Episodes
Wednesday Aug 26, 2020
The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 77: COVID19 At The Crossroads
Wednesday Aug 26, 2020
Wednesday Aug 26, 2020
After six months of COVID19 in Australia the panel discusses whether it’s time to say this is the new normal, and that we can neither wait for a vaccine nor indefinitely extend emergency powers.
Australian PM Scott Morrison announced a deal with AstraZenica for provide a coronavirus vaccine for all Australians in 2021, but is that even feasible or just an announcement driven by politics? And isn’t it too early for the PM to discuss mandating a vaccine before it even exists? (2:10-37:45). Daniel Andrews is pushing for an extension to Victoria’s state of emergency powers for an additional 12 months. What will this mean for democracy in Australia and do the current circumstances really warrant such infringement on our civil liberties (hint: no)? (37:45-51:25). Culture picks this week include the new Microsoft Flight Simulator; Conversations with John Anderson, and The Mandibles by Lionel Shriver (-1:03:40).
Show Notes:
COVID19 and the Path to Pragmatic Acceptance; Scott Hargreaves
https://ipa.org.au/ipa-today/17130
Revolt over Daniel Andrews’ coronavirus power grab: Rebecca Urban, Damon Johnston and Nicola Berkovic
State of Emergency Must Be Extended But It’s No Blank Cheque For Andrews: Derryn Hinch
Victorians cannot keep sacrificing liberties without a safety net
Culture Picks:
the new Microsoft Flight Simulator
https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/p/microsoft-flight-simulator-standard-preorder/9nxn8gf8n9ht
Lockdowns, Vaccines and Debt (Conversations with John Anderson), with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya of Stanford University.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtnYSEGViOnb7k8ezUaWUww
The Mandibles by Lionel Shriver
Wednesday Aug 19, 2020
The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 76: The Golden Age of Libertarian Scepticism
Wednesday Aug 19, 2020
Wednesday Aug 19, 2020
On this special episode of the IPA’s Looking Forward, co-host Chris Berg interviews Russ Roberts from the Hoover Institution, known to most as the long-standing host of Econtalk, and also Professor Mike Munger from Duke University, who is well known as a libertarian economist and political candidate.
Is the Pandemic just the perfect example of Hayek’s Knowledge Problem, that knowledge is dispersed and no “expert” can be across it? And how do politicians, epidemiologists and economists approach the problem of decision making under uncertainty – and do epidemiologists know as much as they say?
As the Pandemic both creates and exposes ridiculous nanny state regulations preventing us living our lives and making a living, is this the Golden Age of Libertarian Scepticism?
Does the Pandemic change the way you communicate the ideas of Liberty? How does a libertarian approach the wearing of masks, where voluntary or mandated?
What are wider lesson of liberty? When power is centralised what is the vision of human flourishing based on freedom and personal responsibility? How is this an optimistic vision of civil society, of voluntarism, of the role of markets and people in building trust and a better society?
And how did Mike Munger go when he ran for Governor of North Carolina on the Libertarian Party ticket, telling voters “what can you do for me?” was the wrong question?
The interview was conducted recently as part of the Friedman8 digital conference, hosted by the Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance & Australian Libertarian Society.
Econtalk; Russ Roberts
How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness; Russ Roberts
https://www.amazon.com.au/Adam-Smith-Change-Your-Life-ebook/dp/B00INIXQA2?tag=
Tomorrow 3.0: Transaction Costs and the Sharing Economy; Mike Munger
https://www.amazon.com/Tomorrow-3-0-Transaction-Cambridge-Economics/dp/1108447341?tag=
The Knowledge Problem: We must stand humble before complexity and order without planning; Hayek
Frideman8
https://www.alsfc.com.au/
Wednesday Aug 12, 2020
The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 75: Just the Ticket for Biden?
Wednesday Aug 12, 2020
Wednesday Aug 12, 2020
Joe Biden has decided Kamala Harris is to be his pick as vice president based on the fact she is an African-American woman. Should identity politics have a place in the presidential campaign, or should people of power be chosen rather on merit? (3:27-25:20). Dan Tehan has announced a review into Robert French’s freedom of speech on campus model. Should we be concerned about the issue of free speech rights on Australian campuses and should we be pushing further for a more in-depth review of this issue? (25:38-47:19). JK Rowling has been long under pressure to give in to the woke left whose failure to deal with the lessons of the Harry Potter Books and has subsequently faced the wrath of cancel culture. Does Harry Potter belong in the ‘woke left basket’ and are identity politics being taken too far by the cancel culture mob? (47:20-1:00:35). This week’s culture picks include Netflix’ series The Umbrella Academy, 2008 Australian movie Lake Mungo and 2019 film The Lighthouse (1:00:40-1:14:07)
Show Notes:
How Kamala Harris or Tammy Duckworth as VP could impact the Asian American and Pacific Islander vote: Deepa Shivaram
Biden picks Kamala Harris as VP nominee: Christopher Cadelago and Caitlin Oprysko
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/11/joe-biden-vp-pick-kamala-harris-393768
Kamala Harris Got So High Smoking Weed in College She Thought She Was Listening To Snoop Dogg and Tupac: Nick Gillespie
https://reason.com/2019/02/12/kamala-harris-got-so-high-smoking-weed-i/
The Real Reason Cancel Culture is Rejecting “Harry Potter”: Renee Gorman
https://areomagazine.com/2020/08/07/the-real-reason-cancel-culture-is-rejecting-harry-potter/
Culture Picks:
The Lighthouse (2019)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7984734/
the 2008 Australian film Lake Mungo.
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0816556/
the Umbrella Academy on Netflix
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Umbrella_Academy_(TV_series)
Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 74: Mission Accomplished!
Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews is seemingly delighted to have brought Victoria to an unprecedented standstill as he pursues eradication of the runaway coronavirus. But what will be the economic costs and how confident can we be that it will actually work, especially as second, third and fourth waves are reported across the globe? Where is accountability for past and present maladministration, when the Andrews Government seeks to shut down or obfuscate Parliament at every opportunity? (2:55-34:39) Donald Trump has announced that TikTok will be banned in the United States raising national security concerns. Are concerns valid or is the ban simply an attack on freedom of speech and/or a chance to extort the owners for Microsoft’s benefit? (34:39-46:30) Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Cian Hussey to answer these questions and share their culture picks. This week’s picks include Camila Russo’s The Infinite Machine, the Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On the Basis of Sex and Yuval Levin’s A Time to Build. (46:30-1:04:43)
Show Notes
Madness in Melbourne; Jeffrey A. Tucker
https://www.aier.org/article/madness-in-melbourne/
If New Zealand’s the coronavirus role model then we’re in strife; Adam Creighton
Coronavirus: Victoria stopped using the COVID app before virus spike; Olivia Caisley
The Coronavirus Is Never Going Away; The Atlantic
Trump Wants U.S. Government To Get ‘A Lot Of Money’ For Allowing Microsoft-TikTok Deal; Forbes
Culture Picks
A Time to Build; Yuval Levin
https://www.amazon.com.au/Time-Build-Community-Recommitting-Institutions/dp/1541699270
The Infinite Machine; Camila Russo
https://www.amazon.com.au/Infinite-Machine-Crypto-hackers-Building-Internet-ebook/dp/B07X8HS2WC
On the Basis of Sex; Mimi Leder