Sounding Board

<p>It’s results day 2019! In this episode, we discuss the UK General Election results. We look at statistics, trends, vote share and debate who, & what, were the real winners and losers this time around. We may be relieved, but is the result actually bittersweet? —— Please visit our website to download or stream all...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/election-results-2019-who-and-what-were-the-real-winners/">Election Results 2019 – Who and what were the real winners?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>It’s that time again! It’s polling day tomorrow, so we couldn’t record anything but a General Election special. We discuss the latest YouGov MRP (whatever that stands for…), trends amongst other polls and the state of the current crop of political parties. Just how close do we think the result will be? Will we be...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/general-election-2019-and-the-current-state-of-british-politics/">General Election 2019 and the Current State of British Politics</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>Recorded straight after the last edition, we follow on with a discussion on the problems of our democratic system and whether we only have a choice of the “least worst” from here on in. We talk about whether voting matters in a “safe seat”, and whether we have been unwittingly encouraging others to vote on...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/democracy-libertarianism-and-the-trouble-with-voting/">Democracy, Libertarianism and the Trouble with Voting</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>In this episode we analyse the manifestos of all major UK parties. And the Greens. Andrew reached for the short straw this week when he had to read all parties’ manifestos for the upcoming UK General Election on December 12th. Why are they all so similar? Why is it so hard to tell the difference,...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/the-leftwards-drift-of-uk-politics/">The Leftwards Drift of UK Politics</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>Has Boris found the magic centrist formula for winning the election with his championing of both the free market and the public sector? Or will the Conservatives desire to spend, spend, spend, cause them to look like Labour Lite? After writing this blog post before there was a general election set, has anything changed? We...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/a-la-cartism-boris-and-the-next-uk-general-election/">A La Cartism, Boris and the next UK General Election</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>It’s the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall – a crucial moment in the late 20th century that signalled the end of the Cold War and the retreat of Communism. So what has changed since then, and do people born after this moment have different sensibilities when it comes to who the...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/the-berlin-wall-fell-30-years-ago/">The Berlin Wall Fell 30 Years Ago</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>We’re finally having a general election. But will it really solve the parliamentary problems we are currently experiencing? Why are we in the situation we are in? Why are we having a General Election at all? In this edition, Andrew and Nic discuss the craziness of the last couple of weeks in UK politics and...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/does-a-general-election-mean-we-finally-get-brexit/">Does a General Election Mean we Finally Get Brexit?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>What if everything the government does was privatised? Not the law making, but all of the other functions and agencies and quangos. Could it be done quickly? What would be the consequences, and should we start with something small first… like the NHS. As we discuss going the whole hog, we realise we never started...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/thought-experiment-privatising-the-public-sector/">Thought Experiment: Privatising the Public Sector</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>Are we heading for the end of the human species as predicted by Extinction Rebellion? In the middle of the second week of London protests and blockades, we discuss some of the issues surrounding Anthropogenic Global Warming, and climate change in general. Does it play into their hands if we arrest the protesters, as George...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/climate-change-and-extinction-rebellion/">Climate Change And Extinction Rebellion</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>In a week dominated by reports in the media of parliament using inflammatory language, and the announcement that Sam Smith wants people to use new preferred pronouns, we discuss whether our natural language is becoming more like a formal one. What are the differences between a formal and natural language? What’s the importance of context...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/formal-language-and-woke-culture/">Formal Language and Woke Culture</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>We are joined by the Head of Political Economy at the Institute of Economic Affairs, Dr Kristian Niemietz, for a conversation on the phenomenon of modern support for socialism, whether apologists for capitalism help their cause, and whether we’ll see a new classical liberal revolution in our lifetimes. You can find Kristian on Twitter as...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/dr-kristian-niemietz-interview-socialism-capitalism-and-liberalism/">Dr Kristian Niemietz Interview: Socialism, Capitalism and Liberalism</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>Is centrism really the answer to any political question? Is the centre ground really the safe area furthest from the two dominant authoritarian ideologies of the 20th century, or merely a cherry picked, statist mix of the two; dressed up to sound reasonable and measured? From critiquing Rory Stewart’s centrist “bow” to whether or not...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/the-problems-with-the-centre-ground/">The Problems With The Centre Ground</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>After Andrew surprised Nic a few episodes ago with The Left Right Game, Nic has been thinking and planning a way of getting his own back, and taking the game a step further. In this edition, we look at whether certain organisations and people are more “Left” or “Right” wing (or a bit of both),...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/the-left-right-game-2/">The Left Right Game 2</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>As predicted, Boris Johnson has decided to end the current parliamentary session (the longest in modern times), and trigger a new Queen’s Speech. Remainists are naturally going crazy, and talking of constitutional outrage. But what does it actually mean for Brexit on 31 October? Is there time for fast-tracked, Bercow-enabled law that would either revoke...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/proroguing-parliament-what-does-it-really-mean-for-brexit/">Proroguing Parliament: What does it really mean for Brexit?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>In this edition, we have a longer chat than usual, but try to get in all the smaller topics that we feel were too short to be podcasts in their own right, or that we just want to rant about. We discuss gaming culture, and whether the terminology is creeping into political life, how Andrew...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/bit-of-a-chat-driving-whisky-ruining-monopoly-and-the-chuka-umunna-award/">Bit of a chat: driving whisky, ruining Monopoly and the Chuka Umunna Award</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This week, we’re interested in rights. Specifically, the difference between negative & positive rights and what they mean. We also discuss the difference between moral absolutism & relativism and how the left use the difficulties in defining boundaries for nefarious means when they talk about the greater good. —— Please visit our website to download...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/negative-rights-and-moral-relativism/">Negative Rights And Moral Relativism</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>How could the Remainer establishment blunt Boris Johnson’s threat of proroguing parliament to force through Brexit? Maybe, just maybe, there is a way of playing politics that blunts Boris’s endgame ambitions for no-deal. In short, what if Theresa May prorogued parliament now, before Boris gets a chance to? —— Please visit our website to download...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/should-may-not-boris-prorogue-parliament/">Should May, Not Boris, Prorogue Parliament?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This week, I surprise Nic with a new jape: The Left Right Game! I had the idea to state a number of different, collectivist policies and Nic had to tell me whether they were left or right wing, with evidence of course, to test my theory that many people associate all forms of statism with...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/the-left-right-game/">The Left Right Game</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This week we talk about capitalism in an unapologetic way. We talk not about the ethics, but the morality of capitalism. Something we feel isn’t talked about enough these days, if ever. We consider what capitalism means, we try to define it in a moral, meaningful way, before finally asking ourselves if it needs a...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/does-capitalism-need-a-reboot-into-valueism/">Does Capitalism Need A Reboot… Into Valueism?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>Why is it that only humans trade? In this edition, we discuss how the human capacity to think has lead us to invent the concepts of specialisation and exchange, and that there is a common fallacy that trade transactions aren’t in fact Win-Win. —— Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/the-uniqueness-of-human-thought-and-win-win-transactions/">The Uniqueness of Human Thought and Win-Win Transactions</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This week another book on communism was published. We know what you’re thinking. This time, it’s going to be different… So we question various obvious, and not so obvious, aspects to communism. What happens to privacy when others decide what I am allowed? How much slavery is acceptable? How is value determined? How can communism...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/whats-up-with-communism/">What’s Up With Communism?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This time, we revisit Change UK: The Independent Group. Actually, hang on: Change UK and The Independent Group. The splitters have split again. Warning: contains mild gloating. —— Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous episodes and to read our articles. Web: https://soundingboard.com Podcast RSS: https://soundingboard.com/feed/podcast Remember, you can now subscribe...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/change-uk-the-splitters-have-split/">Change UK: The Splitters Have Split</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>In this latest episode, we discuss the Lib Dems and their recent successes in the EU elections and the latest polls. We reason why they’ve experienced a recent uplift before discussing Change UK: The Independent Group and why they’ve seen precisely the opposite. —— Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/lib-dems-and-change-uk-anti-democratic-politics-in-the-uk/">Lib Dems and Change UK: Anti-democratic Politics in the UK</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This week, we try to steel man the arguments against freeing up the steel industry. Steel is always sold as a strategic industry. We’re often told that we cannot free the market, that we must have tariffs on foreign steel, and that we must protect (subsidise or nationalise) our own steel industry. We conduct a...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/steel-manning-steel-supermarket-nukes-and-chlorinated-chickens/">Steel Manning Steel, Supermarket Nukes and Chlorinated Chickens</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This week, we discuss Castor Semenya and the controversy surrounding intersex & transgender athletes. We talk about the definition of intersex, the rules around competing against females and if there’s a way forward that can please everyone. Where should the line be drawn when deciding who can compete in the female category in sport? Is...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/the-castor-semenya-controversy-is-it-time-for-competition-in-competitions/">The Castor Semenya Controversy: Is it time for competition in competitions?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>Politicians are rushing to regulate the internet with the EU copyright directive, age verification on porn sites and now a new regulator of social media platforms to police so called online harms. In this edition we look across the globe to Vietnam, who at the turn of the year passed a law banning any criticism...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/is-regulating-the-internet-a-direct-threat-to-freedom/">Is regulating the internet a direct threat to freedom?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This week we discuss whether Britain’s current constitutional crisis is actually a good thing. As Classical Liberals & Libertarians, should we delight in people realising that the current system of government isn’t working and cannot cope with incompetent or even sinister Members of Parliament? Photo by Nik MacMillan on Unsplash —— Please visit our website...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/could-the-current-constitutional-crisis-have-any-benefits/">Could The Current Constitutional Crisis Have Any Benefits?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This week we discuss why we find buying each other communist memorabilia amusing but would not feel the same about fascist merchandise. We also question the rules around humour and what makes one ideology an acceptable target, but another not? Will Nic stop using his treasured Soviet tea set? Photo by Kirill Sharkovski on Unsplash...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/why-is-it-ok-to-laugh-at-communism/">Why Is It OK To Laugh At Communism?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This week we discuss the difference between stated and revealed preferences. How do economists and politicians use preferences to form policy and should they ignore stated preferences altogether? We also delve deeply into falsified preferences, a particular type of stated preference, and how we are all threatened by the psychology of this phenomenon and it’s...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/revealed-vs-stated-including-falsified-preferences/">Revealed vs Stated (Including Falsified) Preferences</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>It turns out no deal isn’t better than a bad deal even though the commons has certainly expressed its opinion that the Withdrawal Agreement is very bad indeed. The Irish Backstop is the clincher, and this week the power was firmly in the hands of Geoffrey Cox, the government’s lawyer in chief, who with one...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/no-deal-but-no-no-deal-either/">No deal but no no deal either</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>Only two days have passed, yet another Labour MP has quit and, more significantly, 3 Conservatives MPs have too. Now that the Independent Group has 11 MPs and eclipses the Lib Dems in all the polls, what does this mean for Brexit, the two old parties, and politics in general? —— Please visit our website...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/the-conservative-party-splits-what-happens-now/">The Conservative Party splits. What happens now?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>It finally happened. More than 3 years after Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader of the Labour Party and became Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition, 7 Labour MPs have formally left the Labour Party and formed The Independent Group of MPs. We discuss how they did it, what their motives might be, how they come across,...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/reaction-to-the-labour-party-split/">Reaction to the Labour Party split</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>In this edition, we recap on what actually happened during & after our last podcast recording, and how it informed the way we discuss & debate issues. By understanding & agreeing each others points of view, a whole vocabulary & context is created that makes examining issues far easier. And then we explore a list...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/every-day-hypocrisy-you-cannot-have-it-both-ways/">Every day hypocrisy: You cannot have it both ways</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>Real socialism, apparently, has never been tried. For the group of socialist purists that believe a peaceful voluntary system could work globally, it could be a workable reality. We discuss the specifics of such a plan, and how it might work in practice. Could it be that they’ve cracked a way of beating a free...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/could-peaceful-purist-socialism-actually-work/">Could peaceful, purist socialism actually work?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>It was inevitable, wasn’t it? With so much going on about Brexit, we felt we couldn’t avoid it again. We do however, try to tackle it from angles other commentators haven’t discussed. This week we ask what comes first, a belief in democracy or a belief in the EU? Are the Labour Party secret geniuses...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/withdrawal-agreement-principles-politics-of-opposition/">Withdrawal Agreement Principles and the Politics of Opposition</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>It was inevitable. We had to talk about Brexit again, and this week we’ve dedicated an entire edition to it. An awful lot has happened in the last week, with Theresa May releasing a draft withdrawal agreement followed by government resignations including Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, Dominic Raab. We talk about...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/the-one-where-we-ramble-on-about-brexit/">The One Where We Ramble On About Brexit</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This week we revisit voluntary tax contributions after receiving the latest figures through a Freedom of Information request and play the high/low game on how much people have voluntarily given the state. We also take a look at the staggering figures surrounding government debt, and what they don’t tell you about other government liabilities. How...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/tax-statistics-followed-on-underwhelming-government-donations-and-overwhelming-government-debt/">Tax Statistics Followed On: Underwhelming Government Donations and Overwhelming Government Debt</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This week, Nic asks some intriguing questions about democracy and we both try our best to find some answers. —— Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous episodes and to read our articles. Web: https://soundingboard.com Podcast RSS: https://soundingboard.com/feed/podcast Remember, you can now subscribe on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzAT–UxzErq_UU5SCUtFg Please reach out to...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/democracy-what-is-it-and-can-we-have-too-much/">Democracy: What is it? And can we have too much?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This week Nic challenges Andrew to guess the context of political misquotes from the past twenty years. —— Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous episodes and to read our articles. Web: https://soundingboard.com Podcast RSS: https://soundingboard.com/feed/podcast Remember, you can now subscribe on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzAT–UxzErq_UU5SCUtFg Please reach out to us on...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/when-political-quotes-are-taken-out-of-context/">When Political Quotes Are Taken Out Of Context</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This week we talk about Russian economist Nikolai Kondratiev, the pioneer or long term business cycles or Kondratiev Waves. We also find out if virtue signalling socialists who want to pay more tax actually do, before discussing tax statistics in more detail. Links: Nikolai Kondratiev Voluntary Government Donations – Original FOI Request Voluntary Government Donations...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/nikolai-kondratiev-long-term-business-cycles-and-tax-statistics/">Nikolai Kondratiev, long term business cycles and tax statistics</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This week we talk about burdensome regulation in the telecoms industry before discussing different ways of determining a person’s class, whether higher/further education is a good idea and the benefits of consumer choice. —— Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous episodes and to read our articles. Web: https://soundingboard.com Podcast RSS:...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/regulation-class-education-and-choice/">Regulation, class, education and choice</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This week we collate the amazing progress the world is actually making, before delving into why free speech is a good thing which leads us to discussing the future of traditional media.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/good-news-free-speech-and-the-future-of-the-media/">Good news, free speech and the future of the media</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This week we discuss Trump’s tactics with tariffs to obtain free trade, we ask why there are so few low tax conservative politicians and talk about the recent changes to the Department for Exiting the EU. As mentioned in segment 3, here are the links promised: Paper Money Collapse by Detlev Schlichter Detlev blogs at...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/us-free-trade-low-tax-tories-and-dexeu/">US Free Trade, Low Tax Tories and DExEU</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>

<p>This week, we discuss the fallout, one week on, from the Chequers agreement, including cabinet resignations and the non-state visit from President Trump. Photo by Darren Halstead on Unsplash —— Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous episodes and to read our articles. Web: https://soundingboard.com Podcast RSS: https://soundingboard.com/feed/podcast Remember, you can...</p> <p>The post <a href="https://soundingboard.com/brexit-chequers-trump/">Brexit, Chequers & Trump</a> appeared first on <a href="https://soundingboard.com">sounding board</a>.</p>