This biography of Lady Thatcher [by John Blundell] relates in warm detail the life of Margaret Thatcher, her achievements as British Prime Minister, and her life since retirement. Written in a vigorous, no-nonsense style, Lady Thatcher provides a succinct portrait of the Iron Lady, illustrating what the terms “Thatcherite” and “Thatcherism” really mean. Blundell shows why Thatcher was such an outstanding world leader and such an inspiration for women leaders in particular.

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Institute of Economic Affairs

Free-market reforms have not just produced remarkable economic results in a number of countries – they have also led to re-election for reformist governments, says a groundbreaking new book released today by the Institute of Economic Affairs*.

The results from reforms have often exceeded expectations. The book is filled with facts from well established sources about the results as well as the need in all OECD countries to launch further reforms. Employment has risen by more than 50 per cent in Ireland during the past ten years. Average disposable income has increased by 140 per cent in Slovakia during the same period. Australia managed to achieve a rate of entrepreneurship more than twice as high as in the UK – a whole 14 per cent of the adult population take part in entrepreneurial activity. Spain managed to integrate almost 2 million immigrants in the labour market in ten years. Clearly, there are obstacles to reform, but also ways round them – it is a matter of strategy.

Read more here.

The important, the defining, the crucial attribute of the role of Wal-Mart/Asda is that it is entirely voluntary. Nobody is coercing anybody. Indeed the reason it is such a huge success is that large numbers of us go there of our own volition. But even the largest corporations are utterly vulnerable to people’s choices. These may be whimsical or irrational. They may be a perceptive instinct for better options. We all remember Marks & Spencer’s dominance built on quality. Almost overnight it lost its magic. We went elsewhere… at least for a while. What a wake-up call that was.

Contrast this simple retailing story with schools. These are the products of utterly different forces – bureaucracy funded from taxation and built on the conscription of their customers. So much of education has been captured by the professions it is difficult to discern what parents or pupils want. At their meanest, some of our schools are little more than baby-sitting facilities. The students do not learn to read or write or count. Indeed as James Bartholomew, author of The Welfare State We’re In, points out: Two out of every five street robberies are committed by 10- to 16-year-olds during school hours. So are a quarter of all burglaries and a third of car thefts. It begins to seem that schools are academies of crime.

- Det skriver John Blundell fra Institute of Economic Affairs i "Why industrialists must stop being ashamed of capitalism".

Blundell afslutter sin kommentar således:

In their heart of hearts I think many top industrialists still carry the baggage of Marxism. They do genuinely believe they exploit, degrade or diminish. They see profits as zero-sum games. An exception is Lord Browne of BP. He observed that in business you want your customer to return. At one level this is a banality. Yet it is a crucial insight. In capitalism your relationship depends upon delivering satisfaction. The great cell structure of tiny transactions is what capitalism is really about. It is collaborative, participatory, mutual and, most oddly, equalising.

Frankrig er det mest korrupte land i den mest udviklede del af verden. Det viser en undersøgelse fra Institute of Economic Affairs fra juni måned 2006.

I sit forord skriver rapportens forfatter blandt andet følgende:

Competition and market entry can be impeded – particularly market entry by those whose integrity leads them to reject a culture of corruption. More seriously, a market economy can become shaken at its foundations by corruption: a corrupt government, police force or judiciary that does not enforce contracts or property rights can prevent market exchange from getting off the ground. Thus an understanding of corruption is important for understanding how market economies can develop and prosper.

I forordet gentages desværre - i modsætning til ovenstående indsigt - påstanden om at skandinaviske lande stort set ikke er korrupte. Det er bare ikke korrekt: Korruptionen i Danmark (og også Sverige) er i stedet sat i system. Vi har legaliseret korruptionen. Den er derfor ikke fraværende; jævnfør omfanget og forsvaret for protektionisme samt den åbenhed, der er fra politisk side, når det gælder interessen for yderligere konfiskation.(Læs Lobbyismen og den grænseløse stat ).

I Frankrig er det således stadigvæk et problem, at man bliver fanget i snyd og bedrag.

I Danmark giver man de politiske partier, der har bidraget til gældsætning og stadigt voksende system af overførsler, beskyttelse og statsmonopolisering af historieskrivningen vetoret, når det gælder fremtidige beslutninger. Man ophæver samtidig disse socialistiske og socialdemokratiske partiers bidrag til afviklingen af værdiskabelse i samfundet, til at være et positivt bidrag til kulturarven.

Bedragerne har dermed opnået en beskyttet status; ikke mindst i kraft af at de politiske partier, nu selv har opnået en position, hvor de er beskyttet mod konkurrence; hvilket tidligere kun var noget, der blev tilbudt andre.

Staten og partierne i Danmark er, også takket være partistøtten (men primært i kraft af nationaliseringen af informations- og uddannelsesområdet), nu ved at vokse sammen.

- At kortlægge forbindelserne, hvad angår protektionisme er også en journalistisk opgave, sådan som det er fremhævet i artiklen her.

Læs også Staten, informationen og de beskyttede.

Om legaliseret tyveri se The Law - af Frederic Bastiat, skrevet i midten af 1800-tallet.