Tag Archives: markets

A short history of the market

As world conquests go, this was pretty impressive. While there were dark muttering about Islam taking over the world, neo-liberalism went ahead and did it in less than 50 years. It used the tools of an organised religion. If you wanted to be part of it, you had to forswear all others and commit yourself to a belief in the mystical powers of the Market. You could not question the powers of the Market, despite any evidence to the contrary, and discussion could only take place if both parties took the magical powers that flow from the Market as fact. …

Posted in Humour | 39 Comments

Opinion: the state should harness the power of markets

The story of Adam being enticed to take the apple by Eve is not merely an amusing insight into the human condition, its an example of the very first market at work.

Markets work on the principal that people respond to stimuli, economics tries to ascertain what those stimuli are, and what the impact of those stimuli on the wider community are.

The idea that the government, can or should, protect certain sectors of the economy from the market is a fallacy.

While I don’t agree with the Coalition’s (or indeed Labour’s) policy on University funding, the argument occasionally made, that charging fees …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , , and | 27 Comments
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  • Suzanne Fletcher
    Interesting and relevant article from Bradley Hillier Smith: this is the beginning, I don't have the article weblink so just copy an pasting 1st page. message...
  • Cassie
    An eye-opening, and brave, article. Changing the recording system seems a very simple change to make, and it seems crazy no government has ever done it....
  • Nonconformistradical
    @Ben C "Difficulties valuing the few remaining properties that aren’t on the land register...." Do you know how many there are? If you don't why have you ...
  • Andrew Melmoth
    @Mick Taylor We are not re-joining the EU because there is a blocking minority capable of electing a Tory/Reform government. And that isn't going to change in ...
  • Tristan Ward
    "how foolish it now seems for the political scientist Francis Fukuyama to have declared, in an at the time much lauded book in 1992, the ‘end of history.’" ...