Socialism is extremely in vogue. Opinion pieces which tell us to stop obsessing over socialism’s past failures, and start to … Continue reading “What have socialism’s proponents really learned since the fall of the Berlin Wall?”

Last week, I spoke on Sky News about the cap on public sector pay rises. The Guardian columnist Owen Jones … Continue reading “Is Owen Jones right that taxation is theft?”

Between 3 – 8 July 2017, the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Adam Smith Institute jointly held Freedom Week, … Continue reading ““But that wasn’t REAL socialism!” (Part 3: Venezuela)”

“[Venezuela] is deep in crisis. It has the world’s highest inflation rate—720 percent and rising. Its currency has plummeted to … Continue reading “Venezuela, and the real reason why ‘real’ socialism has never been tried”

In a recent YouGov survey, 36% of respondents expressed a favourable, and 32% an unfavourable opinion of socialism. Capitalism, meanwhile, … Continue reading “Socialism: It’s always the real thing. Until it’s not.”

For most of this week, my social media feed has been more or less evenly divided between apologists of Fidel … Continue reading “Cuba after Castro: Democratisation as the next stage of the revolution? Not happening, Comrade Jones”

Most politicians and commentators think the ‘cost of living’ and its inverse ‘low pay’ are areas of serious concern for … Continue reading “What Owen Jones gets wrong (part 2 of 2: tax credits, low pay and a ‘Living Wage’)”

Concern about ‘low pay’ and the ‘cost of living’ are two sides of the same coin. Pay is deemed ‘low’ … Continue reading “What Owen Jones gets wrong (part 1 of 2: Landlords and rent controls)”

Owen Jones’ new book, The Establishment, promises to be more than your average left-wing polemic against austerity, banksters, globalisation and … Continue reading “The Establishment by Owen Jones: A review”