Drug warriors often contend that drug use would skyrocket if we were to legalize or decriminalize drugs in the United States. Fortunately, we have a real-world example of the actual effects of ending the violent, expensive War on Drugs and replacing it with a system of treatment for problem users and addicts. Ten years ago, Portugal decriminalized all drugs. One decade after this unprecedented exp...

As promised earlier, here's my more detailed supplementary take on today's IFS Green Budget. I've distilled it down into six points, but obviously there's much, much more in the actual document itself. I'd recommend that you read the chapters on public sector pensions and pay, the 50p rate, and child benefit, in particular, if you're so minded — as they're ...

While driving up Israeli Highway 90 along the west bank of the river Jordan from the Dead Sea to Galilee last Friday, I passed the turnoff to the actual site on the river Jordan where St John the Baptist baptised Christ. I really couldn't miss the place where the Holy Spirit descended on Christ in the form of a dove and God said he was pleased with his son, so I turned down the road,...

Heading into today's Florida Primary, the picture below depicts President Obama reflecting on his potential opponents in the 2012 presidential election! And, for all of you political scientists out there, this is a perfect although not very timely lesson in what two flawed candidates should not be doing! In what can only be described as a disgusting display of me-first politics, Mitt Romney a...

The proposed fiscal compact treaty is redundant as it presents little improvement over the existing EU rules and does not address the financial markets' actual concerns over short and medium-term growth, argues Massimiliano Marcellino. More »

Michael Jennings is now, as he recently said here that he would be, in Israel. Knowing my fondness for amusing multilingual signs, he today emailed me this photo, taken in Acre: At first I thought that "Crusader" was some kind of business brand, although on second thoughts probably not. Maybe ... actual crusader latrines? To clear up any doubt, Michael added: It means exactly what it says. Yes ind...

James has already blogged the Sunday Telegraph's interview with David Cameron, but some other things stand out from it — and not just the PM's insensitive and unthinking attack on Ed Balls either, for which he has since apologised. Take these paragraphs on tax, for instance: ‘The Prime Minister effectively rules out any move towards a “mansion tax” — a levy ...

Two late night thoughts: this doesn't strike me as Ron Paul's style, and if an actual Republican crazy does get in - and any one random Rebublican crazy is one shot off a shot at bigshot - then American citizens...

An interesting if somewhat sickening story to start off the New Year.. One of the big surprise stories surfacing is that the 'Palestinians' have finally agreed to begin negotiations with Israel without any preconditions, although they're very careful to label them as 'talks about talks' rather than any actual negotiations. That's probably accurate, since it's alm...

More on mushrooming self-government in Wukan. I think the idea that this is somehow sanctioned by elements in Beijing is extremely unlikely. I mean, this isn’t an actual policy change we’re talking about, but an uprising whose demands are apparently...