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News from Somewhere
Stuart Blade
Workers' Paradise (1)
It's not clear if the full implications of the market
system have been digested by the Gorbachov boys. Leonid Abalkin, head of the
Economics Institute at the Academy of Sciences has spoken favourably of the
New Economic Policy of 1921-1928. This policy marked a retreat from "War
Communism" (abolition of money and all that jazz) to a greater measure of
free enterprise and private property. According to Mr Abalkin, "We must
change the present mechanism, as against the old one, in as deep, radical and
principled a way as the New Economic Policy." (Daily Telegraph
1/11/86)
Workers' Paradise (2)
But the deeds are not always living up to the words.
Gorbachov has backed up the anti-alcohol measures with a growing campaign
against prostitution. Moskovskii Komsomolyets, a newspaper of the
young communists has published an exposé entitled "The night-time
hunters". Another Russian newspaper, Soviet Byelorossya, reported
that "Some foreign guests actually turned to Intourist officials with the
request that they be protected from such attentions". But what about
foreign guests who do not want to be protected from such 'attentions', who
don't mind a bit of slap and tickle with Svetlana? And what about all that
valuable foreign currency going begging? (The Times)
Who Won the War Then?
American soldiers raise the Stars and Stripes at Iwojima
The Japanese need no lessons on the workings of
capitalism. An American housewife was 'aghast' when she turned over a small
souvenir statue which showed the American flag being raised by marines at Iwo
Jima, a great victory over the Japanese. On the back was the motto "Made
in Japan". It may be such examples of the ruthless and heartless Japanese
entrepreneurship which now make the Americans favour limits on imports by a
majority of 51% to 38% - if we are to believe a WSJ/NBC poll. (The Times
18/12/86)
Not-so- "Old Blue Eyes"
Sinatra -- before rejuvenation was required
Frank Sinatra has been awarded $300,000 damages
because the National Enquirer magazine revealed that he underwent
'rejuvenation' treatment in a Swiss clinic. Because American courts believe
that Sinatra owns his reputation, it is no longer sufficient for Sinatra to
look young. Now we must all believe that he is as young as he looks. (Sun
18/9/86)
A Tale of Two Chip Shops
Harry Ramsden -- the greatest chip shop entrepreneur of them all
It's becoming increasingly difficult to hide how
hopeless the British National Health Service is. Two ambulance men rushing a
heart patient to hospital stopped en route for some fish and chips. Little did
they know that the heart patient's wife and daughter were following them. The
ambulance men were subsequently sacked but all is not yet lost. They have
claimed unfair dismissal and their case goes before an industrial tribunal in
Hull. (Sun 28/6/86)
Marion Cheung came to Britain only 15 years ago from
Hong Kong with his parents who opened a fish and chip shop. Now aged 30, he
works as a project leader in the computer division of United Biscuits in
Liverpool. He thinks about going back to Hong Kong where "there are still
opportunities. Here in Liverpool it's not competitive enough... If anything
happens to you the state will take care of you". (Observer 9/2/86)
Oily Politicians
The Energy Select Committee of the House of Commons
had the insufferable cheek to ask for written evidence from the oil companies
on the relationship between crude oil and petrol prices over the last twenty
years. While they are about it, they should ask the government what percentage
of the petrol pump price is taken in taxation. Then they will be able to
confirm what the rest of us know. That petrol would be a damn sight cheaper if
there were no Select committees on Energy, no Departments of Energy etc. etc. The
Times 7/4/86)
The Return of Robin Hood
Your money or your life
London's latest street criminals are catching up with
officialdom. The muggers take half or more of your money - depending on how
rich you look - and then tell you that you have been 'taxed'. "The crime
is based on the feeling among some members of the community that cash and
property is to he shared - particularly if they don't have any
themselves", said a North London detective. "A lot of taxing goes on
at street level and is never reported to us. But we know that it started at
least a year ago (sic) - it has been going on for some time". 'Taxing'
certainly did start at least a year ago, though Libertarians argue about the
exact date. This crime is almost certainly based on the desire of some members
of the community to get their hands in other people's wallets. As time passed,
the crime has grown by leaps and bounds and the clear-up rate has been very
poor. Libertarians hope to change all that. (London Evening Standard
16/2/87)
The Third World Finally Joins the Rat Race
Joining the Rat Race?
A village chief in West Java is charging couples 10
dead rats to get married and 25 for a divorce. And there are those who
maintain that tribal life is alien to the spirit of capitalism (The Times)
Taking Lessons to Heart
A headmaster has
banned a pupil from classes for buying ice creams outside school hours. Calvin
Crossman has been told that he can only attend Oldbury Wells comprehensive
school for examinations. Mr Roger Davies, the headmaster, said the boy had
been excluded from the school for defying a ban on junk food and for gross
public defiance. He said that Britain had a high rate of heart disease and
that healthy eating must be taken seriously. It seems that Edwina Curry, the
junior health minister, is gathering support for her attempt to turn us all
into healthy (and happy?) subjects of the state. (The
Times 16/5/87)
Top 50 books of all time : by Old Hickory:-
"I have limited the selection to the books I have read. I keep to the norm of not recommending to others books I have yet to read. Clearly, books I have not read by now suggests a judgement of some sort."
Further reading:
"A landmark study of crowd psychology and mass mania throughout history. It includes accounts of classic scams and grand scale madnesses such as the Mississippi Scheme that swept France in 1720, the South Sea Bubble and the Tulip mania of Holland."
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