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From John Roskam |

 Thursday, 11 April 2013

The world has lost a champion for freedom.

If there's one piece you read on Margaret Thatcher make it this by Conrad Black in the National Review Online on Tuesday. If there's two or three read (in priority) Boris Johnson in The Telegraph, Brendan O'Neill from Spiked, and Peter Oborne also from The Telegraph (which was reprinted in Tuesday's Age - how did a pro-Thatcher piece slip through?)

Last week Rupert Murdoch delivered this unforgettable speech on the morality of markets at the 70th anniversary dinner of the IPA. 

And Tony Abbott gave a great speech - including what he thought of our idea to be like Gough Whitlam.

Selling the ABC is number 50 on the IPA's list of things to do for an Abbott government. If you want proof why the ABC should be sold, listen to this 12 minute interview/interrogation on Radio National from Monday with Tom Palmer about the welfare state. Tom is from the Atlas Economic Research Foundation and Cato Institute in Washington and has been speaking at IPA events around Australia. This is about his book - and buy it here.

On Andrew Bolt's blog there's a really good line-up of classic Thatcher videos - including my favourite from 1981. Back in 2011 I wrote about one of the classic Thatcher stories.

Peter Reith in yesterday's Australian Financial Review explained what Thatcher meant for Australia (behind a paywall). And this from taxpayer-funded students at Melbourne University reveals how barbaric some people are.

Margaret Thatcher changed Britain - but obviously not enough. This ridiculous Nanny State ban was imposed by a school in Essex a few weeks ago - it involves triangular flapjacks.

And a government spokesperson thinks they're a bit of a comedian - 'we often come across half-baked decisions...but this one takes the biscuit.'

Meanwhile in America...guess what else has been outlawed in New Hampshire schools. And on Tuesday the Washington Times reported the Commerce Department is charging other government agencies for reports that can be googled for free. 

If you're reading this on your Samsung smartphone you'll enjoy this 4000 word piece from Bloomberg a fortnight ago on how Samsung will beat Apple and take over the world - it's very interesting.

Here's what else the IPA said this week:

• Chris Berg, Sport and betting have always been teammates - The Sunday Age
• David Jancik, NSW Government destroys right to silence - FreedomWatch
• Chris Berg, Unions NSW to challenge NSW campaign finance law - FreedomWatch
• James Paterson, Opening statement: Racial vilification law in NSW inquiry - FreedomWatch
• Simon Breheny, When government regulates sport - FreedomWatch