Short Thoughts

INVISIBLE INFLATION - the silent killer

The Bank of England and other thieving central banks have come up with a terrific wheeze. They print loads of money and then reassure us that it’s not leading to rampant ‘inflation’ (by which they mean prices going up).

It was observed long ago, by the economist Ludwig von Mises and others, that 'inflation' is not the same as 'prices going up'. Inflation means printing money (or increasing the money supply by various subtle means). This does not always lead to prices going up. In fact it is possible to have inflation when prices are going down.

When the effect of an artificial boom ends, prices typically fall, as markets clear. This is the process by which markets return to normal and provides the basis for real growth (rather than a phony, credit-fuelled boom).

Printing money, which is what governments are currently doing on an obscene scale, is causing prices to be far higher than their true market levels. This is real inflation, we are experiencing an awful lot of it, and it represents a continuation of the very policies that landed us in the mess we’re in.

When prices are going up after a massive crash, as they are now, we should be very worried indeed. Our governments and central banks should be held to account. They are too stupid and self-serving to be left in charge of money … time to privatise the stuff (and to abolish central banks).

Read on...

Comments ()

NAZI GREENS - An Inconvenient History

Two disturbing stories recently on the greens. First Spiegel magazine runs an article on the rise of extremist right-wing environmentalism in Germany. Then The Observer newspaper reveals that, in the name of preventing ‘climate change’, British aid money to India is paying for the forced sterilisation of poor people. These are shocking stories. But not so shocking to those familiar with story of Nazi environmentalism. Time for a history lesson …

Picture the scene. At the edge of a forest, German soldiers point their guns at rows of naked people who follow the Jewish religion. Among them are young mothers clutching their babies. The shots echo through the woods and the dead bodies fall into the ground. Down the road, while this is happening, their German army comrades are busy establishing nature walks and bird sanctuaries and planting trees. The Nazis conducted horrific experiments on children (I have seen footage so upsetting it can’t be shown on TV) but at the same time they banned medical experiments on animals. The same Nazi monsters who committed crimes of unimaginable barbarity also advocated vegetarianism, organic agriculture, forest preservation and homeopathic healthcare. How can we possibly explain this? What was the connection between the inhuman brutality of the Nazis and their gushing idealization of ‘Nature’?

The purpose of exploring Nazi environmentalism is not just to upset the greens. If environmentalism were a curious but peripheral aspect of National Socialism, it would be of no real historical interest. Environmentalists could be forgiven for saying, Ah well, it just goes to show, there’s a little bit of good in the worst of us. But environmentalist...

Read on...

Comments ()