Empire of Dollars 6 Part 6: The dollar weapon (1 of 2) The Gauls used the double-edged long sword to advance through modern-day Italy to overrun the Roman army and sack the city of Rome. The British had the Maxim gun and the Enfield rifle which allowed them to conquer vast swathes of the
Reflections #10 A world of infinite choice 412 television channels. 85 genders. 18,000 movies and shows on Netflix. 7.9 million streamers on Twitch. 3.7 million new videos uploaded to You Tube daily. I have often spoken about how modern life lacks coherence and meaning: I think one of the
Critical Mass Modern cities are a critical mass of different people, competing ideologies and countless manifestations of globalisation that produce chaos and confusion at almost every level. In truth, I had been struggling for an introduction, a logical starting point for this article for days on end and in my own personal
Empire of Dollars 5 How the United States of America maintains control of the global monetary system - part 5: The petrodollar The petrodollar system is the practice of trading oil for U.S. dollars, and U.S. dollars only.[1] The petrodollar system was the result of a bilateral trade agreement the United
Reflections #9 The Uniparty I have been meaning to write about this topic for a long time now. The Uniparty comes up time and time again, especially on Unpopular Opinions with my good friend the Academic Agent and fellow guests. In layman’s terms, the basic premise behind the idea of the
Reflections #8 Normal is over On Sunday morning I was greeted by the shrieking sound of police sirens. Possibly three to four vehicles sped past with their sirens blazing aloud. Later that morning, I go outside of my front door for a brisk walk and I immediately see an abandoned vehicle with
Reflections #7 The decline of civility In modern-day Britain, the decline in manners, standards and public behaviour is very difficult to ignore and it is difficult to ignore because it is all around us. The sad fact of the matter is that, in many respects, we are no longer a civil country.
Reflections #6 Broken Britain When l was researching some articles at the end of last year, I stumbled on a new You Tube niche of sorts: people that basically go across the UK highlighting the decline of major cities and towns on the ground. You Tubers like the Wandering Turnip, Charles Veitch,
Reflections #4 Ali G – the comedy sketch that became a meme and then became reality In the late 90s, one character in British comedy stood out among many, having a broad appeal that bridged traditional class, age and racial barriers – Ali G. Ali G is a veritable spaghetti junction of identity politics.
Fear and Loathing in London After an extensive period living and working in East Asia, I returned to London recently. I hope I don’t come to regret this decision but let’s just say my hopes are not high, hindsight is 20-20 as they say. There is no continuity and no coherence to life
Reflections #3 The farce that is Tory Britain in 2023 I have spent most of the last two months researching and writing a number of articles on both Britain’s economy and on mass immigration. Quite honestly, I am mentally exhausted and need a rest, I have read countless articles and watched
The UK Economy: Lots of Problems, Few Solutions - part two The UK Economy – Lots of Problems, Few Solutions Part Two Housing Crisis The property market and its many problems are so complex and layered that many analysts speak of multiple housing crises at once. In the UK, there is a never-ending housing bubble. House prices in Britain have increased by
The UK Economy – Lots of Problems, Few Solutions Introduction The United Kingdom’s economy is in very bad condition and has been for some time now. Britain’s economy is marked by low growth, rising debt, low productivity, prolonged high inflation, and a lack of investment. The British government is burdened by debt and has its hands tied
Line Go Up PART 2 How the elites benefit from mass immigration: part 2 Proposition 3 Migrant labour reduces labour costs Immigration is advantageous to those in industry that benefit by importing low-skilled, low-wage labour onto our shores. Immigration increases the size of the workforce and increases the government’s tax base as well. Immigration
Line Go Up How the elites benefit from mass immigration: part one 1 in 6 people in the UK were born overseas. 700,000 Polish-born people are in the country.[1] Between 2001 and 2020, net migration accounted for 60% of the UK’s population growth.[2] Since 2000, the UK has had
Empire of Dollars 4 How the United States of America maintains control of the global monetary system - part 4: U.S. Treasury bonds It is a mistake to think of the U.S. dollar as just one thing, as in just a unit of currency, because it is not. It is various nodes
Dissident Thoughts #1 A new series begins here on my Substack aiming to address cultural and social issues in a more concise and direct way than I deal with monetary issues.
Dissident Thoughts #2 The deconstruction of everything Increasingly, life has lost all structure, purpose and meaning. We look around us and we see chaos. We live in a world that is completely disenchanted. The Frankfurt School believed that if you render everything meaningless then society becomes unworkable. This has been achieved by deconstructing
Our Current Economic Malaise Debt is out of control. Inflation is out of control and reached double-digit levels in many countries. So, what is going on and how did we get here? There is no easy or simple explanation and there are many push and pull factors stretching as far back as the 2008
Empire of Dollars 3 How the United States maintains control of the global monetary system - part 3: The liquidity of the U.S. dollar 3. The liquidity of the U.S. dollar Liquidity refers to the ease, accessibility, speed and efficiency that a currency can be bought and sold without causing a significant
Empire of Dollars 2 How the United States maintains control of the global monetary system - part 2: An overview of the benefits of the dollar system to the United States 2. An overview of the benefits of the dollar system to the United States Debt, Consumption and Sustainability Currently, the U.S. runs
Empire of Dollars How the United States maintains control of the global monetary system - part 1: Introduction and overview 1. Introduction The United States is the dominant superpower in the world today, a position it has held since the end of World War II. The United States’ gross domestic product (GDP) is
OVERSEAS INTERVENTIONS BY THE US: PART 3 Nicaragua Nicaragua is a country whose relations with the U.S. stretch back many years. The United States occupied Nicaragua from 1912 to 1933. During World War II, Nicaragua offered a second line of defense for the Panama Canal, protecting American control of the isthmus and shipping by allowing the
Overseas Interventions by the United States: part three Nicaragua and Argentina Nicaragua Nicaragua is a country whose relations with the U.S. stretch back many years. The United States occupied Nicaragua from 1912 to 1933. During World War II, Nicaragua offered a second line of defence for the Panama Canal, protecting American control of the isthmus and shipping
THE 1913 FEDERAL RESERVE ACT The Federal Reserve is the central bank of the United States of America. It issues the U.S. dollar, which happens to be the world reserve currency. The Federal Reserve is the most powerful institution in the world today, arguably the most powerful ever: this is because it has total
How the United States Gained Control of the Global Monetary System: part three Stage 3 - The 1971 Nixon Shock free, text Stage 3 1971 Nixon Shock Summary of Key Points * The fiat dollar is born * Removing the link to gold allows for infinite expansion of the money supply and money creation no longer has any restraints With the Federal Reserve system now
How the United States Gained Control of the Global Monetary System: part two Stage 2 - The 1944 Bretton Woods Conference free, text Stage 2 1944 Bretton Woods Conference Summary of Key Points * The U.S. dollar becomes the world reserve currency. * In the aftermath of World War II, American power is now formalised in the eyes of the world and the United
How the United States Gained Control of the Global Monetary System: part one Introduction; Stage 1 - The 1913 Federal Reserve Act Introduction In this series I will attempt to explain how the United States gained control of the global monetary system, at least as this humble author sees it. The monetary system is, at its core, a dollar-based, central bank controlled, fiat
Overseas Interventions by the United States: part two Chile, Philippines and Iran Part two of this series will deal with the United States’ interventions in Chile, the Philippines and Iran. A variety of influences, state and non-state, are at work and on display in these operations. America’s exploits in Chile and Iran were seen as textbook, covert
Overseas Interventions by the United States: part one Introduction; Guatemala and Indonesia Introduction In this series I will examine America’s numerous overseas interventions, the reasons, and the purpose for their involvement in these foreign countries and how these interventions have destabilised those respective countries to one degree or another. This series also explores how the American empire
FEAR AND LOATHING IN LONDON I returned to London at the end of 2021 after an extensive period living and working in East Asia, in many respects I now wish I hadn’t. Hindsight is 20-20, as they say. If I had known then what I know now I would have taken a different course
The Petrodollar: part three The petrodollar wars and the consequences of American foreign policy In part two of this series we looked at America’s military engagements and why preserving the dollar system is essential for the United States. In this, the final part in the petrodollar series, I examine the consequences of American
The United States, The World Bank and The IMF: Partners In Power Introduction The World Bank and the IMF (International Monetary Fund) were founded at the Bretton Woods conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire in 1944. These multilateral institutions wield tremendous power and influence across the world today. Indeed, depending on how you look at it, they can legitimately be said to
The Nixon Shock: part two How the Nixon shock changed the world forever Globalisation of Fiat System The creation of the fiat dollar changed the world forever because the reality is that as the dollar became a floating fiat currency so, by necessity, did all the other currencies in the world. This is because the
The Nixon Shock: part one The creation of the fiat dollar It is August 1971. America is in the grip of an inflationary crisis the likes of which has not been seen since the era of The Great Depression. Owing to the declining value of the dollar, countries were scrambling to exchange their dollars for
The Petrodollar: part two The petrodollar wars - U.S. foreign policy and the dollar system The first instalment of this series dealt with the origins and the mechanics of the petrodollar system and the benefits it brings to the United States. In this part, I will explore how U.S. foreign policy is
The High Bretton Woods Era The mass reindustrialization and suburbanisation of the United States in the post-war era, along with an American centred global economy, allowed Americans to live an affluent lifestyle far beyond anything that had come before it. On the surface, the Bretton Woods system was generally working well as member states adhered
The Petrodollar: part one The origins of the petrodollar and its role in the global financial system free, text If you have never heard of the petrodollar system, it would not surprise me. It is certainly not a topic that makes its way out of the State Department or Wall Street and on to
Bretton Woods – The Birth of the American Empire The Louisiana Purchase and westward expansion. The 1913 Federal Reserve Act. The Monroe Doctrine. The Ford Model T. The Nixon shock in 1971. The global realignment after World War One and the decline of the British empire. The end of the Cold War. It is no easy task defining when
Welcome to the Dissident's Domain A gentle introduction I thought this would be a short and simple introduction, whereby I can introduce who l am, what l am interested in, what I believe in and what kind of content and commentary you can expect to find here. However, one thing that I have learnt is