051 - Adam Bartha: Free Markets, The European Union & CBDCs

The E.U., Freedom, Brexit, Open Borders, Bitcoin vs CBDCs, City Gentrification, Inflation, Money Printing, Tik Tok, Democratisation of Ideas, Free Markets. Timothy Allen talks with Adam Bartha. Today I’m releasing a conversation that I recorded just over 6 months ago.  It's worth noting that deciding which show to air each week is by no means an exact science and this episode has been near the top of my list for many weeks but it just kept getting bumped aside by interviews that had content that was more time sensitive. At any one time I have a pool of episodes to choose from since we record all our podcasts in person in batches at different events and gatherings that I attend.  So, as you are listening to this, bear in mind that the conversation was recorded in April. Nevertheless, there are still plenty of timeless insights and lots of up to date information plus some interesting predictions about the economy that turned out to be quite prophetic. My guest is Adam Bartha who is the director at Epicenter, The European Policy Information Center which is part if the Institute of Economic Affairs. As a gentleman who roams the political hallways of Brussels, I had a lot of questions for Adam about the E.U. and international politics in general which is something that both fascinates and infuriates me.  Alongside that we discuss topics such as freedom, social media, Brexit, open borders, city gentrification,  inflation and the impending battle between Bitcoin and CBDCs. Enjoy the conversation. LIBERTY IN OUR LIFETIME CONFERENCE ⁠https://libertyinourlifetime.org/⁠ TIMESTAMPS: (0:30) Introduction. (3:27) Think tank influence in Europe. (11:08) Social media presence and influence for think tanks. (15:01) Individual freedom and the EU. (24:21) Brexit and its impact on the UK and EU. (29:28) Decentralization, freedom of movement, and the EU. (34:45) Open borders, freedom of movement, and social unrest. (41:29) Citizenship requirements and entrance exams. (45:29) Economic benefits of open borders and government resistance. (50:35) Immigration and cultural integration in Europe. (53:58) British identity and cultural change. (59:11) Gentrification and housing affordability in London. (1:03:14) Welfare and immigration policies. (1:08:02) UK National Insurance and healthcare system. (1:14:58) Inflation, central banking, and new digital currencies. (1:19:12) The benefits and limitations of Bitcoin vs central bank digital currencies. (1:24:40) Decentralized currencies and their potential impact on society. TWITTER: Adam Bartha: ⁠https://twitter.com/bartha_adam Epicenter: https://twitter.com/epicenterEU Timothy Allen: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/MrTimothyAllen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Free Cities Foundation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/freecitiesfound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ OTHER LINKS: Epicenter: https://www.epicenternetwork.eu/ Free Cities Foundation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://free-cities.org/⁠