To err is human, to ignore errors is political

Jenni Russell's article about Theresa May's (UK minister) problems with admitting a mistake highlights something important and paradoxical about modern politics - the combination between wanting a human leader, but also an infallible one. As the power of the label 'flip-flopper' shows in the US, there is little that can do more damage to a politician's reputation than admitting a mistake, or performing a u-turn. But surely a u-turn is better than continuing off a cliff?

the full article is  (here) and some comments of mine are in a separate post in the current affairs section here

Failure of economics? Economists to the rescue!

It is true that a dominant theme in the recent economic crises is how stupendously misguided the economist 'powers that be' have been, suffering at least from terminal group think and at worst from delusions of their own (or their field's) ability, so it is slightly worrying that they are now being handed even more power.

See this latest post in the current affairs section for some thoughts and articles on the subject.