The first blog reaction to the Courageous State has come in, almost inevitably from Tim Worstall. He said, having read just one highlight that I've published:
My word, this book is going to be interesting, isn't it?
The Courageous State, among other things, will:
Support the broader goals of family, community and society and the achievement of purpose through identity;
It's not quite Kinde, Kuche und Kirchen but I can't be the only person to find something vaguely fascist about it can I?
So promoting economic and social policies that support the family, community and society so that people can achieve their own goals is fascist, is it?
I think that's the first and last time I need to pay attention to what the libertarian right say about this book: Worstall single-handedly reveals just how first of all out of touch they are with normal human objectives and secondly how unable they are to engage in anything approaching meaningful debate.
There is one irony though: when he also wants ( as no doubt he will) to cast it as Marxist he might now have a problem. That would be rationally inconsistent, after all, and a libertarian could never be that, could they?
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I had a brief look at his blog and there is something distinctly unsavoury about his posts.
I was going to describe him as reptilian and then I reminded myself that the animal kingdom just does not produce such unadulterated twaddle.
If that’s the best Tim Worstall can do, Richard, then I don’t think you’ve got too much to worry about.
I note further down the blogpost that he describes Keynes as a “neoclassical” economist…. that’s a pretty broad definition of “neoclassical”.
Indeed!
And if he thinks Keynes’ maths is the same as the standard neoliberal thinking he’s very, very wide of the mark
But I guess we knew that
I told you he’d have his review already written…but this is getting to be a lot of fun as Tim Worst-of-all is slowly finding he’s on the wrong side of the argument. Expect the vitriol to be ramped up as his little house of cards comes tumbling down.
And yes, you ARE the only person to find something vaguely fascist about it, which might tell you something about yourself you’ve been running away from all these years.
The problem with Tim’s critique of your aims.
“Support the broader goals of family, community and society and the achievement of purpose through identity”
is that they are, clearly, what most of us want economics to achieve.
The right tends to say that if the fulfilment of family, community and society is at odds with the workings of the market then family, community and society must change.
Most of us, I like to hope, would say that its the market that must change.
So is this book actually available? Can’t see it on Amazon/Kindle
I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. If I can actually read it.
It is available in November
As I say on the blog
Richard
Reading through Worst-of-all’s blog reminds one of the elast savoury side of the Taxavoiders’ Alliance.
They are linking GW and 99% ers – If they are that ignorant of science there is no hope. I’ve pointed out that the whole “Support the broader goals of family, community and society” is supposedly what the Tories are always going on about – Big Society anyone?
What does “The Courageous State… will…support…the achievement of purpose through identity” mean?
I’ll get back to you on this – but the book is the best answer – and final proofs pre-print need my attention