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--------------------------------------------------------------------------- IN THIS BULLETIN... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- GET BLOGGING! Our new weblog takes the market message to millions EVENTS: Authors, ministers, MEPs, psephologists, quangocrats... VILLAGE IDIOCY: More news from the Westminster mini-world STUFF: Dogs, spouse-beaters, killers, trainspotters and libertarians! BUT FIRST... The WTO talks in Cancun remind me that free trade is like getting to heaven. Everyone one wants to get there, but not too soon. I'm told that the cafe in the conference hotel was offering boiled Mexican wildcat at 10,000 Pesos, stewed armadillo at 20,000 Pesos, and roast politician at 500,000 Pesos. 'Why are the politicians so expensive?' asked one delegate. The chef replied: 'Have you ever tried to clean one?' --------------------------------------------------------------------------- GET BLOGGING! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today (yes, today) we launch our new Adam Smith weblog. A first among UK think-tanks, it is a fast-moving forum for comment and opinion, bringing free-market, free-society ideas to a new -- and large -- blogging world. We've some good pieces up already, so post your comments (just click on the 'comment' buttons); suggest new topics; be outraged; but above all, think. Visit the blog now at http://www.adamsmithblog.org ----------------------------------- ------------------------------------- WHO'S HOT? WHO'S NOT? ----------------------------------- ------------------------------------- POLI CATERING: Mouthwatering food POLLY TOYNBEE: Gut-wrenching tripe http://www.policatering.co.uk/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/columnists --------------------------------------------------------------------------- EVENTS: More on http://www.adamsmith.org/policy/news/forward.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Power Lunches ************* * MICHAEL DOBBS, 'House of Cards' author * ROD MORGAN, Probation Service Chief * NEIL COLLINS, Telegraph City Editor * DAVID WILLETTS MP, Tory Welfare boss * IVOR CAPLIN MP, Defence minister * SIR CHRIS GENT, Vodafone pensioner * MALCOLM WICKS MP, Pensions minister * PROF ANTHONY KING, psephologist * DANIEL HANNAN, MEP and journalist * STEPHEN CARTER, Ofcom chief Ask steve@adamsmith.org for info and invites. Airports policy breakfast ************************* CHRIS GIBSON-SMITH, Chairman of LSE and of NATS, talks airports policy at a House of Commons breakfast on 1 October. For information and invitations (you'll be lucky!) contact asiprojects@matthewyoung.co.uk and for our views on aviation policy see our transport issues page: http://www.adamsmith.org/cissues/transport/home.htm Health policy breakfast *********************** SIR DEREK WANLESS (he of the Report) and SIR GRAEME CATTO (President of the GMC) debate at a House of Commons breakfast on 10 October. For info, contact asiprojects@matthewyoung.co.uk and for our views on health policy see: http://www.adamsmith.org/cissues/health/home.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------------- VILLAGE IDIOCY: More gleanings from the news pages of www.ePolitix.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------- In last month's news clippings, I noted government plans to make farmers responsible for disposing of rubbish that is fly-tipped on their land. 'This is not without precedent,' says a reader. 'The government has already made UK citizens pay for the rubbish policies that are fly-tipped onto the statute books every day.' Got a point. Still, here's this week's outrages: Economic waste ************** - The Chancellor's economic hopes received a setback when data revealed the average G7 productivity last year was 16.8 per cent higher than the UK. - MPs want to know why the Treasury's administration costs have risen 40 percent, up 27 million pounds, in the last financial year. (Me too!) - The Child Support Agency has just written off more than 2.8 billion quid in unpaid child maintenance. (I wish I could write off debts so easily!) - Council taxes are being tipped to rise by around 200 pounds a year, due to new demands placed on councils by the government. Bad service *********** - Scared of prosecution, Network Rail managers agree to millions of pounds' worth of unnecessary safety measures, leading to an 80% rise in delays. - Rail subsidies are up 270 million pounds on nine years ago, but official passenger-growth targets still won't be met, says a Salford Uni report. - The BMJ says that a shortage of midwives puts babies' lives at risk; Cancer Research says bureaucracy is costing the lives of cancer patients. - In the last two years, less than 3000 doctors have taken up government inducements of up to 12,000 pounds each to fill GP vacancies. - Half our teachers have insufficient time or back-up to teach the government's new citizenship requirement properly, says a report. Divided Britain *************** - Leeds academics say the UK's social classes are becoming more divided. The JR Foundation says families now need 1.5 earners to make ends meet. - The number of people living in council-funded Bed & Breakfast accommodation has trebled (to 11,000 households) since 1997. - Irate motorists, angry at how speed cameras have been used as a way of boosting police revenues, have recently destroyed 700 speed cameras. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- STUFF... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >From our Dog That Didn't Bark in the Night department ***************************************************** Have you noticed how, even after a record hot summer, we don't seem to have been inflicted with hosepipe bans, rationing, shortages and standpipes? Our privatized water companies are simply set up to deal with times of drought, which before privatization would regularly drive the country into crisis. Daft jobs competition ********************* Another entry to our search for daft public job titles. Lucy McPhail suggests 'Domestic Violence Training Officer' for ARCH, part of North Staffordshire's Domestic Violence forum. The mind boggles. EU policy kills the poor ************************ EU Trade Barriers kill one African every 13 seconds, according to a new report from the excellent Centre for a New Europe. Time to scrap trade barriers -- on both sides. See the CNE's press release and report at: http://www.cne.org/pub_pdf/2003_09_04_EU_barriers_kill_PR.htm http://www.cne.org/pub_pdf/2003_09_04_EU_barriers_kill.pdf Read our views and think pieces at: http://www.adamsmithblog.org http://www.adamsmith.org Adam Smith on rails ******************* No train spotter, but Next Generation member Mark Roberts was intrigued by Transrail loco 60057 which bears the name of Adam Smith. And here's the website to prove it: http://www.transrail.co.uk/trans1.htm Libertarian event ***************** The Annual European Conference of the Libertarian International and the Libertarian Alliance is on the weekend of 22-23 November in London's National Liberal Club. Get details from: admin@libertarian.co.uk --------------------------------------------------------------------------- AS ADAM HAD IT --------------------------------------------------------------------------- As the sage of Kirkcaldy might have reflected on Cancun: 'To expect, indeed, that the freedom of trade should ever be entirely restored...is as absurd as to expect that...Utopia should ever be established in it. Not only the prejudices of the public, but what is much more unconquerable, the private interest of many individuals, irresistibly oppose it.' Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, Book IV Chapter II. e --- Dr Eamonn Butler, Director Adam Smith Institute, 23 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BL, UK E-mail butler@adamsmith.org - Visit us online at www.adamsmith.org Tel +44 (0)20 7222 4995 - Fax +44 (0)20 7222 7544 To unsubscribe, visit www.adamsmith.org/lists.htm
In December 2004 this page was modified significantly from its original form for archiving purposes.
, founded in 1995, is now a part of ISIL.
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