Hugo Timms, in Spiked, describes a grim future for freedom of speech in Australia thanks to the country’s “eSafety Commissioner” Julie Inman-Grant. Based on recent clashes with Elon Musk and others, it appears Inman-Grant is determined to not only limit what Australians can say to each other over the internet, but to impose such censorship powers on the entire world.
In Law & Liberty, Nathan W. Schlueter reveals how both Republicans and Democrats are turning against the free market, and the dangers this entails. While admitting it can be a hard concept to defend, Schlueter lists the market’s best features, including its impersonal nature and the fact it forces everyone to confront the notion of scarcity. “Nature does not spontaneously provide food, clothing, and shelter,” he writes. Someone has to do the work.
Dan Katz and Daniel Di Martino, in City Journal, critique the claim from many leftwing economists that illegal immigration is a good thing because it “pushes down inflation” by keeping labour costs low. The pair argue instead that low-skilled and/or illegal migrants tend to receive more government benefits than they contribute in taxes, which inevitably increases government spending and thus boosts inflation.
State elections in Germany constitute a “political earthquake”, given the surge in support for upstart parties on the far right and far left. Writing in Spiked, Sabine Beppler-Spahl figures such tremors are the result of “government failure”, as crime rates and illegal immigration rise and the economy goes sideways. If the traditional voices can’t fix things, she argues, voters are prepared to let others give it a try.
In Law & Liberty, John O. McGinnis finds two causes behind the increasing polarization of western society. First is the rise of identity politics and the related need to label everything as either friend or foe. The second, perhaps surprisingly, is that our era of relative prosperity has made such activity possible. “Voters can indulge extreme beliefs because society and the world have been so relatively stable,” he writes.
In Law & Liberty, Nathan W. Schlueter reveals how both Republicans and Democrats are turning against the free market, and the dangers this entails. While admitting it can be a hard concept to defend, Schlueter lists the market’s best features, including its impersonal nature and the fact it forces everyone to confront the notion of scarcity. “Nature does not spontaneously provide food, clothing, and shelter,” he writes. Someone has to do the work.
Dan Katz and Daniel Di Martino, in City Journal, critique the claim from many leftwing economists that illegal immigration is a good thing because it “pushes down inflation” by keeping labour costs low. The pair argue instead that low-skilled and/or illegal migrants tend to receive more government benefits than they contribute in taxes, which inevitably increases government spending and thus boosts inflation.
State elections in Germany constitute a “political earthquake”, given the surge in support for upstart parties on the far right and far left. Writing in Spiked, Sabine Beppler-Spahl figures such tremors are the result of “government failure”, as crime rates and illegal immigration rise and the economy goes sideways. If the traditional voices can’t fix things, she argues, voters are prepared to let others give it a try.
In Law & Liberty, John O. McGinnis finds two causes behind the increasing polarization of western society. First is the rise of identity politics and the related need to label everything as either friend or foe. The second, perhaps surprisingly, is that our era of relative prosperity has made such activity possible. “Voters can indulge extreme beliefs because society and the world have been so relatively stable,” he writes.
