Large number of NGOs claim to be standing up for consumer rights. Outside of the conventional practice of assisting consumers with misleading labeling or outright safety issues, many of these consumer activists aren’t that much about choices or about rights anymore, but about control. But what exactly are they advocating for?
Last week, US president Donald Trump announced tariffs on steel and aluminium, as a means to protect local American industries from foreign competition. This is in line with Trump’s general tendency towards economic protectionism, demonstrated by his support for tariffs on the Canadian manufacturer Bombardier’s C-series jets (planes which are partially produced in the UK […]
As the divorce between Britain and the European Union moves closer to its final deadline of March 2019, a number of observations can be made regarding the fallout. The overly optimistic “Leavers” and the forcefully hysterical “Remainers” are both wrong. For the most part, we cannot know what the future brings.
In a landmark ruling this week, the German Federal Administrative Court has decided that cities have the right to ban diesel cars. The federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Nordrhein-Westfalen had appealed against the decision of the states of Stuttgart and Düsseldorf to outlaw diesel cars on its roads.
President Trump announced that he will impose tariffs on steel and aluminium, as a way of protecting local industries against foreign imports. This news didn’t go down well in steel-producing European countries, and has seemingly obligated the European Union to respond to the U.S. administration.
Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz. No, I didn’t just fall asleep on my keyboard. This is the actual name of Germany’s Facebook law which came into effect in autumn of 2017. This new legislation, officially known as “law for the improvement of law enforcement on social media”, is cracking down on “fake news” and abuse on platforms such as […]
The EU is currently negotiating a trade agreement with the four founding members of Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay). It should come to nobody’s surprise that the opposition to such a trade deal is already in the making. But who are these campaigners who so vehemently reject the idea of intercontinental trade?
With the announcement of new tariffs on steel and aluminum, U.S president Donald Trump is setting the international community up for a trade war. At least that seems to be the conclusion that EU leaders are drawing from the announcement. Instead of trying to find a diplomatic solution, the Juncker Commission is taking a confrontational […]
On last Tuesday, the European Parliament announced that it will set up a Special Committee on the Union’s authorisation procedure for pesticides. This move comes after the re-authorisation of the the herbicide glyphosate, which has repeatedly under fire for alleged health concerns. The Parliament intends on analysing the authorisation procedure itself, to assess conflicts of interest, and, […]
The Scotch Enlightenment is a podcast which I produce together with Daniel Fallenstein, for the Freedom Today Network. In our second episode of The Scotch Enlightenment, Jeffrey Tucker (@jeffreyatucker) joins us for almost an hour full of society, economics and technology.
Bill Wirtz 