I’ve just noticed that the Australian Libertarian Society is running a poll on the best individual (of course) libertarian blogger.
At the time of writing (and who knows when the poll will be closed?) there are three contenders at the front of the pack running neck and neck - Andrew Norton on 23%, and Pommygranate and A Better World: Graeme Bird for High Office on 22%.
To showcase these competitors, and highlight the undoubted quality of individual Australian libertarian thought, I’ve taken the liberty of sampling from their recent posts. Over the fold.
But should McFeely even have had to apply for such an exemption? Anti-discrimination law is an issue that has divided liberals. There is a version of liberalism which holds that the way the state should treat its citizens - as impartially as possible - is a model for all institutions in civil society as well. Liberal states create space for people to live according to their own assessment of what makes for a good life, whether or not other people approve of it. But in a liberal society, the state may be the most powerful single institution, but private power has a large impact as well. To create space for the liberal individual, private as well as public power needs to be regulated. In alliance with egalitarian philosophies, this liberal idea helps explain why we have legislation prohibiting discrimination based on a wide variety of attributes.
This attractive girl is Emma Cornell. She is a 24 year-old fitness instructor currently appearing in Big Brother. Last week her father died of cancer. Channel Ten still hasn’t told her. Emma’s boyfriend, Tim Stanton, told the media that
“Her dad didn’t want her to be upset or to feel like she had to leave the house to come to his funeral.”
Feel like she should leave the house? What just to bury her father?
Bird:
Various macromancers around here, for a year now, have been dishonestly claiming that there are efficiency gains via fractional reserve.
This is totally ridiculous.
I simply don’t know why the fractional-reserve-at-any-cost crowd try this on.
But look at this introduction to this modelling study based on statistical realities.
These guys are trying to model the damage that oscillating demand does.
And its pretty clear that it leads to a higher optimal inventory level. As do higher rates of monetary growth.This is powerfully inefficient as the IDEAL!!!!!, where it can be acheived, is Just In Time management.
Much more discussion of this poll at Catallaxy. It would appear from the Catallaxy post that the poll has been going for almost a week. No word on when the honours will be awarded.
Kim,
Perhaps you should start a poll for the best soc!al!st blogger. As a side question - would that have to be on a collective basis?
I am sure that digging through the nominee’s various efforts would be amusing, at best. Some of the economics would be (IMHO) at least as questionable as one of those above.
(Looks like I got busted on the Scunthorpe problem - trying again with a modified word for left-wing policies)
It’s like Eurovision - one good tune, then a Belgian pop song called “Ooops Ooooops I’m in love with you”, followed by three Germans dressed as Fridge-Freezers singing “Beware! The Umbrella Men”.
Who to pick?
You’re taking a risk, Kim, raising fractional reserve (although it’s a thread of doom killer over here, I think). Seriously people, go vote. If Birdy wins, John Humphreys will probably have a kitten
So, vote for Bird!
I would humbly suggest to the ALS that once Bird wins, his prize should be a visit to a mental health practitioner (that is unless he’s perpetrating an elaborate joke).
Vote for Bird!
The FACISTS who said they preferred Norton and Pommygranate ARE ALL COMMIE LIARS!
YOU ALL KNOW WHO IS THE BEST.
SO STOP LYING!!
I tried to vote for Bird but you can’t vote from a university IP address apparently!
The poll is being rigged to stop Bird’s academic admirers from participating!
Given LP’s reputation as the home of measured, thoughtful discourse from a leftist perspective, perhaps some recent posts could nominated for awards of their own. My favourite examples so far from 2007:
OMG the Vice Preznit is totally zapping lesbians with an invisibility ray!
Australia is Stasiland because I can’t do maths!
and
Paramilitary youth organisations are behind the obesity pandemic!
Bismarck, how could you?
Primary Kim, how are you?
I once commented on the paucity of intellectual activity on the Australian right saying that the only rightwinger in Australia I could think of who showed both real intelligence and a commitment to truth and logic rather than winning at all costs was Andrew Norton.
I didn’t however, imagine he was the only one who actually existed. However if these three top the field by so much I guess we can say that on the Libertarian right, at least amongst those who own blogs, I had it nailed.
Just dandy, Another Kim!
You’re being harsh on poor Pommy. Go read his blog… it’s worthy.
The votes for Bird have a good comedy value (especially when you realise he actually took them seriuosly) but as his blog only has 5 readers it’s hard to take his performance too seriously.