Author Archives: Tim Worstall

Dec152019

Posted in Feminism

Those right wing transphobes

By Comments:18 Comments

So much for an all-powerful, well funded sinister trans lobby. Yet again we have zero trans or non-binary MPs, zero trans or non-binary judges, zero trans or non-binary newspaper editors, and zero trans or non-binary political columnists. Despite our awesome power we haven’t even been able to secure reliable supplies of HRT.

It’s been interesting to see the mental gymnastics the anti-trans crowd have been putting themselves through over the election results.

Dunno really. We have had a trans MEP. I know because I worked hard – along with all other Ukip peeps – to get her elected in 2009. But it’s the right wing that are the bigoted transphobes, right?

Dec152019

Posted in Science

The Bathonian proof

By Comments:2 Comments

Today proves, absolutely, that there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. For the one apparent from Bear Flat today roots itself in Twerton.

This is indeed absolute proof. No Bathonian would doubt it.

Dec152019

Posted in Ragging on Ritchie

They refused me vermine, therefore

By Comments:10 Comments

I am frustrated too. That’s mainly with Labour. More so with Corbyn. From his inability to even tell his glasses were wonky onwards (and yes, these things matter) he ran a bad campaign. But the fault was not his alone. Those running the campaign, from Milne onwards, were very obviously clueless as to what was required.

I shall fulminate thusly.

Dec152019

Posted in Economics

Erm, well……

By Comments:10 Comments

Governing for the interests of those northerners who have “lent him their votes”? Pull the other one! How does that compare with his plans for deregulation, closer alignment with Trump’s America, and the opportunities for profiting from Brexit to which his financial backers look forward?

Perhaps being more American, less European, more free market, will be beneficial to uppity northerners as well as everyone else? After all, the European method ain’t so great for those in the other rust belt areas of the continent, is it?

Dec152019

Posted in Politics

He’s really, really, not got it

By Comments:18 Comments

We won the argument, but I regret we didn’t convert that into a majority for change
Jeremy Corbyn
We must now ensure that the working class, in all its diversity, is the driving force within our party

The point being that there isn’t a working class any more, not in the manner that the Marxists think there is. We now leap direct from lumpenproletariat to petit bougeoisie. There’s also no longer a working class in the old Labour sense. That guiding star of the movement simply isn’t there any more.

Dec152019

Posted in Current Affairs

My library has a pongo pongo requirement

By Comments:11 Comments

But other than that what is to be done?

As many as 4,500 primates face having nowhere to go when the government bans people from keeping them as pets, a BBC science presenter has warned.

Dr Ben Garrod, a primatologist who is presenting two new science-based shows for the broadcaster, said that while he welcomed the expected policy announcement, which is currently in the consultation stage, there remained concerns about where to accommodate the animals if they are confiscated.

He said: “We think there are 4,500 privately owned primates in the UK, even if we banned it tomorrow what do you do with these 4,500 animals that can live decades? We don’t have the facilities to confiscate them off people.

It appears that we’ve got that not thinking thing going on again. It’ll be illegal to keep them. But zoos won’t want them, or couldn’t take them. And?

So what will happen to them? Presumably be put down. Which will be a grand victory for the protection of animal rights, won’t it?

Dec142019

Posted in Ragging on Ritchie

Yep, they’re starting already

By Comments:66 Comments

When Boris Johnson says he has a clear mandate for BREXIT, he should perform a little arithmetic with the votes cast in the general election.

The total votes cast for anti-Brexit parties and Labour’s soft deal and second referendum comes to : 16,698,075 votes: roughly 55%.

And the total votes for the Conservatives, Brexit Party and DUP comes to 14,846,998: 45%. I ignored the Independents and Others whose total of votes is insignificant.

So Boris doesn’t have clear support for BREXIT, in fact the majority is for REMAIN or at least a soft BREXIT and a second referendum. The majority is significantly larger than the referendum now it is 55 to 45, in contrast to 48 t0 52.

Sigh.

Dec142019

Posted in Feminism

Erm, why?

By Comments:18 Comments

It would be a truly radical and transformational move for Weinstein to disregard his lawyers and decide it’s time to do the right thing: admit fault, apologize sincerely and individually, and use every last cent he has to make amends and pay back the women who accuse him of wrongdoing.

That rather makes the accusation the proof of the crime, doesn’t it? Not something that we’d actually enjoy having as part of a legal system.

Dec142019

Posted in Tax

Ho hum

By Comments:5 Comments

With statements like this no wonder they get confused:

And at the very top, among those taking home hundreds of millions each year, the tax code is actually regressive, meaning the more they make the less they pay. The richest 1% own nearly 40% of all the wealth, but pay only 20% of all the taxes.

We tax income, your income tax bill does go up the more you earn. America’s income tax system is in fact rather more progressive than that of most other places. Comparing to wealth is a nonsense as income and wealth are different things.

Dec142019

Posted in Business

This Quadriga thing fascinates

By Comments:4 Comments

So, Canadian crypto exchange. Founder dies. All passwords to the stock of crypto are lost. Oooops!

Then it occurs to people that perhaps said founder was a bad ‘un. For he certainly had been involved in scams before. Hmm:

Lawyers representing the customers of a collapsed trading platform have demanded that the founder’s body is exhumed given what they claim are “questionable circumstances” surrounding his death.

Well, yes, first step is to find out whether he actually did die…..this one is going to run for years I think. ‘Cuz I think the first step is going to find out that he didn’t.

Dec132019

Posted in Feminism

Tough one really

By Comments:16 Comments

The world knows me as female.

But there are still some exceptions. HMRC says I’m a bloke. If I want to remarry, I’d legally be the husband (and if I were straight and wanted to marry a man, religious celebrants could refuse to marry me or host my wedding in their church).

Just one of those problems that doesn’t go away I guess.

Dec132019

Posted in Politics

Har, Har, Har

By Comments:44 Comments

Among those who fell short were the former Labour MPs Chuka Umunna and Luciana Berger, and the ex-Conservative Sam Gyimah, who had been placed in London seats the Lib Dems believed winnable. Other former Tories such as Phillip Lee and Antoinette Sandbach also lost.

Dec132019

Posted in Politics

Eh?

By Comments:26 Comments

Toe-curlingly bad performers and insignificants were punted up as loyalists, while serious heavyweights Keir Starmer and Emily Thornberry might as well have been shut in Johnson’s freezer.

If Ems is a heavyweight is Labour’s loss all that much of a surprise?

Dec132019

Posted in Science

Interesting

By Comments:6 Comments

Baby boys born small for their gestational age have a greater chance of infertility as adults than those born at an average weight, research suggests.

One of the things we can observe is that in times of dearth the male/female ratio at birth changes. The ratio at conception we think doesn’t change, but there’s at least limited ability for the womb to “choose” what to allow to come to fruition.

The standard explanation for the change in the usual 106 boys to 100 girls (or so) at birth is that a runty male is no good in the gaining grandkids stakes. Those stakes being the only ones anyone is playing for. Pretty much any woman who is fertile can, if she desires, have a child or more. This is not true of less favoured males.

Hmm, OK. So, in times of famine why bother to try to have a male child? Spontaneously abort, try again next month.

Not sure if this changes that explanation or is in addition to it. For it would lead to the same sorta result. Underweight males are infertile – or more likely to be – rather than just ill-favoured in pursuit of a mate. We’d get to the same end result of any selection process in those times of dearth, wouldn’t we?

Dec132019

Posted in Politics

How Joyous

By Comments:17 Comments

The general view is already explained here. But isn’t this just iced cake?

The other big loser of the night was Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson, who lost her East Dunbartonshire seat

Sadly she’ll be right back as Baroness Swinson but still, nice to see.

Dec122019

Posted in Environmentalism

Those bastards taking the water

By Comments:10 Comments

You know, the commercial people bottling water. Bastards:

The Tamborine Mountain state school has run out of water, even as water miners in the Gold Coast hinterland are sending millions of litres to commercial bottling operations.

Trucks sent by the Queensland government carrying emergency supplies to the school, including Mount Tamborine bottled water, have been passing trucks heading in the opposite direction taking local water to bottling plants for beverage giants such as Coca-Cola.

You’ve got to read around a bit to get to the truth here:

We are the largest community in Australia that doesn’t have reticulated water.

Everyone is using their own well or borehole. Of the ground water available:

“QUT research says levels of groundwater extraction are equivalent to less than five per cent of average annual groundwater recharge.

“Of that five per cent, farmers use almost 84 per cent of the extracted groundwater for horticulture, households almost 11 per cent, and bottled water operations, about five per cent.”

As everywhere it’s the farmers taking the vast majority.

It’s actually bugger all to do with bottled water but guess what they’re complaining about?

Dec112019

Posted in Feminism

The latest in LGBT rights

By Comments:7 Comments

Pressing the UK government to outlaw dangerous and discredited conversion therapy

“Are you absolutely sure you want your knackers cut off? Never to have an orgasm again?”

“Right mate, you’re knicked for transphobia. Or practising conversion therapy.”

Or, to be less aggressive about it, we know that at least some body dysmorphia is a mental problem. We are to deny treatment of it?