AN OUTSIDE VIEW

 The idiocy of politicians’ interference with international trade knows no bounds. The Japanese negotiators want to maintain a tariff on cheese imports from the UK. There is no tradition of eating dairy produce in Japan and no significant cheese industry, so what are the negotiators trying to protect? The main victims will be expat Brits who fancy a taste of the home country, and a few local people with odd tastes. But the British negotiators should make it clear they they are acting like idiots but if they insist, they can get on with their stupidity. This spat also demonstrates the pointlessness of so-called free trade agreements. Countries should just remove their own barriers to imports. If the removal is not reciprocated, it’s the other countries’ funeral.

Is the law being broken when hotels are used as hostels for illegal migrants? Planning permission is required. Has it been given?

Whose fish are they anyway? The British negotiators seem not to have a sound grasp of the principles behind ownership of this natural resource.

Why not make the whole country into a freeport?

The war on British business continues with changes in the system for online VAT returns. An article in the Telegraph discusses this but fails to mention that the problem is the tax itself.

A well thought-out set of proposals for reform of UK property taxation. With the advantage of not being over-ambitious, they might get a bit of support, especially if they fine-tune the concept. https://fairershare.org.uk/

Why I called this blog “Physiocrat”, who they were and why they are still important.