Welcome to the IEA Weekend Newsletter!

• Onward Kristian soldiers...
• i on the media
• Eyes on the prize
• Going chilly on Chile?
• Best of the blog
• You’re invited!

Onward Kristian soldiers...

It’s a year since we launched SOCIALISM – the failed idea that never dies by the IEA’s Head of Political Economy Kristian Niemietz.

In that time, it’s become one of our most successful publications of all time.

And Kristian has racked up the miles - and the column inches - as he’s furthered and maintained interest in the book around the globe.



So far, it’s generated:

• Nearly 50,000 downloads from our website

• Over 2,400 listens to our podcast

• 140,000 views on Facebook and Twitter for its promotional film
   
• It’s also featured on Amazon bestseller lists in the UK, US and German

At the same time, Kristian has:

• Appeared in 10 podcasts both here and in the US.
   
• Written 10 articles for publications such as The Spectator and Quillette 
   
• Made 8 speaking engagements, including the Oxford Hayek Society and the Stefanika Institute in Slovakia
   
• Received 15 reviews and profiles in publications from the UK, Germany, Slovakia and beyond.
   

The book is also in demand for translation. It was promoted at the Belgrade Book Fair in cooperation with Danas, the main independent daily newspaper in Serbia. 800 copies were sold at $1 each for anyone buying the newspaper. 

It’s also been translated into Farsi and Turkish - with further requests for translation into Greek and German.

In case you haven’t read it yet, the book’s available for FREE DOWNLOAD here.

i on the media

Licence to be killed? 

As the debate about the future of the BBC continues, IEA Director General Mark Littlewood appeared in a video for The Sun outlining the need for reform.

Christopher Snowdon, our Head of Lifestyle Economics, discussed the issue with talkRADIO’s Mike Graham – amongst many other things – on his weekly Off-Air Show as well as writing about it for CapX. 



And Emma Revell wrote for City A.M. on why she believes BBC reform can benefit everyone, including the corporation itself.

Elsewhere, MP Julian Knight, chair-elect of the Commons culture select committee, this week said it was hard to justify enforcing the licence fee through the criminal courts - echoing our recent report: NEW VISION: Transforming the BBC into a subscriber-owned mutual.  You can read it, for free, here.

Making our points

Kristian Niemietz responded to the government’s proposed new points-based immigration system this week, suggesting the scheme placed “too much power in the hands of central government” and was likely to lead to unintended consequences in a number of sectors.



His comments were featured in the Daily and the New York Times, and he also wrote for CapX. 



Meanwhile, Emma appeared on Sky News and IEA Economics Fellow Julian Jessop appeared on talkRadio to discuss the proposals.

Harming free speech

As the government also published its initial response to the Online Harms White Paper, IEA Head of Regulatory Affairs Victoria Hewson said the proposed measures would “create uncertainty” and lead to crackdowns on legal content - with little protection for fundamental rights like free speech.

Victoria’s comments featured in the Daily Mail and City AM, while Andy Mayer, our Chief Operating Officer, wrote about the plans for 1828.

On the right track

Alexander Hammond, Policy Advisor to the IEA’s Director General, weighed in on reports a Chinese company was in talks to build some of HS2. 

Alexander defended the plans in City A.M.’s debate column, arguing there were none of the security concerns which applied to Huawei and the 5G network - and taxpayers would welcome any cost and time savings.

Fiscal warning

Although the budget is still a few weeks away, the rumour mill is already churning, with potential policies floated across the media. 

Professor Len Shackleton, our Editorial and Research Fellow, spoke to City A.M. on the likely impact if the new Chancellor decided to relax previous fiscal rules saying it would: “risk undermining the work done over recent years to rein in the country’s budget deficit.”

Turf war

Emily Carver, our Media Manager, appeared on LBC to discuss Extinction Rebellion’s latest stunt – digging up lawns across the country; Darren Grimes, our Digital Manager, joined Dan Wooton’s new talkRADIO drive time show to discuss the political stories of the week, whilst Emma spoke to talkRADIO about the winners and losers from the government’s reshuffle.

Emma also appeared on Sky’s All Out Politics to debate the state of the economy. Following new ONS figures showing record numbers of people in employment, Emma argued there was a lot to be positive about - but the government shouldn’t gamble it all on a risky budget.

Eyes on the prize

This week we staged the final of our Monetary Policy Essay Prize at the University of Buckingham’s Vinson Centre. 

The prize is for university undergraduate students and was held jointly with Buckingham’s Institute of International Monetary Research.

The essay question was “Is monetary policy exhausted? Is it possible that the state cannot create extra money balances? In your answer discuss in detail the methods by which the state – understood to include both the government and the central bank – can create new money balances and the implications for the economy of those different methods.”



The 2020 competition was won by UCL’s Mihir Gupta for his essay and presentation. The entries were reviewed by a panel of judges and the top 4 entries presented their papers at Monday’s final.

Mihir won a prize of £1,000. A second prize of £300 was awarded to Tim Edwards from Bristol University and the third place award of £200 went to Anjali Sharma, who will be starting her studies in Financial Maths next year.

Going chilly on Chile?

Chile used to be considered the economic poster child of Latin America – economic liberalisation led to huge gains in terms of GDP, life expectancy and lifting people out of poverty. 

But in recent months, the country has been mired in violent protests, to which there is still no end in sight.

Who is to blame? For large parts of the Western media, the answer is simple: neoliberalism!

So how should we evaluate Chile today: neoliberal hellhole or rags-to-riches success story? 

On this week’s IEA podcast, Dr Kristian Niemietz discusses the topic with host Darren Grimes.

You can subscribe to our podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Podbean.

Best of the blog

Following hard on the accusations against former Speaker John Bercow, we now have Home Secretary Priti Patel accused of mistreating her senior officials, while the iconoclastic Dominic Cummings has also been seen as a bully. 

Has perceived bullying increased recently?



On our blog this week, Editorial and Research Fellow Len Shackleton explores bullying in the workplace, and the weird world of Whitehall. 

You're invited!

In Conversation with Ted Malloch

On 26th February, 6-8pm, the IEA Book Club will be hosting Ted Malloch, co-author of “Trumps World: GEO DEUS” to speak to us about his latest book. The discussion will be chaired by the IEA’s Director General Mark Littlewood.

The book takes you inside Trump’s presidency – examining his populist outlook and his approach to such matters as foreign affairs. It seeks to identify his primary motivations, and how they influence his political thinking his economic model, and more.

If you would like to know more about the IEA Book Club, and attend the event, please email [email protected]
 

In conversation with John Humphrys 

Former BBC veteran John Humphrys will be our special guest for a forthcoming IEA Book Club event.

John – who hosted Radio 4’s Today programme from 1987 until last year – will join us to discuss his fascinating memoir, A Day Like Today, in which he looks back at his remarkable career, reflects on the politicians he interrogated and weighs in on the role of the BBC.

The event will take place from 6 to 8pm on Monday, 9th March here at the IEA and places are sure to be in much demand. If you would like to attend please email [email protected]

You can also find out all about the IEA Book Club – which brings you year-round invites to exclusive events with top authors here.