Category Archives: Economics

Outsider

Posted on August 20, 2016 by

I should have paid more attention. Until this morning, I had no idea that the economics editor of the Guardian was in the anti-EU camp: When I voted for Brexit on 23 June, I did so for three reasons: because … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Europe, Uncategorized | Tagged , , ,

Notebook

Posted on January 29, 2016 by

Early on in the war small-denomination Reichsmark coins began to disappear rapidly, as metal was needed for other purposes. By 1919 all the low-value denominations had vanished. Enter the ersatz Mark and the ersatz pfennig, usually made not from metal, … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Europe, History, Notebook | Tagged , , , ,

Underground

Posted on December 18, 2015 by

Britain’s last deep coal mine is being shut down: “The National Union of Mineworkers, which used to have more than 500,000 members, is left with just 100 following the closure of Kellingley.” What an incredible statistic. I couldn’t help thinking … Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Economics | Tagged , , ,

Will the robots eat our jobs?

Posted on March 2, 2015 by

 Intelligence Squared are playing host to Walter Isaacson & Co in Westminster tonight, debating whether the age of automation is going to liberate us or wipe out whole professions. (£30 seems a lot to charge for a ticket, but maybe … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Politics, Technology | Tagged , , , ,

Links

Posted on December 11, 2014 by

“Bob Dylan’s career-long exploration of regional American music has finally reached Las Vegas.” The snarky way of announcing  the singer’s Sinatra project. How a country haemorrhages people: Portugal’s emigration crisis. Beyond parody. A story for our times. “If you’ve ever wondered what happens … Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Economics, Music, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , ,

Amazon – friend or foe?

Posted on October 14, 2014 by

Franklin Foer lays out the case for the prosecution in the New Republic: In confronting what to do about Amazon, first we have to realize our own complicity. We’ve all been seduced by the deep discounts, the monthly automatic diaper … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Money | Tagged , , ,

The rise & rise of organisation man

Posted on June 18, 2014 by

“They may fantasize trashing the office, but they do nothing effective about their rage.” A look at the past and present of office workers.

Posted in Economics, History | Tagged

The End of History revisited

Posted on June 9, 2014 by

In my experience, the people who denounce Francis Fukuyama the loudest are the ones who haven’t actually read his book. Twenty-five years on from the publication of the original essay, he believes his thesis is in pretty good shape: In … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, History, Politics | Tagged , ,

On Wall Street

Posted on April 24, 2014 by

I’m really looking forward to reading Michael Lewis’s latest, “Flash Boys”. Here he is, talking to the New Republic’s Isaac Chotiner: IC: I was wondering how spending so much time with Wall Street people and on Wall Street has changed you ideologically. … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Film, Money, US politics | Tagged , , ,

Statistic of the week

Posted on March 2, 2014 by

Unearthed by Pew Research demographer Conrad Hackett: Cost for a year at: Harvard $56k Nursing home $84k NYC jail $168k

Posted in Economics, US politics