Much as I admire Dan Hodges, I can’t share his enthusiasm for the government’s mooted scheme to snoop on our internet activity. No I don’t buy the line that “If you’ve nothing to hide you’ve got nothing to be afraid of.” No I don’t believe that allowing nameless authorities to spy on our private communications [...]

OK, so you’re a BBC/Channel 4/CNBC commissioning editor. Or you’re maybe in charge of the selection panel for the Sundance Film Festival. Or you’re a feature writer for the New York Times and you’re wondering which pieces of gag-making worthiness to big up next. Which of these projects are you going to choose:

1. The one about the alleged victim of a racist miscarriage of justice.

2. The Occupy-style critique of Western Industrial civilisation.

3. The movie singing the praises of evil capitalist devil fuel, shale gas.

Well, obviously, it’s a no brainer. The first two get funding and attention and the third one gets ignored completely. It’s the way of the world. That’s how the liberal MSM exerts its grip on the culture – and has done since at least the days of Gramsci.

But, wait, what’s this? Could it possibly…

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God, I enjoyed my book launch party last week. (Though not as much as some people, eh, Toby?) So much so that I’m not sure I can ever forgive myself. I keep thinking not of the fun I had but of all those friends I wish could have been there but weren’t. My fault, totally, [...]

Here’s a must-read post by Aussie blogger Jo Nova – and it’s not on her usual topic climate change. The title says it all: The Ground Zero of Global Corruption: it starts with The Currency.
It’s like this. The governments and their central banks make as much free money from thin-air through fractional reserve banking and other methods as they can get away with — it benefits those who “spend that new money first”. They spend it at current prices, and pay it back later, after inflation has decreased its value. The people who pay the difference are those who saved and held money while its purchasing power fell. Speculators grow rich, while retirees and savers get poorer.

In a free market this would quickly lead to inflation, and people would rush to the…

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From George Osborne’s Budget speech:
Renewable energy will play a crucial part in Britain’s energy mix – but I will always be alert to the costs we are asking families and businesses to bear.

Environmentally sustainable has to be fiscally sustainable too.

The Carbon Reduction Commitment was established by the previous Government.

It is cumbersome, bureaucratic and imposes unnecessary cost on business.

So we will seek major savings in the administrative cost of the Commitment for business.

If those cannot be found, I will bring forward proposals this autumn to replace the revenues with an alternative environmental tax.

Gas is cheap, has much less carbon than coal and will be the largest single source of our electricity in the coming years.

And so my RHF the Energy Secretary will set out our new gas generation strategy in the autumn to secure investment.

I also want…

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When does middle age officially begin? Being just a few months away from my 47th birthday, I am ideally placed to give you the definitive answer: it starts when you’re about 10 years older than I am now. Or possibly 15 years.

What I can say for certain is that whatever “middle aged” is, I’m definitely not it yet. Why, just look at my Adidas Gazelles! Look at my not-grey hair! Look how much I’m liking (as they say) the Lana Del Rey album! I’m still young, I tell you. Young! Young young young young young!

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