The Productive Pessimist

  We're way past the point where we can pretend there isn't going to be another global conflict. There's too much bureaucracy that's amputed process at the knees, hogtied it, and then mired it in slowly-solidifying cement.  Process itself is too heavy, with too many moving parts that are too separated, and too frequently told they're the only team that actually  matters. There's too many people in positions they have no qualification or competency for, and too many people in society who'll keep f-cking putting people like that  in those positions, because "they're so funnneeeee!!! I looooovvvve   their Twitter drama!  And snowflakes deserve to be triggered,  hurrr-hurrr, am I right?!" There's too many bullsh*t jobs which have no justification other than the barriers they create to people in jobs that are actually achieving things society will genuinely benefit from - because there are too many vested interests involved in keeping people in ...

  End of the road for economic growth in the UK? The UK government - and most Western European governments - hyperfixate on economic growth  as a measure of political success: If growth is strong, the claim goes, then the government of the day are doing things right, regardless of how popular their policies are with the public.  If growth slows, the government has clearly made the wrong decision, and needs to alter course, and prove that they deserve  to be in charge. This is something that has become a sacred truth in government.  "This will destroy  growth!"  "This risks crashing  UK growth prospects!" have become ever-more aggressive reactions to policy suggestions from opposing parties, or individual politicians.  Initially, I assumed this was deliberate fear-mongering; because the public associates "economic growth" with " my  individual life improving, me as an individual  having more money for less work, and everything gettin...