4 days agoKlein BlueThe future of the Conservatives The Conservative party has taken many twists and turns over its lifetime, particularly over the subject of free trade. If we date its start to Robert Peel in the 1830s, it had barely been created before it promptly split over the Corn Laws, coming out on the side of protectionism…Conservative Party8 min read
Jun 10Britain: the third lost decade beckonsWe haven’t reached the sunlit uplands yet. In just the last week or so, the OECD has warned that Britain is heading for zero growth and the worst economic performance in the G20 after Russia, it forecasts that Britain will have the highest inflation in the G20 (apart from Russia…Brexit9 min read
Jun 1Studying the headless chicken entrailsA possible vote of no confidence I value journalism. Really, I do. But sometimes I must point out its failings. Today is one such day. For over a period of many months, journalists have not distinguished themselves in interpreting what is going on in the Conservative party just now, though…Partygate11 min read
May 15High StreetUnplanned consequences of legalising cannabis The war on drugs is not going well. 50 years after the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, when Britain moved from treating drug abuse as a medical problem to treating it as a criminal problem, the country has no shortage of supply of illegal drugs…Cannabis Legalization6 min read
Apr 16Adventures in card play: mistakes with maths and how to avoid them when thinking about Covid-19 and UkraineSo far as I know, I have only been blocked by four people on Twitter. Two are political charlatans who did not take kindly to remarks I had made about them (I’ve never directly interacted with one of them, so he must monitor commentary about himself assiduously). One is a…Bayes Theorem8 min read
Mar 12Now and next: seven things to think about following the Russian invasion of UkraineWe have passed an inflection point. The events of the last few weeks will ripple out for years to come in many ways. We cannot yet identify all the turbulence in the wake of the bow wave. Here, however, are seven things to think about. Central banks have become an…Russia10 min read
Feb 24The City and the Tower: the scattering of the internetThe story of the Tower of Babel, as told in the Bible, is a confusing one. Here’s the story as told in the King James Version: 1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the…Social Media9 min read
Feb 11Artificial Intelligence: our coming sideways moveWe are about 25 years from an AI asking us why we think we have the right to own them. What are we going to say to them? We’ve had plenty of time to prepare. Science fiction writers have been considering the idea since Isaac Asimov wrote the Bicentennial Man…AI5 min read
Jan 24Every Conservative MP’s position on Boris Johnson and the parties in Number 10Speculation about Boris Johnson’s prospects are at fever pitch. Talks of votes of no confidence are being discussed at length in the press. Surprisingly, however, no one outside Downing Street seems to have looked comprehensively at what MPs are saying and doing. …Boris Johnson2 min read
Jan 11Orbán warfare: Hungary in 2022Hungary’s government faces a difficult moment this year. The election, however, is only half of it. Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party has been in power for 12 years. In that time, it has gripped power like a nervous child at the front of a rollercoaster. Every public organisation has been Orbánised. …Hungary5 min read
