This shouldn’t be a surprise, Madsen Pirie has twice been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2021 and 2022. Of course the reason for the nominations doesn’t quite tie in with the current zeitgeist. For the current idea is if that people have lots of meetings and politicians natter then there will be peace. Madsen is rather different, he’s with Bastiat. “When goods do not cross borders, soldiers will.” So the way to peace is rather the opposite of the standard politics and natter. In fact, we desire that politicians do nothing. Goods – and services – will cross borders when politicians don’t prevent them doing so. So, stop politicians from preventing the trade and gain the peace.
That the people who award the Peace Prize don’t get this yet is true, but it is heartening to know that some who nominate for it do.
I remember him writing for Mensa Magazine years ago.
Seems a clever chap.
Ah, I thought I recognised the name.
Nice theory but it doesn’t seem to work for Russia. Seems to me (no direct experience, if Tim wants to contradict from his experience I’ll happily learn) that the Russian attitude (at the top, if not street level) is “we survived without luxuries during the Cold War, we survived starvation fighting the Nazis, we don’t need trade with the West”. What’s the Russian for Juche?
Well, no. The apparatchiki insist that the cheloviki survived that way. The cheloviki shout that they’d like those commonplaces like three squares and a change of clothes, thank you.
I’m sure Madsen would love to be in the same company as Barack O’Bama and Al Gore.
Well, no. The apparatchiki insist that the cheloviki survived that way. The cheloviki shout that they’d like those commonplaces like three squares and a change of clothes, thank you
Well, who’s winning this battle of ideas
To be honest, I see little difference between Russia & the UK these days. Except for the price of vodka
‘For the current idea is if that people have lots of meetings and politicians natter then there will be peace.’
Looking at the way things have gone in Sudan, and indeed went in Yemen, I’d argue that this is definitely wrong. Just leaving things alone and not meddling, as Madsen seems to suggest, may well work better. I doubt if it’d work worse.
“When goods do not cross borders, soldiers will.”
Or… “you don’t bomb your customers”.
Trouble is my customers are not the government’s “customers” so they don’t give a shit. Same for most countries…. the peeps in the private sector (obvs not quasi-nationalised govt contractors like defence companies etc) hate wars/conflict – fucks up supply chains in both directions.