John Butler

Pushback against creeping neo-Marxism

The vast scale of the UK’s “de-banking” scandal is becoming apparent Meanwhile, there has been fresh escalation in the “war on cash” Many socio-economic trends…

Pushback against creeping neo-Marxism

The vast scale of the UK’s “de-banking” scandal is becoming apparent Meanwhile, there has been fresh escalation in the “war on cash” Many socio-economic trends…

Counterpoint: let the drilling resume

PM Sunak’s decision to re-open the North Sea is controversial Some claim this will not improve the UK’s energy “trilemma” I believe it is a…

How do I tax thee? Let me count the ways

We are taxed in a great many ways Some of these overlap into de-facto double taxation Inheritance tax is arguably a form of triple taxation…

D-Day for de-dollarisation?

Speculation is rife that the BRICS will soon introduce a gold-backed currency for trade settlement I’ve been writing on this topic for nearly two decades…

On (mis)representative government

Large organisations tend towards unaccountability Large firms are held largely by passive investors Smaller firms are more responsive to shareholder pressure Do you ever doubt…

The Wizard of Threadneedle Street

“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” exclaims the Wizard when discovered by a curious Toto and an astonished Dorothy. Tugging and pushing…

Force majeure, or mineure?

Contract law has long relied on a legal concept known as force majeure, which is French for “superior force”, that is, beyond the ability of…

The gremlins of AI

On Monday, over in Southbank Insider, I wrote about the goblins of net zero, in particular the use of cobalt in batteries. Today, I’m going…

Win-win or win-lose?

When it comes to the topics of economics and finance, Bill Bonner is one of my favourite authors. He has a knack for taking apart…

Less than zero

As my colleague Nick Hubble wrote earlier this week, there is a “nuclear revival” in the works in Europe. Elsewhere in the world, the building…

Has the next global recession already begun?

Here at Southbank Investment Research, we constantly debate the state of the economy and financial markets. Yes, we also discuss the upcoming football, rugby or…

Detour on the Road to Net Zero

It emerged last week that the government is seriously considering imposing price controls on basic foodstuffs. There has been immediate push-back from those who understand…

The “Rigger in Chief”, unmasked!

Breaker Morant is one of my favourite films. I probably re-watch it about once a year and I’ve shown it to my older, now adult…

If it moves, tax it!

As the old adage goes, taxes are the price we pay for civilisation. Thus it should be no surprise that, throughout much of history, the…

Is there a golden lining to CBDCs?

As our regular readers know, here at Fortune & Freedom we’ve been banging on about the potential threat to your wealth posed by the probable…

Do as I save, not as I do

No, there is not a typo in the title. It is meant to confuse. You see, we’re told by the government to save for retirement.…

Searching for gold: Part II

Interest in buying gold appears to be all the rage. As explained in Part I yesterday, the Google search request “How to buy gold” has…

Searching for gold: Part I

When we see the terms “searching” and “gold” together we don’t first think about Google. The perennial search for gold is associated with myth and…

Will hidden liabilities bring down the euro?

An advertisement changed my life. While working as an investment strategist on Wall Street in 1993, I came across a similar position advertised in The…