We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.
Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]
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Prices going up and a price going down Newspaper headlines photoed by me today, in London:
For a more considered view of the economic picture, try Detlev Schlichter, who now seems to be the unofficial Samizdata economics correspondent, who has another posting up today, about, ah yes, inflation.
But the good news is that not all prices are rising.
Photoed by me yesterday, in London:
The original price of this book was £10.99. I guess people now realise that it didn’t have a happy ending.
Perhaps the answer is going to be to keep warm by burning books.
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Who Are We? The Samizdata people are a bunch of sinister and heavily armed globalist illuminati who seek to infect the entire world with the values of personal liberty and several property. Amongst our many crimes is a sense of humour and the intermittent use of British spelling.
We are also a varied group made up of social individualists, classical liberals, whigs, libertarians, extropians, futurists, ‘Porcupines’, Karl Popper fetishists, recovering neo-conservatives, crazed Ayn Rand worshipers, over-caffeinated Virginia Postrel devotees, witty Frédéric Bastiat wannabes, cypherpunks, minarchists, kritarchists and wild-eyed anarcho-capitalists from Britain, North America, Australia and Europe.
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NS&I recently relaunched their inflation index linked savings certificate having decided to stop doing them only a year ago.
They are experiencing “high call volume”. No shit.
A truly excellent article. A bit long, but definitely worth the read. (But you’ll need a stiff drink afterward!) Schlichter is my new favorite economist.
I liked that second photo, by the way. The author’s name isn’t shown, so I had to do a little digging to find out that it’s John R. Talbott, an iconoclast if a bit of a kook. Incidentally, it was written in 2008, so I suspect that his opinion might be a bit different today (although one can never tell; he subsequently wrote a book called “Where America Went Wrong”, which seems to be a thoroughly populist screed.)
Anyway, the word “Obamanomics” has certainly gained in popularity; here’s another book of the same title but with a decidedly different spin on things. Personally, I think the latter looks more worthwhile. I can see why Talbott’s is being remaindered.
A little off-topic, but I did like the fact that the red label on the Obama-nomics book said “This label peels off”.
Someone bothered to notice that over-sticky stickers was sometimes a problem, making people reluctant to buy the book – which they were already reluctant to buy, or it wouldn’t need a sticker.
Having noticed this, or researched it, someone bothered to bring it to the attention of whoever commissions the stickers.
Someone else looked into sourcing less sticky adhesives, but not too much less sticky.
Someone else thought, well, having (I trust) solved the problem we have to tell people we’ve solved it, and added the wording.
As well as being mocked by the price reduction, as you observe, I think in a way Obamanomics is subtly mocked by the ingenuity that went into that sticker. Obamanomics may have conspicuously failed to deliver “bottom up prosperity” but several people – market researchers, chemists, booksellers, printers, shareholders – grabbed a little share of “bottom up prosperity” by means of that sticker. In these hard times, that’s something.
I shall put this in my pile of scalps, like the communist medallion I once bought from a street trader.
Last point first.
The British book trade missed an obvious opportunity.
It duely published (and pushed) pro Obama books and books about how the crises of 2008 was the result of “unreguated capitalism”.
But it largely turned its back on anti Obama books and books about hos the crises of 2008 is the result of statism – and how we are still in this crises (it has NOT been solved).
I tend to have a “half empty” view of the world – but even I do not believe that the British population contains no pro freedom people.
Indeed I believe that there are millions of pro freedom people in Britain – and basically the British book trade was telling us all to bugger off, that we were not welcome in the book shops.
Well we got the message – it is not all “the internet” that is the reason for the decline of the British book trade, basically they were telling nonsocialists that our custom was not wanted.
So we end up with the vast majority of British books shops (outside London basically Waterstones ate everyone else – W.H. Smith’s having few books and earing its living selling newspapers, stationary, and study guides for schoolchildren) are owned by a Russian zillionaire showing off.
So the British booktrade is just another “Independent” newspaper.
The economy:
Sadly this government has already failed. Not because (like Obama) David Cameron wishes to destroy Civil Society – that is not true, Mr Cameron has no such fanatical desire.
Like “Mitt” Romney, David Cameron has no strong beliefs – but this did NOT mean he had to be useless in office (he might have come upon good advice or…..)
However, Mr Cameron has proved to be useless.
Contrary to the absurd Rowen Willians – the policies of this government are not “radical” (and on and on), indeed it has largely just taken the deckchairs on the Titanic and painted them a different colour.
This ship is still heading for the iceberg.
There was a real chance to save this country – if radical reductions in government spending and taxes had been made, but they were NOT made. The collapse of the credit bubble (and it will collapse) would still have led to hard times – but bold reductions in the size of government woudl have helped us recover (just as Warren Harding, the most under rated American President in history, saved the United States in 1921 – by doing the opposite of what Herbert Hoover did after 1929, allowing the market to determine wages and prices, and MASSIVELY cutting taxes and government spending, rather than increasing them as Hoover did).
The “savage cuts” are (overall) largely a myth. And taxes have been greatly increased (not reduced).
Sadly I suspect it is already “game over”. Even if it is not ECONOMICALLY too late, surely it is POLITICALLY too late now – after all we have already had our election, the chance to change policy has come (and gone).
I hope America does not follow the British example and elect someone with no radical plan for dealing with the crises.
A crises that will become more and more obvious over time.
Saying “I believe in America” and talking in uplifting (but vague) terms, and so on (the Romney approach) reminds me of David Cameron.
Electing someone with no strong beliefs (in the hopes that he will do the right thing – for pragmatic reasons) is a failed experiment.
What would prove me wrong…..
This is pro Popper site so I will mention the events that could prove me wrong.
Mr Cameron comes out and proposes a reduction in the top rate of income tax to 25% (not 50% as in Britain) – and 10% for ordinary people (with the national sales tax replaced by much lower local one – under the control of local authorities, if they want a local sales tax).
Government subsidies for agriculture – taken away over a few years. Again – whether the E.U. likes it or not.
All government regulations to have a “sunset” clause – i.e. unless Parliament (not the E.U.) decides to vote for them again, they AUTOMATICALLY become void.
Great reductions in government spending aimed at a BALANCED BUDGET.
All of the above has been proposed by moderate non libertarian Republicans (such as Tim Pawlenty).
But I do not see Mr Cameron comming out with any of it
If he does – then I am wrong.
Apparently, the original 3.99 price reduction wasn’t clearing the trash from the bookshelves fast enough.
Ooh, warm fuzzy.
Trouble is Paul, Britain is not a sovereign state. Even if Cameron had the balls to do these things (and he doesn’t), for the most part, he couldn’t. Being part of the EU corporate state ensures our national decline and fall.
Cheer up Paul. Princess Di is on the front of The Daily Express and all’s well with the world.
Lots of books seem to be the butt of God’s sense of irony! An Australian book was launched last year about then-current Prime Minister Rudd, and it included the comment about how Labour would stick with Rudd because loyalty was a left-wing principle. As soon as David Marr’s book was on the shelves, almost as though the book had inspired a counter-reaction, Gillard ousted Rudd and called an election!
And there was a book on the shelves just before the events in tunisia, talking about how the internet would never change anything!
Now to write a book called ‘Obama Forever!’ With irony on my side, this will mean he’s out!
Nuke: one of the most amusing things about Australian poliitics is the way members and supporters of the Australian Labor Pary are so sentimental about it, its former leaders, their own sense of moral goodness, their sense of loyalty and mateship, etc etc, when it is actually the most vicious, nasty, and completely amoral political machine this side of Chicago, or possibly both sides of Chicago. These same people demonise the Liberal Partyt as the party of meanness and nastiness, when in fact it doesn’t come close, merely being the party of world class breathtaking mediocrity.
Brian,
The word is “photographed” not “photoed”. In your case, I’ll put it down to laziness rather than to either illiteracy or grammatic nihilism.
Kim
If “photoed” is not a word, how did you work out what it meant?
It is a word. You just don’t like it.
Natalie, I *love* the idea of a Socialist scalp collection. I’ll get started on mine right away.