Samizdata

“Partly, the Russian system succeeds because, in contrast to the Western industrial economies, it makes full use of its manpower.”

– John Kenneth Galbraith (1984), an American intellectual who passed away yesterday.

In an odd sort of way, contemporary soft leftists are both obsessed with politics and unpolitical at the same time. That is, their political involvement seems as much about showing what kinds of people they are (caring, concerned etc) as making a difference. The plausibility of a political strategy is less important than being involved.

– Andrew Norton, Research Fellow at the excellent Centre for Independent Studies, editor of Policy magazine and resident at Catallaxy

It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once.

– David Hume, one of the giants of the Scottish Enlightenment. I wonder what he would have made of our own times?

I so need to go and drink football and watch beer.

A Samizdatista, who shall remain nameless, explaining his priorities for the day. I myself have been guilty of a few slips of the tongue. Explaining my vices to an Australian blogger, I admitted that:

I drink like a train and smoke like a fish.

My doctor agrees that I should be smoking like a fish, and he has a point. Meanwhile, I will now remove my foot from my mouth.

The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.

18th Century statesman and essayist Edmund Burke, arguably the greatest Irishman to have ever lived. I wonder if Tony Blair or Dave Cameron have heard of him, or read him?