Category Archives: Politics – national

Cracking the code: How to tell what News Corp really thinks about the price of links

Posted on February 21, 2021 by David Walker

News Corp is telling us what Google should really pay for linking to its sites. It’s telling us in code. And the answer is … $0.00. What is an Internet link worth? For most of the Internet’s life, this question … Continue reading →

Posted in Bullshit, Business, Economics and public policy, Information, Intellectual Property, IT and Internet, Media, Politics - national, regulation, Web and Government 2.0 | 15 Comments

Why “final offer arbitration” is Russian Roulette for Google

Posted on February 20, 2021 by David Walker

The legislated “bargaining” process between Google and News Corp is unmoored from reality. Its “final offer arbitration” is unsuited to the task. Updated 21/2/2020 to move the detail of News Corp HTML into a separate story here. Apologies for any … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Journalism, Media, Politics - national, Print media | 15 Comments

Can you spot the countries with high vaccinations? Or recent lockdowns?

Posted on January 20, 2021 by Paul Frijters

I am all for effective vaccines and have been impressed with how fast vaccines have been developed against covid, but I never expected them to be the wonder weapons some promised them to be. After all, the yearly new vaccines … Continue reading →

Posted in Coronavirus crisis, Health, History, Innovation, Medical, Politics - international, Politics - national, Society | 12 Comments

7 Questions and hypotheses for 2021

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Paul Frijters

2020 was certainly a roller coaster for a social scientist, full of surprises. Let me not once again bemoan the increasingly coordinated attack on all sources of vitality in Western civilisation, but look ahead and openly wonder about what 2021 … Continue reading →

Posted in Coronavirus crisis, Cultural Critique, Democracy, Economics and public policy, Humour, IT and Internet, Medical, Politics - international, Politics - national, Science, Social, Social Policy, Uncategorized | 20 Comments

Histories of the Great Panic.

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Paul Frijters

How will Western historians in 2050 remember 2020? In scenario 1, “The Great Panic, a lost generation”, I sketch my best guess. Scenario 2, “A job well done” is the one I imagine many current Western governments hope is told. … Continue reading →

Posted in Coronavirus crisis, Cultural Critique, Dance, Geeky Musings, Health, History, Humour, Innovation, Libertarian Musings, Life, Philosophy, Politics - international, Politics - national, Public and Private Goods, Social Policy, Society | 91 Comments

How others are organising the Covistance: ideas for those who want to help.

Posted on November 2, 2020 by Paul Frijters

How are we going to escape the authoritarian nightmare and regain our liberties and zest for life? This long read is written for organisers of new Covistance initiatives, explaining the logic of what others have done and what could further … Continue reading →

Posted in Coronavirus crisis, Death and taxes, Democracy, Geeky Musings, Health, Information, IT and Internet, Journalism, Law, Libertarian Musings, Media, Parenting, Politics - international, Politics - national, Science | 17 Comments

The legal battles of the Covistance. Have there been crimes against humanity?

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Paul Frijters

Ramesh Thakur is one of many commentators inside the Covistance who think government public health advisers have committed crimes against humanity. His anger was raised by reports of desperate parents in India selling their children into virtual slavery, including sexual … Continue reading →

Posted in Coronavirus crisis, Economics and public policy, Health, Law, Libertarian Musings, Politics - international, Politics - national, Science, Social, Society | 73 Comments