I almost felt like asking on Twitter “Whatever did the Glorious Revolution do for you?“ Apart from the suppression of Catholicism, the creation of the Bank of England, the institution of the national debt, the imposition of a monarch who believed in the importance of the navy, largely as a weapon for imperialist, colonialist inspired territorial expansion, The Glorious Revolution got rid of James II, formerly Lord High Admiral, for Billy III, who was hugely invested in land wars in Europe. Is even history beyond Spud? The post Just weird history first appeared on Tim Worstall ..read more

It really is time that the IMF worked out what the economic priorities of the 21st-century are. In particular, they should appreciate the promoting an environment in which the interests of rent-extracting global monopolies are prioritised is never going to meet the needs of most people. When they have got over serving the interests of that lobby group, we might get more coherent policy from them. The worst rent extracting monopolies are the governments of countries – so, the IMF should be down on them. Sure, agreed. The post It’s possible to agree with this, yes first appeared on Tim Worstal ..read more

This week, finance ministers and central-bank governors from G20 countries will meet in Washington DC at the spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). They will have a chance to commit to raising the taxes of wealthy people. At the recent São Paulo, Brazil meeting in February this year, economists and G20 finance leaders floated the idea of instituting a global minimum tax on the world’s billionaires, who are now more abundant in number (2,781) and in combined wealth ($14.2tn) than ever before. This tracks with countless recommendations and requests from eco ..read more

NPR needs a serious critique not a politically charged parting shot Margaret Sullivan How Uri Berliner went about his complaint made it clear he was not interested in constructive criticism, but a viral moment Ah, so NPR is terminally woke then, entirely progressive populated and in no way reflective of the nation at all? Yes, yes, that’s what I am saying – but he shouldn’t have said it out loud. The post Snigger first appeared on Tim Worstall ..read more

Dickey Betts, Allman Brothers Band co-founder and guitarist, dies aged 80 Rock & Roll Hall of Famer who wrote the band’s biggest hit, Ramblin’ Man, dies at home in Florida ‘surrounded by his whole family’ Yep, it’s hackneyed now after so much play. But in their day they really were a cracking band: The post Dickie Betts first appeared on Tim Worstall ..read more

A source close to Mr Menzies told The Times he met a man on an online dating website and went to his flat before then going with another man to a second address and continuing drinking. The source added it was falsely claimed he was sick at one point and several people at the address demanded £5,000 they asserted was to cover the cost of cleaning and other expenses. Traditionally it was the bushes in Hyde Park wasn’t it? Such winter activity being one of those things that made you proud to be British. Still, makes the solution fairly simple. Increase the defence budget and keep the Household ..read more

Is, as we know, “If she’s fugly, she can”. The point is not that pretty women – even beautiful ones – cannot, by definition, act. It’s that some people – male and female – get acting jobs simply because they’re so stunning looking. An actual ability to act is not a necessary requirement for a job as an actor that is. However, if we find someone who does not have those stunning looks who also gets acting jobs then the assumption – even, if we are to take the law seriously, not something that is wholly necessary – is that the individual can act. If she’s fugly she can. Sydney Sweeney has hit ba ..read more

Israel hits Iran with retaliatory strike Umm, not good, eh? The post Hmm first appeared on Tim Worstall ..read more

Operation Branchform was launched by Police Scotland in July 2021 after a series of complaints about the SNP’s finances, which focused on the status of £667,000 in donations for a pro-independence fighting fund. The party’s accounts did not clearly show where that money was held, prompting allegations it had been used for the SNP’s day-to-day spending. The party said the money had been “earmarked” through its internal accounting processes. The party was rocked by a series of disputes about the transparency of financial decision-making, with three members of its finance and audit committee res ..read more

That, I stress, is a perfectly acceptable position to take. But it leaves one problem, which is that, however it is looked at, the supply of water within the Thames Water region is not operationally possible with acceptable levels of pollution within the framework that regulators permit, politicians will accept, and private capital will finance right now. That circle cannot be squared. There is literally no solution that reconciles those positions bar one, and that is a state subsidy for the massive investment required, with state ownership being necessary as a result. But if it simply isn’t ..read more