Thursday, January 29, 2015

New Greek Finance Minister Name Drops Mises and Hayek

Economist Yanis Varoufakis, who is the new Greek finance minister, was interviewed on Wednesday by Phillip Adams of Austrailia's Late Night Live.

During the interview, he said that among other economists he has been "influenced by libertarians," and then mentioned Ludwig von Mises and  Friedrich Hayek.

He went on to say that he is a "libertarian communist. or a libertarian Marxist." He then said he knew that is a contradiction.

During the interview he also called Keynes and Marx great men.

  -RW 

18 comments:

  1. How confused can you get?

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    1. I was thinking the same thing. The only thing I can figure is that he is throwing out names and words that have become popular lately like Mises, Hayek, and libertarian. If not then he's got more bark than brains.

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  2. So, he can't stand intolerant people, and the Dutch.

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  3. Sounds like Sustein and his "paternalistic libertarianism"

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  4. If he knows it's a contradiction, he's not confused.

    Unlike mainstream economists, he does get that the banks are making out like bandits in all the bailouts.

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    1. This true but it also made me laugh.

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  5. He is the perfect example of the modern man. One of the hollow men who holds and espouses two irreconcilable contradictory philosophies as one. I wonder, is he a God fearing atheist too?

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  6. He can talk all he likes. We'll know exactly what he believes once the new government starts acting (I'm tempted to skip straight to saying "screwing up", but I'm trying to be positive).

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    1. Apparently, the old regime left them with no electricity, internet, or even toilet soap. It's been nearly a week and they still haven't been able to allocate those resources to themselves. If this new regime can't do for their own office, what every new homeowner does, i'd say they're already to the point of screwing up.

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  7. From previous interviews I've read, he does know Mises and Hayek. He'll agree with some of their arguments, his conclusions for policy are different. I'm not certain, but I believe his philosophy is a modified version anarcho-syndicalism that allows for private property.

    This interview with Russ Roberts was pretty interesting:
    http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2013/02/varoufakis_on_v.html

    He is not the usual neo-classical/Keynesian clone that tends to inhabit a government office. That said, I think Greece will leave the euro and experience serious financial shocks, and it won't matter much what he does.

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  8. Huh? Reminds me of Michelle Bachman name-dropping Mises (her summer beach reading), probably never having read him.

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    1. Ha! I had the same exact thought.

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  9. I don't even know what to think

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  10. This guy needs to be seriously discredited by libertarians. Things will get worse in Greece and we don't want to do have anything to do with that.

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    1. That's what i was thinking. Much the way the free market gets blamed every time something goes wrong while a Republican is in the white house (yes i see the irony), having greece flush down the tubes while a self described libertarian is the economic adviser will only hurt the movement for liberty.

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  11. and if you protest....

    Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called protesters "low-life scum," after they interrupted a hearing by calling for former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to be arrested for war crimes.

    http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/231138-mccain-to-protestors-get-out-of-here-you-low-life-scum

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    1. That article didn't catch McCain's best comment:

      "“You know, you’re going to have to shut up, or I’m going to have you arrested."

      He let Little Benito out for a moment.

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  12. Hey, at least Mises and Hayek are popular now, right?

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