Tim Worstall Tim Worstall

Productivity isn’t about who owns but who uses

This year’s three Nobel prize winners in economics won because they all argue the alchemy of capitalist growth lies rather in “creative destruction” – letting outworn companies with redundant technologies go to the wall while fostering their rapid replacement by young and innovative companies based on the technologies of today or tomorrow.

Read More
Tim Worstall Tim Worstall

But ‘planes just are cheaper than trains

If I want to get from Barcelona to London, I face what should be a simple choice: either I take the plane, and pump out about 280kg of pollution that heats the planet, or the train, and spew just 8kg.

Read More
Madsen Pirie Madsen Pirie

Remove HMRC priority to boost growth

Historically, HMRC (His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs) had ‘preferential creditor’ status in insolvencies, meaning it was paid before unsecured creditors such as suppliers, small lenders, and sometimes employees beyond a certain cap.

Read More
Tim Worstall Tim Worstall

Another victim of the minimum wage

The mother of a severely autistic man who volunteered at Waitrose for four years has said she is “heartbroken” that he was stopped from working there after the family asked for him to be paid.

Read More
Madsen Pirie Madsen Pirie

Private spaceflight is on its way

I was the first person in the UK to book (late last century) a suborbital flight with Space Adventures, the company that flew private billionaires to the International Space Station.

Read More
Madsen Pirie Madsen Pirie

Bring on AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the defining force of the fourth Industrial Revolution, following the revolutions driven by mechanical power (steam), electrical power, and digital computing.

Read More
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Blogs by email