Pinned
Why did Scotland punch so far above its weight in the age of industrialisation and enlightenment?
The usual answer is education.
But I argue that this puts the cart before the horse, and that it was almost entirely down to capital:
Dr Anton Howes
49K posts
Dr Anton Howes
@antonhowes
Invention historian. I write *Age of Invention*, an email newsletter on the history of invention and economic history.
- Just thinking about how much this shelf would have been worth in England in the year 1600. Presumably at least tens of millions in today’s money.
- Strongly disagree. This is FPTP at its *best*, allowing the electorate to mete out proper punishment and let another team have a proper go of it without having to bend to fringe parties that hardly anybody at all wants.I just can’t get past Labour winning 65% of seats off 34% of the vote. Absolutely wild mismatch between the headline result and, well, everything else. Britain is now a multi-party system, and first-past-the-post can’t cope.
- Got to see the Götheborg passing under Tower Bridge this morning
00:00 - Why is an intelligent economist unable to understand opportunity cost? If I value a day at home with my family at over £400, and don’t desperately need the cash, I might not want to take on an extra £1,000 task for just £400.Why are intelligent high earning people so bad at arithmetic? If I am asked to write something for £1000 and I pay tax of 60% on that fee I am £400 better off than if I say ‘no thanks there’s no incentive to do it’ bit.ly/4p84RhN just do the job work harder and pay the
- Frenchman visiting London in 1698 and simply cannot believe the size of the steaks
- This is HUGE! For the first time since the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in AD 79, the words on un-openable carbonised papyrus scrolls can now be read. Looks like someone will soon win the $700,000 prize for reading four passages by the end of the year!
- Replying to @GrantTuckerThe impression of Gillian Anderson as Thatcher is spot-on. Really impressive.
- Love the idea that the ultra-wealthy keep massive warehouses full of cash, hoarding it like dragons do goldFinancial illiteracy is real, people.
- It's sometimes said that people living through the Industrial Revolution didn't quite notice it. But nothing could be further from the truth. Here's a thread on the decade of technological wonders that was the 1820s - the decade we always forget.
- Designed and made a gingerbread Parliament. Quite pleased with it.
- Mad fact I just learned: the room temperature of a coal-heated London house in the 1740s in winter was usually as low as 10 degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit). During the night-time often below freezing. And this is remarked on as very cold, for room temperature, by a Swede!
- Yet again, one to add to the list of low-hanging fruit when it comes to innovation. Immense productivity increases reported here, with reduced wait times and earlier diagnosis likely saving a great many lives:
- If you’ve ever wondered why your council can’t ever seem to fix potholes and no longer picks up your bins every week, it’s because central government has created and then foisted on them hefty social care obligations without the means to pay for them.Hampshire County Council is spending 83% of its budget on social care. An official from this same council told the FT a few days ago that they are paying up to £30,000 *per week* – per child – to for-profit children's homes to look after some children.
