For those who have followed me here, and new readers, welcome. I decided to move here because there is plenty of spare capacity on the Great WiseOne’s server, the greatsimpleton.me.uk URL cost SQRT(bugger all) and Wordpress is free.

Why the Great Simpleton name? I used to comment on the BBC boards under my own name until I took the King’s Shilling and moved from consulting to work full time for a client. At the time the client was NASDAQ listed and as I have a senior position I didn’t want anything I said to be misrepresented. I had always taken great delight  in pointing out the idiocy of some people’s posts and one of them referred to me by this name and it stuck.

I started reading blogs about 2 years ago when I was doing some research in to an idea I had for a small business based on the climate warming hyperbole that was, and is still is, doing the rounds. Being skeptical by nature I didn’t believe all I was told and soon realised I was not alone. Once I had found Climate Skeptic (see links) my skeptism hardened. I don’t deny that man has an impact on the planet or that CO2 will cause some warming, but certainly nowhere near what our politicians and others would have us believe.

Although I spent 18 years in the Army (Royal Signals) I have always been a great believer in personal responsibility and small state. Living through the 60’s and 70’s as a child and young man taught me that socialism is the greatest threat to our way of life. Whilst I believe in a  welfare state I think we have gone too far and have created so many perverse incentives.

I have always been interested in current affairs I haven’t had the time to read many books on politics and economics although I have been a reader of The Economist for around 15 years and tend to read most of the broadsheets. I have found reading blogs to be inspiring, educational and and entertaining. The links in the sidebar all fit in to at least one of those categories but I would like to give a few a special mention as they have helped me understand my own opinions and views in a wider context:

Devil’s Kitchen was one of my first regular reads and it is from him that I ralised my own political views can best be described as Libertarian, although I don’t always agree with everything he says. From here I picked up the Libertarian Party UK unofficial blog which has provided many enlightening posts.

Tim Worstall’s blog introduced me micro economics and also the idiocy of Polly, George and most of the Guardian’s opinion formers who write on Comment Is Free. It was good to find that there were people better read than I who could dismiss what I knew was nonsense but didn’t have the academic background to know the detail (I left school at 15). I met Tim at an event at the Adam Smith Institute and he recommended some good books, which I am working through, although I do find the Wealth of Nations heavy going. Tim’s blog is my daily read over lunchtime.

Mark Wadsworth is a tax reformer who writes some good stuff on the idiocy of our benefits system. Through his blog I have learnt about Citizens Basic Income and would love to see it given a try, if only because our current welfare system is so broke.

I have moved from voting to join the EC in 1975 to being mildly skeptical but better of in to being outright hostile to the EU.  I was a Maggie Thatcher supporter although I have little time for the current Conservatives, they are too close to Edward Heath’s statist approach which failed to deal with the dangers of Wilson’s policies when he had the chance.

There are very few people I actively  dislike but Gordon Brown falls in to that minority. Future historians will dismiss him as one of the worst Chancellors and Prime Ministers we have had. His increase in Government spending and debt is verging on the criminal, 5 minutes on Burning Our Money will be enough to convince anyone that he should go and go now.

Finally, by now you will be thinking that I am on the right, which I suppose in the loosest sense I am and my Political Compass shows me as Libertarian, slightly right of centre:

That said, I also enjoy having my prejudices tested which is why you will find a selection of left of centre blogs in my RSS list. They are all well written and, with the exception of Niel Harding, don’t fall in to the trap of using sloppy pejorative language when referring to their political opponents. Neil is good for an argument and fights his corner well.

I got round to writing a blog because, like many bloggers, I find a a good way to let off steam. I can hardly listen to a news report or radio interview on politics or current affairs without wanting to throw something at the radio/television and wanting to kick the interviewer, interviewee or both. I have been amazed, humbled and heartened to find that I have generated a number of readers over the past year and welcome all their comments.

So, if you get 1% of the pleasure reading my random thoughts that I get from reading blogs it will add to the sense of relieve and pleasure I get from writing them.