Leith in clear weather but the fog rolled in a bit along the coast towards Portobello. Fort Kinnaird was clear, as was the city bypass until I reached the outer western suburbs. Around Edinburgh Park it was increasingly difficult to see. On the way back in to town visibility suddenly cleared about three miles out. Later on I took a bus to Princes Street where the Castle had disappeared. Thirty minutes afterwards I managed to take these two handheld shots using my Canon A80 compact. (Click to enlarge.) A tripod would have been most useful.

Edinburgh Castle in the Fog
Originally uploaded by David Farrer.

Edinburgh Castle in the Fog
Originally uploaded by David Farrer.

Seeing what we pay for

Post-cameronian conservative MSP Brian Monteith has suggested an alternative to the Council Tax:

Mr Monteith says he wants to see a sales tax introduced to place the burden on those with income who spend the most, and create a competitive environment between councils

Of course, I believe that mass privatisation of local government is the way to go but, in the meantime, I think that a sales tax is preferable to the current set-up. Indeed, I would go so far as to suggest that we get rid of income tax and NI completely and collect all taxes as VAT with the pre and post tax prices being prominently displayed.

Happy holidays

I'm sure that last year's version of this sign said "Edinburgh's Hogmanay - No Parking"

Don't tell me that some petty bureaucrat has decided that the word "Hogmanay" may offend.

Happy New Year from Edinburgh

New Year 2006
Originally uploaded by David Farrer.

New Year 2006
Originally uploaded by David Farrer.

New Year 2006
Originally uploaded by David Farrer.

New Year 2006
Originally uploaded by David Farrer.