Friday Morning Ramble: Still only one big news story…

 

 

“Either fraternity is spontaneous, or it does
not exist. To decree it is to annihilate it.” 
~ Frederic Bastiat

“Boris claims this year’s Mal Meninga prize.”
NoBoJo – TIM BLAIR

“Whinging about democracy when it doesn't go your way, whilst embracing it otherwise, is beyond the pale, as are some of the hate filled attacks on older votes coming from those whose own identity politics is supposed to decry hate speech.  The truth being that the so-called liberal leftwing anti-hate, anti-violence activists are full of hate and quite happily embrace violence to get their "own way".  It's emotion laden petulance, of the kind you would have only seen from the fringes of the far-right and conspiracy theorists had the vote gone to Remain.
    “So what should happen now?”
Brexit: An opportunity that could be wrecked by politicians – LIBERTY SCOTT
Yes, this is a crisis: a brilliant crisis packed with possibility – Brendan O’Neill, SPIKED
The Future of the UK After Leaving The EU: Capitalism or Socialism? – Richard Ebeling, CAPMAG
In & Out backers must unite to build fraternity for liberty – Philip Booth, CITY AM

“With 187 of 650 MPs - fewer than one third of the House of Commons - in favour of Leave, how did anyone ever think voting Leave was a vote for a specific plan? And you suggest our voters were too uneducated to vote...”
"A plan was never on the ballot paper. We've got to determine that ourselves now." – Andrew Bates, FACEBOOK

First, Brexit means Brexit. The campaign was fought, the vote
was held, turnout was high, and the public gave their verdict.
There must be no attempts to remain inside the EU, no attempts
to rejoin it through the backdoor, and no second referendum. The
country voted to leave the European Union, and it is the duty
of the government and Parliament to make sure we do just that.
~ Theresa May, currently front-runner to be the next British Prime Minister

The referendum has revealed how closed-minded some have become—and how hypocritical those who talk loudest about “democracy.”
Brexit: this was a vote against bigotry, not for it – Brendan O’Neill, SPIKED
After Brexit: Academics need to get out more – Joanna Williams, SPIKED
After Brexit: The ugly scourge of ageism – Ella Whelan, SPIKED
Brexit a Victory for Xenophobia? Not So Fast. – Jerome Tuccille, REASON
What exactly is meant by "The People"? – Bernie Greene, FACEBOOK

Europeans and the commentariat are measuring their “need” for Britain by how much Britain exports to them and how little is sent in return. This, they say, means Britain needs them more than they need Britain. This shows they know as little about trade as Donald Trump.
Donald Trump's free-trade follies – Shikha Dalmia, THE WEEK
Reflections on free trade – Johnathan Pearce, SAMIZDATA
Trading in Fallacies – Steve Landsburg, THE BIG QUESTIONS
And the Winner Is…. – Steve Landsburg, THE BIG QUESTIONS

And a gentle reminder about the effect of the trade bloc on those its policies excludes…
The European Union is an ongoing disaster for Africa | Letters – GUARDIAN

“A pleasant side effect from Brexit has been a lack of focus on Australia’s election. Which is kind of nice….
    “I confess that I’m a cynic when it comes to politics. But it’s hard not be, on the evidence. From Rudd, to Gillard, to Abbott and Turnbull, it’s all been the same. Each one tinkers around the edges according to their ideologies but, in the meantime, the underlying structure of the economy continues to deteriorate.
    “Despite all the rhetoric, there is no long term plan for Australia’s economy. The only plan is for more debt to drive house prices higher and increase demand, which in turn encourages people to take on more debt.
    “It’s a model that works in the short term because it makes a lot of people believe they are getting wealthy. But in the long term it will fail. And when it does, it will do so spectacularly.”
Whoever Wins the Election on Saturday Will Inherit a Ticking Time Bomb – Greg Canavan, MONEY MORNING AUSTRALIA

What next for Britain? What about the European Economic Area (EEA), “which would provide many of the free trade and movement benefits of EU membership without being in the EU or beholden to most of its rules.”
Evolution not Revolution: The case for the EEA option – ADAM SMITH INSTITUTE

“Using migrants to push multiculturalism has been a disaster.”
How the elite weaponised immigration – Tim Black, SPIKED
Britain has not become racist overnight – Luke Gittos, SPIKED

“That was quick. With nearly 85% of the Brexit loss recovered in three days and the market now up for the quarter and the year, what’s not to like?” Well, perhaps the death of real price discovery – killed stone dead by central-bank manipulation.
Price Discovery, RIP – David Stockman, CONTRA CORNER
Brexit: From 'Project Fear'to 'Project Hysteria' – Phil Mullan, SPIKED
Brexit & economic growth: Is there any link? – Frank Shostak, COBDEN CENTRE

“And they worry the pound might crash? Pay attention to the euro.”
Civil Uprising Escalates As 8th EU Nation Threatens Referendum – ZERO HEDGE
MERKEL'S WORST NIGHTMARE: Germany calls for Referendum as 'people want to be free of EU – EXPRESS

“Recent analysis has argued that political events as diverse as the Brexit and the rise of Donald Trump can be explained by a ‘revolt’ of the world’s economic ‘losers.’  Before proceeding, it is important to keep in mind that all income groups in the world have seen gains in real income over the last few decades…”
Globalisation’s So-Called Winners and Losers – Chelsea Follett, CATO

“What’s on the menu when bishops gather for a Brexit breakfast at Lambeth Palace following Britain’s historic vote to leave the European Union? Egg on face. Mitres in sanctimonious sermon sauce. Burnt reputations on French toast. Honeyed Brussels rhetorical waffle. Side dish for guest invitee Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church—haggis with a dash of hogwash. Breakfast includes two archbishops’ specials: a Sentamu special—sausages stuffed with pious platitudes and a Welby special: Eton mess.
    “This is the most momentous decision in the recent history of the United Kingdom. And the bishops got it wrong.”
Rev Jules Gomes: Bishops choke on Brexit humble pie – Rev Jules Gomes, CONSERVATIVE WOMAN

Reminder: “The EU grew out of attempts that began in the 1950s to establish a free-trade zone among a number of western European countries.
    “But soon the free-trade idea was superseded by various interventionist programs for intergovernmental planning of agriculture and industry, and for a welfare-state social safety net.”
The European Union and the Interventionist State – Richard Ebeling, FEE

A bit rich of Geoffrey Palmer though to talk about the resentment of the political class however, as if membership and maintenance of it hadn't been his life's work. (Unbridling Power might be a fairer title for his legal doctrines in practice.) So, no wonder he wants to muddy the waters by talking about a phony 'inequality.'
The political elites foisted a new system on ordinary Brits. Little wonder they're grabbing it back – Geoffrey Palmer, SPINOFF

"Freedom granted only when it is known beforehand
that its effects will be beneficial is not freedom."
~ F.A. Hayek

“Dear sir, I have recently learned how voting works and I am APPALLED.”
Don’t rely on polls when you vote – YOUR NZ

“Not twice but three times he said that 'we' need to deal with poverty or more of this will happen.
“What an insult to the many thousands of parents who would be financially in the same boat as the killers were, but who still manage to make their children's safety and well-being paramount.
“Resorting to the poverty excuse is just facile.”
Lawyer blames Moko's death on "extreme poverty" – LINDSAY MITCHELL

“With the stroke of a pen, the number of people unemployed dropped by 12,000, while the number in the workforce has also dropped. But the changes are purely statistical, with not a single job being created or lost in the changes.”
NZ unemployment rate tumbles, and workforce shrinks, in recalculation – STUFF

 

“…and as long as the condition of the ‘working class’ is improving, we should not care so much about income inequality.”

 

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble…
The annual rate of growth in household borrowing is continuing to climb at rates last seen in 2008 – INTEREST.CO.NZ

“Cannabis prohibitionists have long cautioned that legalizing the plant will inevitably lead to increased use among teens, couching their restrictive beliefs in concern for the youth.”
After Legalizing Recreational Weed, Colorado Has Lowest Teen Use in the Country – Carey Wedler, FEE

“The man who reads nothing at all
is better educated than the man who
reads nothing but newspapers.”
~  Thomas Jefferson

How to visit an art gallery.
The Art of Interaction – Alexandra York, NEWSMAX

"A Companion to Ayn Rand lets the reader get a deeper insight into Rand’s philosophical ideas and her methods. Ayn Rand was a controversial and understudied thinker with an expansive body of work, and the Companion therefore is a rare triumph for a scholarly study."
Book Review: A Companion to Ayn Rand – Anoop Verma, FOR THE NEW INTELLECTUAL

“Concepts and Their Role in Knowledge offers scholarly analysis of key elements of Ayn Rand’s radically new approach to epistemology. The four essays, by contributors intimately familiar with this area of her work, discuss Rand’s theory of concepts—including its new account of abstraction and essence—and its central role in her epistemology; how that view leads to a distinctive conception of the justification of knowledge; her realist account of perceptual awareness and its role in the acquisition of knowledge; and finally, the implications of that theory for understanding the growth of scientific knowledge. The volume concludes with critical commentary on the essays by distinguished philosophers with differing philosophical viewpoints and the author’s responses to those commentaries.”
Concepts and Their Role in Knowledge: Reflections on Objectivist Epistemology – AMAZON

“No man can expect to be an innovator and,
simultaneously, expect to find a ready-made audience
sharing ... the values he has not yet produced.”
~ Ayn Rand

So. Maybe some Mozart at this point?

 

 

Excuse me while I go take something for my heart …

 

 

… no cure there; maybe this from Ed Kuepper …

 

 

[Hat tips Cafe Hayek, Samizdata, Famous-Quote.net, Ayn Rand Bot, Jim Rose]

.