The Failure of Government Economic Policy with Dan Tubb
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Dan Tubb is a podcaster and former venture capitalist. In this interview, we discuss the problems with fixing the sovereign debt problem in the context of broken media, broken politics and broken international institutions. We talk about the general ignorance of the problems facing society, and how this compounds the difficulty of resolving the situation.
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The last show with Dan Tubb was extremely popular. Dan set out in clear terms why the current economic system is at a crossroads: continuation of the accumulation of debt without rebalancing fiscal commitments is unsustainable; equally, there are no easy solutions. But when debt payments become one of the main government expenditures it’s well past the time to act.
In this follow-up show we discuss the causes, ramifications and potential mitigations with Dan. How did the boomer generation unintentionally fuel the current economic problems, and why are they reluctant to change tack? Why is government becoming increasingly dogmatic and coercive in their policy application? Can AI provide a source of growth for the economy that averts the debt spiral? Should we expect the government to resolve all these issues?
These aren’t theoretical concerns; there is evidence abounds that society's relationship with the state is shifting: Macron’s difficulties in reigning in state spending in France; the growth in power of the Dutch farmers; Brexit. For too long those in government have taken the electorate for granted, whilst feathering their own nests. However, the issue is whether this break between the people and power will only exacerbate problems.
The solution surely has to be in more direct engagement between decision-makers and citizens. States rights in the US have long served as a beacon of governance for other parts of the world: bottom up democracy that provides for competition and innovation. It’s not that we need less government, it's that we need more representative and localised government. Further, if we want a functioning democracy, we need to entice the best back into government.
00:01:51: Introductions
00:02:51: Building in-person networks around Bitcoin
00:12:58: Previous show TL;DR - the economic death spiral
00:22:50: Growth out of debt with AI
00:31:50: Economic imperialism
00:34:00: The impact of the boomers
00:49:41: Propaganda and political coercion
00:59:04: Government vs public pushback
01:05:06: The real policy decision-makers
01:16:17: The problem of the political cycle
01:20:27: Putin and the Ukraine War
01:31:36: The euro vs the dollar, and the decline of the petrodollar
01:38:59: Fixing democracy, and the value of blockchains
01:44:49: Liquid democracy, and the gaming of politics
01:52:18: Importance of localism
01:55:08: Civil service malaise
01:59:16: Representative democracy
02:06:39: Final comments
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Mentioned in the interview:
Macron Pushes French Pension Bill Through Without Full Vote - NY Times, Mar 16th 2023
Sri Lanka: $3bn IMF bailout for struggling economy - BBC, Mar 20th 2023
West follows China’s lead with its own ‘Belt and Roads’ - Asia Times, Sep 2022
Follow The Money #2: Inflation, The Hidden Tax - What Bitcoin Did, Dec 2022
Ageing planet: the new demographic timebomb: Population - The Guardian, Jan 22nd 2023
Baby Boomer Age Wave Theory Definition - Investopedia, Oct 2021
EU Parliament votes to effectively ban new combustion engine cars by 2035 - The Verge, Feb 14th 2023
Wright’s Law Predicted 109 Years of Auto Production Costs, and Now Tesla’s - ARK Invest, Sep 2019
How U.K. Public Order Bill Could Upend the Right to Protest - Time Magazine, Dec 2022
Global Risks Report 2023 - The World Economic Forum, Jan 11th 2023
How digital identity can improve lives in a post-COVID-19 world - World Economic Forum, Jan 2021
15-minute cities: What are they and how do they work? - DW, Mar 15th 2023
Macron Popularity Sinks to Lowest in Four Years, Ifop Poll Shows - Bloomberg, Mar 19th 2023
Dutch pro-farmers party wins big in provincial elections - Politico, Mar 16th 2023
Tony Blair should be prosecuted over Iraq war, high court hears - The Guardian, Jul 2017
Revisiting the international role of the US dollar - Bank for International Settlements, Dec 2022
Conflicting Reports Thicken Nord Stream Bombing Plot - The Intercept, Mar 10th 2023
Iraq nets handsome profit by dumping dollar for euro - The Guardian, Feb 2003
Oil prices surge after surprise move to cut output - BBC, Apr 3rd 2023
BRICS Debates Expansion as Iran, Saudi Arabia Seek Entry - Bloomberg, Feb 14th 2023
Gradually, Then Suddenly Archives - Parker Lewis, Unchained Capital
‘Beaten by a lettuce’: 44 glorious days of Liz Truss - Politico, Oct 21st 2023
Will a bear market lead to a new financial crisis? - The Post, Unherd, Jun 2022
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