Ten years ago today, George Monbiot wrote an article for the Guardian titled ‘In this age of diamond saucepans, only … Continue reading “Remember the real champions of austerity: George Monbiot and the eco-miserabilists”

Being too busy torching, looting and vandalising, the London rioters and their offshoots in other cities could not be bothered … Continue reading “The London riots were not caused by ‘moral decay’ or inequality”

Objections to large material inequalities are probably as old as mankind itself. In numerous ancient legends and folk tales, the … Continue reading “An alternative to Spirit Level egalitarianism”

Energy Secretary Chris Huhne spoke of a ‘dark day’, and made clear he was ‘deeply disappointed’. EU plans to raise the target for … Continue reading “Chris Huhne’s broken window”

I recently gave a talk at the Libertarian Alliance entitled ‘Spirit Level Egalitarianism, Happiness Economics and Steady State Economics’. When … Continue reading “Can you be a half-way Spirit Leveller?”

In panel discussions or similar debate formats, it is usually a huge advantage to be thoroughly informed about the opponent’s … Continue reading “Free-market economics vs. steady-state economics: how to frame the debate”

Anti-consumerists are sometimes criticised for not practicing what they preach. Buying stuff is sinful – as long as it’s the … Continue reading “Malthus is dead – get over it”

Imagine Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Malthus, Karl Marx and Saddam Hussein were meeting somewhere in the afterlife, deciding to write a … Continue reading “The Steady State Economy Conference – the economics of misanthropy”