What’s in a name? Quite a lot in the desert emirate of Dubai.
The long-suffering travelling companion and I are back, after 18 years, this time with an uneconomic dependent tagging along. We are here as tourists and, consequently, observations are transitory as we skim across the surface of a complex and evolving society.
The long-suffering travelling companion and I are back, after 18 years, this time with an uneconomic dependent tagging along. We are here as tourists and, consequently, observations are transitory as we skim across the surface of a complex and evolving society.
But what has been seen is worth writing home about and let’s start with our Emir. He is the brother of the last Emir, who by-passed his own sons to nominate his successor. Mohammed had been running things before his ascension and the custom is that power transfers to the most capable and not strict primogeniture.
Dubai, the city and emirate, is an absolute monarchy. Whatever freedoms, rights or property exist here do so at the gift of the Emir. I’d write more but I am flying Emirates to get back home. So….
A century ago ten thousand souls lived here. There were still under a hundred thousand at independence in 1971. Yes, oil was discovered about that time but there are lot of desert towns with oil and only one Dubai. What happened?
Chris Bisop and Simon Court can only dream the possibilities. When there is nothing but sand and opportunity humanity can build castles in the sky. Mostly with foreign capital and imported labour, Dubai has emerged from the sand like ephemeral desert wildflowers. Is it sustainable?
The locals are 10% of the city. The men are distinctive in their white robes, a form of dress that looks good on a hardy Bedouin but isn’t flattering for the contemporary Emirati physique; the women bend into the background.
The rest are residents with no right to permanence and they dress as they did at home. I was delighted to see miniskirts, jeans and even dear reader, more than one kippah.
Safer here than Bondi it seems.
Dubai, the city and emirate, is an absolute monarchy. Whatever freedoms, rights or property exist here do so at the gift of the Emir. I’d write more but I am flying Emirates to get back home. So….
A century ago ten thousand souls lived here. There were still under a hundred thousand at independence in 1971. Yes, oil was discovered about that time but there are lot of desert towns with oil and only one Dubai. What happened?
Chris Bisop and Simon Court can only dream the possibilities. When there is nothing but sand and opportunity humanity can build castles in the sky. Mostly with foreign capital and imported labour, Dubai has emerged from the sand like ephemeral desert wildflowers. Is it sustainable?
The locals are 10% of the city. The men are distinctive in their white robes, a form of dress that looks good on a hardy Bedouin but isn’t flattering for the contemporary Emirati physique; the women bend into the background.
The rest are residents with no right to permanence and they dress as they did at home. I was delighted to see miniskirts, jeans and even dear reader, more than one kippah.
Safer here than Bondi it seems.
Dubai has no income tax for individuals and nominal tax on corporations with firms paying 9%. Most tax revenue comes from a 5% Value Added Tax with extra for various government fees related to residence and land. Oil is less than 1% of their GDP.
I am not going to claim Dubai is a libertarian paradise; but if you want to know what happens to an economy when the state stops trying to punish the productive and reward the indolent; this is a good place to start.
Despite having no political rights, no security of residency and minimal labour protection laws, the huddled masses pour in; eager to work as lawyers, Uber drivers, engineers, financiers and ladies of commercial affection. There is a welfare system for citizenry; a fraction of the total population. Everyone else must get insurance or pay up.
Dubai is challenging to a western mind for several reasons.
First; the emirate’s success is evidence that the cradle-to-grave economic model funded by high taxes and undermined by low fertility is inferior to the laisse-faire alternative practiced here.
There are ongoing claims of migrant worker exploitation and this must occur, but mitigating against this is the world’s working poor competing to labour in the emirate.
News travels fast and based on the anecdotal conversations we had, the main complaint of those toiling in service jobs was the gender disparity; females constitute only a third of the population and a smaller portion of the foreign worker contingent.
The second challenge is that Dubai, and its sister emirates, could not have achieved its success using a democratic model. In the west we import workers and proceed to give them full political rights and a path to citizenship. Imagine this in Dubai?
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum may be popular with the locals but in a free vote across all residents he’d be swept aside by a promise of taxing the rich to pay for free dental visits and subsided childcare.
The financiers, property developers, engineers and fancy lawyers would fly home. The party would be over.When Churchill described democracy as being a terrible form of government; this is why.
Socialism only works in New Zealand because many of the productive class cannot leave fast enough. But they are leaving.
The challenge for Dubai is an authoritarian monarchy becomes subject to the whims of succession. If you want to know how badly that can play out watch the first Gladiator movie. The transition from Marcus Aurelius to his son Commodus ruined an empire for a century.
During the chaotic middle-ages there were many well-run principalities that competed for capital and labour but I find parallels in science fiction; from Mos Espa on Tatoonie to the spice planet Arrakis in Dune and whatever confused mess was occurring in the company towns in the Alien and Avatar series.
The inconvenient truth is that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum raised more people from poverty than a generation of socialist politicians in the now declining west.
Dubai represents a different economic and political model that, for the moment, is economically superior......The full article is published HERE
Damien Grant is an Auckland business owner, a member of the Taxpayers’ Union and a regular opinion contributor for Stuff, writing from a libertarian perspective
I am not going to claim Dubai is a libertarian paradise; but if you want to know what happens to an economy when the state stops trying to punish the productive and reward the indolent; this is a good place to start.
Despite having no political rights, no security of residency and minimal labour protection laws, the huddled masses pour in; eager to work as lawyers, Uber drivers, engineers, financiers and ladies of commercial affection. There is a welfare system for citizenry; a fraction of the total population. Everyone else must get insurance or pay up.
Dubai is challenging to a western mind for several reasons.
First; the emirate’s success is evidence that the cradle-to-grave economic model funded by high taxes and undermined by low fertility is inferior to the laisse-faire alternative practiced here.
There are ongoing claims of migrant worker exploitation and this must occur, but mitigating against this is the world’s working poor competing to labour in the emirate.
News travels fast and based on the anecdotal conversations we had, the main complaint of those toiling in service jobs was the gender disparity; females constitute only a third of the population and a smaller portion of the foreign worker contingent.
The second challenge is that Dubai, and its sister emirates, could not have achieved its success using a democratic model. In the west we import workers and proceed to give them full political rights and a path to citizenship. Imagine this in Dubai?
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum may be popular with the locals but in a free vote across all residents he’d be swept aside by a promise of taxing the rich to pay for free dental visits and subsided childcare.
The financiers, property developers, engineers and fancy lawyers would fly home. The party would be over.When Churchill described democracy as being a terrible form of government; this is why.
Socialism only works in New Zealand because many of the productive class cannot leave fast enough. But they are leaving.
The challenge for Dubai is an authoritarian monarchy becomes subject to the whims of succession. If you want to know how badly that can play out watch the first Gladiator movie. The transition from Marcus Aurelius to his son Commodus ruined an empire for a century.
During the chaotic middle-ages there were many well-run principalities that competed for capital and labour but I find parallels in science fiction; from Mos Espa on Tatoonie to the spice planet Arrakis in Dune and whatever confused mess was occurring in the company towns in the Alien and Avatar series.
The inconvenient truth is that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum raised more people from poverty than a generation of socialist politicians in the now declining west.
Dubai represents a different economic and political model that, for the moment, is economically superior......The full article is published HERE
Damien Grant is an Auckland business owner, a member of the Taxpayers’ Union and a regular opinion contributor for Stuff, writing from a libertarian perspective
1 comment:
Damien - I take the following form your article [quote] -
"Despite having no political rights, no security of residency and minimal labour protection laws, the huddled masses pour in; eager to work as lawyers, Uber drivers, engineers, financiers and ladies of commercial affection" [end quote]
One aspect of 'employment' you missed is those from outside Dubai, that being western nations, who seek & are employed by Emirates Airlines, something you would have "noted" flying into & out of Dubai.
It is interesting just how many seek that "dream" job and Emirates are quite happy promote that - there are many Videos, on this subject, that can be found via YouTube.
I am also aware that (amazing what pops up on YouTube) and I reflect on the last 4 words of what I have used as a quote, that this is a subject that is NOT discussed within Dubai or by the esteemed Sheikh or the 'ruling brethren' of that State/Nation.
Oh and it is not new phenomime for Dubai.
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