What is a nation?
In the modern political tradition, patriotism has always been revered. Not only is pride in and devotion to country seen as a positive, but its absence is also often taken as a sign of moral deficiency. Nationalism, on the other hand, is more suspect. The nationalist identifies with the nation and nationalism can manifest as a political ideology, as it did [...]
The inertia of government
For those of us who wish to see Britain leave the EU it is fair to say that watching the negotiations has been painful. Less than a year from when UK should be leaving most of [...]
Bernanke and the Fed: How to cause problems and shift blame
Ben Bernanke, the former head of the Federal Reserve recently warned of an impending economic crash. A fiscal stimulus package of tax cuts and increased spending will tip an [...]
Guest post: Anarchism and electoral politics – irreconcilable differences?
By James O’Gallagher
I. Anarchist Approaches as to Political Participation
Among anarchists, there is always much discussion and debate over the question of what [...]
The damage of trade tariffs: a case study
US President Donald Trump has reignited the international trade wars with his decision to slap tariffs on steel and aluminium, of 25% and 10% respectively, from the EU, Mexico [...]
Capitalism’s ungrateful heirs
‘If a man is not a socialist by the time he is 20, he has no heart. If he is not a conservative by the time he is 40, he has no brain’. This maxim is attributed to Winston [...]
The Gulag: depraved, brutal, ignored and forgotten
Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago is a tough read. Published in 1973, the three-volume masterpiece is a harrowing account of arrests, convictions and [...]
An antidote to chaos: how Jordan Peterson can help libertarians
Jordan Peterson is not a libertarian. At least, he is no anarchist. Peterson believes there is a role for government, in providing a social security net and regulate certain [...]
The Greece bailout: when you run out of other people’s money
The final chapter in the Greek bailout tragedy is supposed to play out over the summer. After joining the EU and subsequently the Euro, Greece had been living beyond its means [...]
Did socialism destroy Venezuela? No, a lack of capitalism did
‘That wasn’t real socialism’ is the go-to excuse from the hard left whenever another left-wing regime bites the dust. While we may smile at the apparent desperation of [...]
The case against inheritance tax
‘Why not fund the welfare state with a 100% inheritance tax?’ So asked Guardian columnist Abi Wilkinson in a column from July 2017. The concept of steep inheritance taxes [...]