Colinxy: The Industrial Revolution and the Myth of Capitalist Child Labour

How Prosperity, Not Poverty, Ended the Drudgery of Childhood

One of the more curious accusations routinely hurled at the Industrial Revolution, and by extension at capitalism itself, is the charge of child labour. The argument is delivered with theatrical indignation, as though the moment steam engines appeared, Victorian factory owners spontaneously invented the idea of putting children to work.

This is historically illiterate. Child labour did not begin with capitalism. It predates the Industrial Revolution by millennia.

Lushington D. Brady: Robbing African Children to Save the Planet

Even politicians have more morals than a climate botherer

n a blow to wannabe smugmobile owners everywhere, the US is considering a measure which would likely call a halt to their manufacture.

You see, it seems that even American politicians have a stronger moral conscience than middle-class greenies.

Ian Bradford: The Labour Government continues to ignore human rights issues

In 2017, human Rights organisation Amnesty produced a report into cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It found that there were children as young as 7 working in dangerous conditions. 

Cobalt is a vital component of Lithium-Ion batteries used in electric vehicles. The DRC produces around 70% of the world’s cobalt. Miners working in the mines face long term health problems due to the inhalation of the dust from the compounds in the mine. This leads to lung disease.  Fatal accidents occur regularly due to mine collapse.