beinglibertarian

[beinglibertarian]

Dissecting the Developmental State

It’s one of the grand ironies of economics that developmental economics, the branch of economics formulated to determine what policies lead to economic growth and a general rise in social conditions in poor countries, tends to be dominated by Marxist-leaning scholars who advocate central planning, protectionism, and vindictiveness in the place of sound trade policy. South Africa is purportedly a…

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#Africa #Central Planning #china #Development #Developmental State #Economic History #Hong Kong #Japan #Latin America #Planning #Singapore

[beinglibertarian]

The Myth of UK Gun Control

A discussion on gun control can be seldom had anywhere without reference by someone to the United Kingdom. Gun Free South Africa likes to particularly reference it, and this article is planned to precede a later one dealing with South Africa specifically in this regard. The UK banned various categories of firearms following a massacre in Dunblane, Scotland, in which 18 people were killed and 15…

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#GFSA #Gun Bans #Gun Control #Gun Free South Africa #United Kingdom

[beinglibertarian]

The ANC’s Legacy: Radically Transforming South Africa Downward

On 8 January 2021, the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa’s ruling party, marked its 109th anniversary. Where once there was real optimism and hope for the future, after colonial and Apartheid oppression, the ANC has succeeded in transforming South Africa’s potential into what is increasingly becoming a failed state. Any organisation with such a long history will have seen and…

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#African National Congress #ANC #Transformation

[beinglibertarian]

What is Africa?

Part 1: Africa “proper” My goals are to succinctly address past and current answers to these ‘multi-answered’ questions. Geography and Geomorphology Africa is the second largest continent (ca 30 million km2,), 31% of which encompasses the Sahara – Earth’s largest hot desert. It is divided roughly in half by the equator and surrounded by sea, except where the Isthmus of Suez joins it to Asia. It…

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#Africa #Nature #science

[beinglibertarian]

The 2020 Lockdown Have Exposed the Fragility of Liberty

The 2020 Lockdown Have Exposed the Fragility of Liberty

  Few years will turn out to be as filled with challenges and upheaval as 2020 has been. COVID-19 has claimed thousands of lives. The government’s chosen course to tackle the pandemic followed the path of most around the world: lockdown. The country has been in lockdown since 27 March. As we entered 2020, the South Africa’s economic state was already perilous. The lockdown restrictions and…

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#Coronavirus #COVID-19 #Lockdown

[beinglibertarian]

Should The ‘Rogue Unit’ Reporters Be Prosecuted?

Should The ‘Rogue Unit’ Reporters Be Prosecuted?

Unethical and fake news should be criminalized Adri Senekal de Wet 9/4/2018 IGI to investigate Mkhwebane, Rampedi and more over ‘rogue unit’ narrative The Citizen 4/10/2019. In April 2018, Adri Senekal de Wet, executive editor of Iqbal Surve’s financial supplement, Business Report, used the IOL online platform to promote her call for unethical and fake news to be criminalised. Her wish has been…

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#newspaper #Rogue Unit

[beinglibertarian]

The Ombud Affair: A Poscript

Part 3.1 – The Ombud Affair: A postscript – ‘Defending’ the “whistle-blower” On 30 September, Jeremy Seekings (see here and here) – UCT Professor of Political Studies and Sociology and past member or the IRTC Steering Committee – came to the Ombud’s defence. In a media piece – Defend the whistle-blower: UCT shoots the messenger, ignores the message – he attributed the “unfolding battle” between…

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#UCT #University of Cape Town

[beinglibertarian]

The Ombud Affair: Wind of Change or a Cross-Fire Hurricane?

Part 3 – The Ombud Affair: Whistleblowing Ombud, VC/Council ‘Wind of change’ OR a cross-fire hurricane? This is the last of three evidence-based narratives that chronicle damaging ‘Affairs’ involving ‘bullying’ during UCT’s Fallist-era. A much longer and more detailed version has been submitted to interested and affected parties.  A Whistle-blower’s bombshell? On 9 July 2020, 48 hours before the…

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#UCT #University of Cape Town

[beinglibertarian]

Myth and Reality at UCT: The Mayosi Affair

 Part 2 – The Mayosi Affair – abusing and unravelling a man, vandalising his soul and cutting him to the core (Read part 1 here) This is the second of three narratives that chronicle damaging ‘Affairs’ involving ‘bullying’ during UCT’s Fallist-era. This narrative is largely a condensation of the 157-page Executive Summary of the Enquiry into the Circumstances Surrounding Professor Bongani…

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#Bullying #Critical Theory #Mayosi #University of Cape Town

[beinglibertarian]

Derek Hanekom and Government’s Backward View of Wealth Creation

Derek Hanekom and Government’s Backward View of Wealth Creation

On 24 November 2020, Tesla’s market valuation breached the $500 billion mark for the first time ever. The company’s stock surge helped its South African-born co-founder, Elon Musk, add $100.3 billion to his net worth this year. With that, he overtook Bill Gates and became the second richest person in the world. The usual widespread misunderstandings that accompany this kind of news…

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#African National Congress #collectivism #Derek Hanekom #Elon Musk #government intervention #Property #Transformation

[beinglibertarian]

30% Local Content Quota Draft is Beyond Daft

30% Local Content Quota Draft is Beyond Daft

It should come as no surprise that policy makers have proposed to require foreign streaming companies, notably Netflix, to maintain a minimum of 30% local content on their virtual catalogues. Alongside this, SABC wishes to introduce TV licenses for non-TV devices. Despite having nothing to do with our phones, laptops, tablets and smart calculators, the SABC wishes to add an additional tax (on top…

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#Local Content Quota #Netflix #SABC #Television

[beinglibertarian]

Jon Cayzer Is On The Wrong Side Of His Profession

Jon Cayzer Is On The Wrong Side Of His Profession

As if we haven’t heard enough of this empty diatribe already. This time it is different, however. On this occasion, the author of a new hit piece, Jon Cayzer, lays out a fact-based analysis on why the DA’s approach to not including race is irrational. Oh wait…He doesn’t. It is another vague creative essay that might do well in an English classroom, but without much substance and perhaps an…

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#Democratic Alliance #response

[beinglibertarian]

SA Running Short Of Job-Creating Tools

SA Running Short Of Job-Creating Tools

You cannot store your cake and eat it, too. Some version of that phrase has existed in the English language for the last 500 years – and across language groups worldwide for centuries – to express the fact that there are mutually incompatible choices. South Africa faces just such a choice in 2020. It can choose to allow expropriation without compensation (EWC), or it can grow jobs. Not both.

The…

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#Cyril Ramaphosa #Expropriation Without Compensation #jobs

[beinglibertarian]

Stratcom Journalism in the State Capture Era?

In terms of the court order, we unconditionally retract and apologize for the allegations made against Mrs. Thandeka Gqubule-Mbeki and Mr. Anton Harber.

EFF media statement  25/1/2020

JOHANNESBURG – The word ‘Stratcom’ has re-entered South Africa’s political vocabulary and some politicians and their followers are using it comfortably. They exploit it, particularly on social media, in an attempt…

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#journalism #State Capture #Stratcom

[beinglibertarian]

Myth and Reality at UCT: The Nattrass Affair

Myth and Reality at UCT: Who is Bullying Who?

Myth vs Reality at the University of Cape Town (UCT): Who’s bullying who and why?

 Part 1 – The Nattrass Affair

 Tim Crowe

Since May 2020, UCT has been beset with an avoidable ‘perfect storm’ (in military jargon – clusterf**k) involving ‘bullying’ from which no one involved will emerge unscathed. This ‘storm’ comprises what may be described as the Nattrass, Mayosi and Ombud ‘Affairs’.

My goals in…

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#Nattrass #University of Cape Town

[beinglibertarian]

Conservatism in South Africa is a Misnomer

If you think you’re conservative, you probably aren’t. This isn’t your fault. Well, not completely. You are, like most people under the American cultural hegemony, a victim of the assertion of American political language on contexts that are unrelated to it.

Most South Africans with some political know-how will recognise that American politics tends to damage our understanding of ideology and…

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#AfriForum #conservative #Liberalism #Libertarian #Political Philosophy

[beinglibertarian]

Invitation to the SA Libertarian Spring Seminar

The tradition of South African Libertarian Spring Seminars has outlasted the apartheid government, the Berlin Wall, Russian communism, and the twentieth century.  The seminar in its 35th year of existence is about to add the Covid-19 pandemic to that list. Over the last 35 years, Libertarianism in South Africa has moved from what was a small gathering of friends in a house during the dark days of…

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#Invitation #SA Libertarian Seminar