Strangely enough, I read High Rise last year too And it has not aged well, @isam is certainly right about that. I made my way to the end, but only because I was absolutely determined to make it, and … (View Post)

One person's debt is another person's savings. You can't have one without the other. (View Post)

One of the things I've found almost universal is that the places that broke away from the Soviet Union feel so much more prosperous than those that stayed. (View Post)

Absolutely: the key is to remember that as VAT is charged at every stage, then the ultimate amount of tax paid is the same whether goods are made locally or are imported. (View Post)

Iirc, we run a deficit in goods, but a surplus overall. Fortunately, the US is obsessed with trade in goods. However, Trump's tariffs on Canadian oil (which are by far the stupidest part of his … (View Post)