Daniel Hannan commenting on the recent G20 meetings held in Pittsburg

[temporaldisplacement]

Mr.Cameron should have Mr.Hannan heavily involved (Mr.Starkey would be valuable also) in the writing of a reformed british constitution and bill of rights. Michael Badnarik [from the U.S.] too, to name a few. 8)

[Roseaeae]

I love this, Dan! You are such a rare gem. Please, please, please persuade your Conservative colleagues to think as you do.

[DolphinFilms]

"If all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail"

Brilliant!

[3martijns]

Dan, you are banging your head on a BRICK WALL there. PLEASE move to the USA, where you could ACTUALLY do a LOT of GOOD.

[hotassanime]

Daniel, that was awesome! Loved the last quote--right on the "money" (pun intended).

As a small business owner and architect, I have personally experienced the financial devastation caused by government intervention, which has rewarded large corporate failures, but left the small business owners with nothing.

Small business owners in the US are the economic foundation, but we are getting raped.

[3martijns]

Any way to ABOLISH the horrible eu?

[mistara31415]

Yeah, stop feeding the damn bureaucrats down there. Then they will have to starve to death or get honest jobs!

[3martijns]

Seriously, what does it actually take for a country to withdraw from the eu?

I'm in USA, so not familiar with the 'ties that bind'.

[mistara31415]

Well, in Denmark our constitution says that anyone who does anything to retard the freedoms of the Folketing (parliament) is guitly of high treason, so everyday we spend in the EU is actually the result of high treason. I don't know what the actual bureaucratic protocol is, if indeed there is one, but if a member nation's elected leaders anounce their desire to leave, then that would be enough, I think.

[3martijns]

Thanks for info. So are citizens there actually trying to accomplish that?

[mistara31415]

Sadly no. All parties in Denmark support the Marxist Wellfare State, and only the communist party is openly calling for Denmark to leave EU. No people in Denmark are thinking twice about it, and they take this situation for granted, mainly because we have all attended communist public schools, where we have been indoctrinated to believe in the Marxist fairytales, but as the internet becomes stronger and stronger, more and more people are beginning to see the truth. So in a way, we are trying.

[3martijns]

Thanks for letting me know. Socialism, Not communism, has been taught in public schools for about 35- 40 years here, but many children attend private schools, or are home-schooled.

Our strong traditional values of loving God, Family, and Country are still held dear by the vast majority of Americans.

However, apathy and naivety and 'media malpractice' allowed radical bho to be elected - now MOST people want to stop what he and congress are doing.

Elections are every 2 years here.

[mistara31415]

That's the main difference of course, when you have practically all people attending public schools or statefunded "private" schools, as we have in Denmark, then the end result is always indoctrination, and that the parents have next to no say in what goes on in the school. An even worse aspect is that only communists or very bad teachers teach the children. This is why all highly intelligent children don't get their talents encouraged. All attention goes to the weaker children.

[3martijns]

You misunderstood - private schools here are generally run by churches or religious groups - very few are socialist, unless the parents want that.

[mistara31415]

I meant the private schools in Denmark, not private schools in other countries. In Denmark the government pays 80 % of the intuition in private schools. Do you think that the government gladly hands out that sort of money without imposing their marxist agenda on the school? NO! In Denmark you are by law not allowed to have a private school only for Danish children, you are by law required to have muslim and third world children as well. This is part of a marxist agenda!

Say NO to communism!

[3martijns]

Less than 1% of American like communism, but apparently bho is one of them - he is a political sociopath.

[mistara31415]

Yeah, you are right. This is why America has to save the world from global communism. America is the home for freedom, but Obama & Co. wished to change this. Next month Copenhagen will be the host at the climate convention where a global government will be formed.

[3martijns]

I guess you mean December, but I believe Congress has to approve.

If we lose our sovereignty, I can guarantee a SECOND AMERICAN REVOLUTION, FOR REAL!

[mistara31415]

A second American revolution... This sounds very appealing on the face of it, but promise me that you will abolish the fed for good this time, and, you know, follow the constitution.

[3martijns]

That goes without saying. The Fed would have to be abolished in order to follow our dear sweet wonderful CONSTITUTION.

[PHSbigcat76]

Dan, I love the Austrian Business Cycle theory being explained, most of your fellow MEPs must have been completely lost when you explained it. Spot on as always.

[newfrontiers]

You forgot to include the last bit- "Pactio Olisipiensis Censenda Est".

[boogaloo80]

The engineered recession is designed to plummet the global economy, and then buy it up at a much cheaper rate. This is caused by a central banking system that has debt already built into it. The idea is to have a "solution" of a global central bank. This is part of a broader globalist agenda. Research the new world order.

[buckandbilloshow]

Just love the way you put things! Right on!

[aeiouandxyz]

Who's Justice Aspery?

[RogueSwordThesco]

"reform? aren't things bad enough already?"

evidently not

[Dewdaahman]

"..when all you have is a hammer everything starts lookin' like a nail.."

[ywrtywto09]

Would of been a little less limp if he had the balls to mention the effect of bonuses given for short term gain that led to medium and long term failure, but then I guess when somone prays to the false god that is the "free" market, they will blame anything else but their faulty idol.

[asierra1492]

The financial bubble was caused by central banks which led to a false prosperity fooling the private sector into thinking their investment decisions where sound, causing exexutives wages to go up. You have to look at the root cause not the symptoms.

[ywrtywto09]

Whilst I agree central banks are part of the problem, it does not excuse the utter failure of the private sector they should not have been fooled, that is their job. And for that matter I would say many were not fooled, they merely took too many risks, risks that appears they were warned about and chose to ignore.

[Capnwabbit]

You think a few million here and there in bonuses made any difference, compared to the driving engine of artificially low (ie non market) interest rates and the printing of fiat money? How can you even begin to call that a free market? Printing false prosperity for political gain works in the short term for buying votes but sooner or later reality arrives - the bust.

[ywrtywto09]

No I don't call it the free market, which is which I used the quotes around the word 'free' in my previous comment.

However back to my point, I think you misunderstood slightly, I wasn't referring to the amounts the bonuses made up in relation to everything else (which I agree is negligible), but that these huge bonuses (huge in terms of an individuals earnings) led to many to take risky, short term decisions with hundreds of billions of other peoples money.

[Capnwabbit]

Yes, which shows you already grasp the basics of the Austrian School of Economics definition of the business cycle. My point is that the crash had little to do with a few fat cats, fiat monetary pumping affects everyone like that, hence the overblown house prices and speculation, people playing the stock market without a clue, cutting back on savings (why bother with such low rates, when you can buy a house and flip it...?) Fiat money pumping misleads, then hurts, everyone.

[express375]

After the conservatives get voted in then booted out.

This guy has got to take camerons place.

Unless we have ww3 ,that's the next move..........fuckers!!!

[icegryphon]

Once again Mr Hannan is trying to use common sense on people who use none.

Also quoting Mark Twain. You are so GAR.

[Amy31415]

We need men like this here in the US. I'd make an exception to have him as president.

Nothing sexier than an honest, intelligent man. Yum. :)

[NOislamification]

british man lol

[mrpatience2007]

hehe i love this guy, he should come to the u.s. and be a politician

[32GaugeSlug]

Same here mate. Back in the day when youtube was good, they never used to change the hit count. Now, however, they change the hit count on the 'truth' videos to make it look like no ones watching it. When loose change came out, that went viral and millions upon millions of people world wide saw it. Nothing like that happens today, it's cleverly algorithmically deranked. You've goto remember, google (who owns youtube) are in bed with the CIA. Like Microsoft really...:-)

[KnockoffNigeI]

Yeah there's defiantly something up with Youtube, I know users who get hundreds or thousands of hits on other sites but are lucky to get 100 hits in a MONTH on yt I suppose it's ok if you want to stay under the radar though.

[andy4443]

repeal before reform

[shiftedstuff]

Prime Minister eventually!

[rayme4raw]

LOL, REFORM, Aren't things bad enough already:)

[Federalist306]

THIS MAN IS FREAKISHLY BRILLIANT!

[capierce]

this man is brilliant

[32GaugeSlug]

haha yep, it's sickening isn't it? We're all circling the drain and people are amusing themselves with braindead crap. We are in trouble, and I think only a miracle will save us as well.

[snowcloud]

PS: Favorited!

[snowcloud]

He sounds more American than our current president and most idiots in the CONgress.

[Zeldovich]

He and you have no idea what you're talking about.

[weatherman2007]

I know, I can understand him better than Uh-bama

[Blackjack555]

Very well done Hannan.

[MooseOfReason]

So articulate. The accent helps a lot, too.

[Scoforever]

Gotta love the man.

[hrosemd]

The pieces are in motion.

Kudos to you sir.

[freedomnow2012]

Exactly, no matter how much cologne you put on shit it is still shit!

[myrelative]

reform? aren't things bad enough already?!

[MarcusCMarcellus]

Does anyone even show up to "work" at the Euro Parliament? - Kudos on the Austrian analysis of the meltdown.

[johnisfun]

So depressing to see him talk to an empty house every time.

[freedomnow2012]

At least we are listening, LOL :)

[lictor313]

Hannan is a noble son of Europe.

We individuals such as he to preserve what little we have lest as free holding Westerners.

[Athenaikos]

Hannan is truly a talented and skilled politician regardless of ideology with superb oratory delivery.. I am sure the opposing side would like to have a Hannan-like antidote.

[noiwudnttrip]

Always eloquent, yet no sign of a teleprompter. Quite refreshing.

[mjhonsun]

This guy gets it!

[NickDiPerna]

Big government = jobs for halfwits.

[zannagalv]

Where are all the other MEPS? They don't bother to turn up to work???

[rsobies]

@zannagalv

and you still belive that they are to serve the people? don't be a child. :)

[zannagalv]

I dont believe... i KNOW they are not there to serve the people!!!

They are there to serve their own bank balances!

[oblivion292]

Brilliant!

[soundmoneyfan]

Hannan, glad to see you back being a thorn in the side of the internationist.

[christmanpunch]

I <3 you. We need more politicians like you.

[nogl0001]

i like the mark twain quote. thanks Mr. Hannan!

[StopUnumNow]

Excellent!

[MitchofSmeg]

1 thing dan got a bit off i think, when we had nationalised prgrams in GB, at least where i live, everything was a damn lot cheaper.

[DreadLaw2]

What exactly does apparant cheapness have to do with anything? If the government nationised everything, you could go around pretending it was all completely free, they somewhat ignores the actual problems.

[AtheistThatsATheist]

Youre missing the point. Daniel has less than a minute 15 here to list only a few of the reasons why the crisis happened, & is still happenin and aint gonna end.

Before i go on Mussolini defined Facism as the merger of state & business, saying it should be called corperatism.

Anyway government guarantees of mortgages,FSA insurance, amoung other things meant when the bankers win they keep the money, lose & the tax payer pays.

Regulation was there to pull the plug on Sub-p just not used etc

[GSDebunked]

subsidized by the tax payer.... its impossible for government to deliver anything cheaper than the free market

[vorbeigehende]

If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in five years there'd be a shortage of sand. —Milton Friedman

[swiftysmithuk]

LOL!!

One way to make sure crime doesn't pay would be to let the government run it.

~ Ronald Reagan

[vorbeigehende]

Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!

~ Ronald Reagan ;-)

[ywrtywto09]

You obviously aren't familiar with the railways in the UK then...

[GSDebunked]

are you kidding me? i live in outter london. the railways cost a friggen bomb... tell me how its possible for government to provide a service cheaper than private systems unregulated? they can certainly appear to be charging less but it the rest will be paid for by the tax payer, you obviously aren't familiar with basic economics

[ywrtywto09]

The private railways receive twice as much in tax payer subsidies than British Rail did and since they took over the public has had to endure above inflation fare rises annually. The consumer is worse off since the railways were privatised.

The reason, very simple, the nature of the railways infrastructure means there is (nor could their ever be) genuine competition, hence we have a flaccid regulator attempting to simulate that competition, which doesn't work, just like the market in this case.

[ywrtywto09]

As for my grasp of economics, it is certainly far superior to the grasp of reality of an idealogical zealot like yourself.

[GSDebunked]

Ok, tell me where the government can save money that a private organisation couldn't? if the government can do it so cheap, why cant the private industries? where is the government cutting the cost? The consumer might have been better off but the taxpayer wasn't. Im seriously asking you to think about this because if the government can charge less than private industry, someone is losing somewhere, usually the tax payer

[ywrtywto09]

Given the taxpayer provided half the subsidies to British Rail that it provides to the private rail companies, how exactly do you think the tax payer is better off?

A nationlised rail system can achieve economies of scale that several companies running a small section can't, it doesn't have to pay shareholders, etc...

It really is very simple, the market requires competition to work, competition (in any meaningful sense) is impossible on the railways, hence we have market failure.

[GSDebunked]

hmmm im struggling to argue that

i guess i mean in an instance where market forces can operate freely

[soylentgreenb]

"Given the taxpayer [gave private companies twice the subsidies]"

If you're operating at a loss you are infact destroying wealth. The cure to repeated wealth destruction is bankruptcy.

The government is at fault for giving them subsidies. Let them go bust.

"[...]it doesn't have to pay shareholders, etc."

Instead it pays the holders of the perpetually revolving and monotonically increasing government debt and keeps operating the business at a loss without ever being put through bankruptcy.

[ywrtywto09]

The only cure for the railways is to renationalise it. It is a service that will always essentially be unprofitable because it would be unacceptable to close the loss making routes.

[DreadLaw2]

Impressive, detailed, accurate though short, and completely meaningless, ignored and irrelevant to any decision or policy made by that house of it's superiors.

[FatalShadowTsu]

Impressive as always, Daniel!

[KatieHatesYou92]

winnah