Dr Kristian Niemietz
CapX
United Kingdom
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Past articles by Dr:
Many young Brits really do want socialism – how can they be convinced it's a bad idea?
It’s something of a cliché for us old fogeys to shake their heads at the attitudes of the younger generations. ‘Kids these days…’ and all that. Nevertheless, the news that a majority of British millennials and ‘Zoomers’ think socialism would be ‘the ideal economic system’ for the UK is still a cause for concern. A […] → Read More
Should free-marketeers care less about tax cuts?
What does it mean to be a liberal? The basic programme of liberalism has been remarkably consistent over the centuries, but the emphasis has changed with the times. For the very early liberals, the issue of religious toleration loomed large. This is because liberalism emerged, in no small part, in response to the European wars […] → Read More
There's nothing 'right-wing' about raising the retirement age, whatever Twitter might tell you
Twitter has been getting very excited lately about the protests in France. In case you missed it, President Macron is planning to gradually raise the retirement age from currently 62 years to, eventually, 64. This may not sound especially radical but, France being France, it has triggered the usual all-out protests, with a turnout of well […] → Read More
Why social democrats need to learn to defend the market economy
This year’s Labour conference started in an unusual way, with a rendition of the national anthem by the delegates. Despite the usual little Twitter meltdown and some pearl-clutching in The Guardian, it all went smoothly and without incident. There was no heckling, no booing, no unrolling of banners saying ‘This is literally fascism!!’, and no […] → Read More
The real reason it's cheaper to live abroad
If you’ve managed to get away on holiday this summer, you may have noticed that many things, like eating out, groceries and alcohol, are much cheaper in other countries. Indeed The Telegraph even seemed to suggest this could be the answer the cost-of-living crisis – in an article with the hilariously tone-deaf headline ‘Why spending […] → Read More
Left turn ahead: Surveying attitudes of young people towards capitalism and socialism — Institute of Economic Affairs
Summary Millennials have long been portrayed as a politically disengaged and apathetic generation. In recent years, however, that portrayal has … Continue reading "Left turn ahead: Surveying attitudes of young people towards capitalism and socialism" → Read More
From childcare to sin taxes, the state is making the cost-of-living crisis so much worse
In his seminal book Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy (1942), the Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter explained one of the key characteristics of capitalist economies in the following terms: ‘It is the cheap cloth, the cheap cotton and rayon fabric, boots, motorcars and so on that are the typical achievements of capitalist production, and not as a rule improvements […] → Read More
Cutting Through: How to address the cost of living crisis — Institute of Economic Affairs
Summary The cost-of-living crisis has been worsened by longer-term structural factors, beyond the immediate issues posed by loose monetary policy … Continue reading "Cutting Through: How to address the cost of living crisis" → Read More
Privatising the NHS – the failed conspiracy theory that never dies
Moral panics about imaginary secret plans to privatise the National Health Service are a time-honoured British tradition – so much so that one could almost defend them on ‘Burkean’ grounds. I cannot remember when I noticed this bizarre ritual for the first time, but I first wrote about in on the IEA blog more than a […] → Read More
Terminal Problem? The case for a market-based airport slot allocation system — Institute of Economic Affairs
Summary Since the mid-1980s, the UK’s aviation sector has undergone substantial liberalisation. This was a great success story as far as it went. But two major components have bucked that overall liberalisation trend: airport capacity, and the allocation of take-off and landing slots. These are the two remaining islands of central planning in an otherwise … Continue reading "Terminal Problem?… → Read More
The big lie that underpins the new eco-militant movement
There are plenty of irritating things about the new eco-militant movement, whether it is the Greta Thunberg faction, Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain, Just Stop Oil, or whatever new group may have sprung up in the meantime. For a start, there is the aggressive hyper-moralism and absolutism, which often lends itself to bizarre conclusions. (Just the […] → Read More
What I learned from debating the NHS — Institute of Economic Affairs
A few weeks ago, I took part in a debate at King’s College London, on the crowd-pleasing question “Should the NHS be privatised?”. Around the time of the publication of my book Universal Healthcare without the NHS, I used to take part in debates of that kind quite regularly. Extrapolating from that experience, I was … Continue reading "What I learned from debating the NHS" → Read More
For the Woke warriors, culture and economics are two sides of the same coin – just ask Mollie-Mae
Last month, Instagram influencer and fashion entrepreneur Molly-Mae Hague appeared on a podcast about business-related issues. She made a fairly anodyne comment about career success and its causes: ‘You’re given one life and it’s down to you what you do with it, like, you can literally go in any direction. ‘Obviously we all have different […] → Read More
A health insurance system doesn't have to mean 'Ryanair care' for the poor
Imagine a parallel universe where the National Health Service had never been created. What would healthcare in Britain look like today? Would we have to live in constant fear of being bankrupted by medical bills? Would access to healthcare be determined by ability to pay? Would we have luxury healthcare for the rich, and ‘Ryanair […] → Read More
Unfortunately, 'Millennial socialism' isn't just a Twitter phenomenon
If you are a classical liberal, a conservative, or even a centre-left social democrat who likes to argue on Twitter, you will have noticed that your views are not especially popular on that platform. The spectrum of acceptable Twitter opinion only seems to range from “Tankies” (i.e. full-on Stalinist/Maoists) on the Left to standard Guardianistas […] → Read More
Stop listening to NIMBYs – it's time for all out war
Boris Johnson has promised a “radical shakeup” of the planning system – the “biggest shake-up in 70 years” no less – in order to fix the housing crisis. Call me a cynic, but I have heard this too many times to believe a word of it. We have been here before. Announcing a “radical shakeup” […] → Read More
Is there any hope of a rational discussion about 'our NHS'?
Do you remember the PISA study, the international league table of educational outcomes? Back in the good old days when schools were still a thing, it used to attract a lot of media coverage every three years. The British school system usually did not do brilliantly in those rankings, a fact which would prompt plenty … → Read More
Enough of the 'coronfirmation bias', the pandemic has not vindicated anyone
Last Spring, my colleague Chris Snowdon compiled an amusing Twitter thread, highlighting examples of commentators and activists who were using the Covid pandemic as a new excuse to peddle their old pet causes. The format was always the same: someone would make up some spurious reason why the pandemic has supposedly “vindicated” the case for … → Read More
Can we avert a staffing crisis in the NHS? — Institute of Economic Affairs
On 24 November, the IEA hosted a webinar entitled “Is there a doctor in the house? Plugging the gaps in NHS staffing”, to mark the launch of an IEA report by Mark Tovey on the issue of staff shortages in the NHS. One of the panellists was the IEA’s Kristian Niemietz. The article below is … Continue reading "Can we avert a staffing crisis in the NHS?" → Read More
What really sets 'hip' socialists aside from the crank left?
Do you know who Owen Jones is? You probably find this question bemusing. Jones is the UK’s bestselling political writer, he has a million Twitter followers, and he is almost constantly on TV. If you live in Britain, and you take at least some interest in current affairs, it is impossible not to know who he is … → Read More