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Life After the State
Have you ever had the nagging feeling that the problems the country faces are spiraling out of control, that the government has lost its way and that, despite its promises, nothing ever changes? Well, you're right. In every instance where government gets involved in people's lives with a desire to do good, it can always be relied on to make the situation much, much worse. Yet despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, we imagine that a world without the state would be a wild and terrifying place. With wit and devastating clarity of argument, Frisby shows in this book that human nature proves the opposite to be true. Welcome to Life After the State. "Dominic Frisby has gone and done something extraordinary: written a page-turner on the economy. It's both readable and radical, a serious book that is, by turn, fascinating, alarming and contentious. At times, the book makes you want to shout its message from the rooftops; at others, it just makes you want to shout. Life after the State challenges so much of what we take for granted. It is a wake-up call for politicians, economists and us all, written with clarity, verve and, more than that, the restless passion of an intelligent, inquisitive malcontent. Read it." - James Harding, once editor of The Times now Director of BBC News and Current Affairs
Review
Thought-provoking and original, anyone concerned how big and bloated government has become must read this book. Dominic Frisby asks the kind of questions that those in Westminster need to start asking. - Douglas Carswell, MP We can't go on as we are. All politicians know that. But if they read Life After The State they might also start to understand what they might do about it. A must read for any thinking man or woman. - Merryn Somerset Webb, FT columnist and editor Moneyweek Magazine Things are so bad that in our time only a comedian can make sense of an economy based on printing money. Dominic Frisby's Life After the State is an accessible contemporary anarcho-capitalist critique of the mess we're in with pointers for our escape. - Guido Fawkes, political blogger It's incredibly readable and incredibly thought-provoking. - Al Murray, The Pub Landlord An entertaining cogent attack on state power, which should topple the centralist Trots once and for all. - Tom Hodgkinson, The Idler
About the Author
Dominic Frisby is now mostly a writer but has been a comedian, actor, voice-over artist, TV presenter, boxing ring announcer, florist, removal man, camp theatrical agent's PA, sports commentator and busker. The Guardian called his stand-up comedy 'viciously funny and inventive'.
Review
Thought-provoking and original, anyone concerned how big and bloated government has become must read this book. Dominic Frisby asks the kind of questions that those in Westminster need to start asking. - Douglas Carswell, MP We can't go on as we are. All politicians know that. But if they read Life After The State they might also start to understand what they might do about it. A must read for any thinking man or woman. - Merryn Somerset Webb, FT columnist and editor Moneyweek Magazine Things are so bad that in our time only a comedian can make sense of an economy based on printing money. Dominic Frisby's Life After the State is an accessible contemporary anarcho-capitalist critique of the mess we're in with pointers for our escape. - Guido Fawkes, political blogger It's incredibly readable and incredibly thought-provoking. - Al Murray, The Pub Landlord An entertaining cogent attack on state power, which should topple the centralist Trots once and for all. - Tom Hodgkinson, The Idler
About the Author
Dominic Frisby is now mostly a writer but has been a comedian, actor, voice-over artist, TV presenter, boxing ring announcer, florist, removal man, camp theatrical agent's PA, sports commentator and busker. The Guardian called his stand-up comedy 'viciously funny and inventive'.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published November 7, 2013
25 people are currently reading
249 people want to read
About the author
Dominic Frisby
12 books71 followersDominic Frisby is a comedian from London.
But his first book, Life After The State, has nothing to do with comedy. It is a deadly serious dismantling of the way societies are run in the west, outlining the damage governments unknowingly do to their people, with simple suggestions about how things can be vastly improved.
Dominic writes an investment column for MoneyWeek and has written and produced numerous short films and videos, including the viral hit 'Debt Bomb'. His script-writing ranges from episodes of the kids' show 'Roary the Racing Car' to the feature documentary 'The Four Horsemen', about the global financial crisis. He is a frequent speaker on gold and money on television, radio and at conferences.
Frisby is also a comedian and actor, described as 'viciously funny and inventive' by the Guardian; 'masterful' by the Evening Standard; and 'great comedy talent' by Chortle.co.uk.
Day-to-day he is found trotting about the sound studios of London, voicing everything from BBC nature documentaries to zombies in Hollywood blockbusters.
He has also worked as a TV presenter, a boxing-ring announcer, a florist, a removal man, an extremely camp theatrical agent's PA, a sports commentator and a busker.
But his first book, Life After The State, has nothing to do with comedy. It is a deadly serious dismantling of the way societies are run in the west, outlining the damage governments unknowingly do to their people, with simple suggestions about how things can be vastly improved.
Dominic writes an investment column for MoneyWeek and has written and produced numerous short films and videos, including the viral hit 'Debt Bomb'. His script-writing ranges from episodes of the kids' show 'Roary the Racing Car' to the feature documentary 'The Four Horsemen', about the global financial crisis. He is a frequent speaker on gold and money on television, radio and at conferences.
Frisby is also a comedian and actor, described as 'viciously funny and inventive' by the Guardian; 'masterful' by the Evening Standard; and 'great comedy talent' by Chortle.co.uk.
Day-to-day he is found trotting about the sound studios of London, voicing everything from BBC nature documentaries to zombies in Hollywood blockbusters.
He has also worked as a TV presenter, a boxing-ring announcer, a florist, a removal man, an extremely camp theatrical agent's PA, a sports commentator and a busker.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 25, 2024
While there is much to like about this book, there is also much to annoy any student of history, or economics. Dominic Frisby—a professional comedian—decided to write a book about economics when his frustration with, and lack of information about, the subject became intolerable. Sadly, the Dunning-Kruger effect is on vivid display during the final half of the book. Mr. Frisby writes well, particularly when explaining basic economic concepts like fractional reserve banking, hidden opportunity costs (Frédéric Bastiat's "Parable of the broken window"), inflation, the absurdity of forced taxation, and the unintended consequences of State monopolies. He's got an admitted socialist bent, but believes the freedom of the individual, and the market, is the best way to achieve this goal. As he puts it: "I hope to achieve socialism through Libertarianism," which is not as bizarre as you might think. The first half of the book is so good it justifies the purchase, but the last half is a cringe-inducing expose of his inexperience, lack of humility, and naive assumptions about the fields being discussed (medicine, education, foreign policy, and welfare.) Embarrassing canards such as "there are no industrial uses for gold," and oblivious conclusions about his proposed utopia make for a difficult reading experience.
June 29, 2018
Idiotic ideas presented extremely badly by an idiot.
June 16, 2024
This book is quite an alternative view and a little "Out there" for sure.
However it really got me, the reader thinking about if we could do things differently and why things are the way they are.
It talks at length about our monetary system, family sizes, social security/benefits, healthcare and education.
It was quite relevant to everyday life too, and not entirely an obscure or a Corbyn fantasy land. For example I would have much preferred a home birth rather than going to hospital and not getting the care or attention I wanted.
The chapter on education was very enlightening, it discussed home education, the private and public schools and how children learn best. Personally home ed isn't something I would do, it was good to hear a different side to education in the round.
Most interesting of all was the topic of theatres and subsidies. Surprisingly they are counter intuitive and this funding model actually produces the opposite outcome from that which it intended. It makes all theatre more expensive and prohibitive to the paying public.
I won't say the whole book is realistic. There are some wild and whacky ideas and thought processes which I can't agree with. However, there are most certainly some nuggets that the leaders and state in general could do well to look into!
However it really got me, the reader thinking about if we could do things differently and why things are the way they are.
It talks at length about our monetary system, family sizes, social security/benefits, healthcare and education.
It was quite relevant to everyday life too, and not entirely an obscure or a Corbyn fantasy land. For example I would have much preferred a home birth rather than going to hospital and not getting the care or attention I wanted.
The chapter on education was very enlightening, it discussed home education, the private and public schools and how children learn best. Personally home ed isn't something I would do, it was good to hear a different side to education in the round.
Most interesting of all was the topic of theatres and subsidies. Surprisingly they are counter intuitive and this funding model actually produces the opposite outcome from that which it intended. It makes all theatre more expensive and prohibitive to the paying public.
I won't say the whole book is realistic. There are some wild and whacky ideas and thought processes which I can't agree with. However, there are most certainly some nuggets that the leaders and state in general could do well to look into!
March 18, 2023
Classic case if Dunning-Kruger effect with a good chunk of confirmation bias, cherry picking from history, and believing that causation and correction are the same. It’s not that there is no substance here or that the criticisms of government are unfounded, but to assume that the market doesn’t have the tendency towards unchecked expansion, consolation, and monopoly is folly. Especially when saying it’s natural for government to do the same. Both are run by people, and people are selfish. An external system needs to be put in place to make sure that resources are fairly divided, and the market is not that system. The author and other libertarians or anarchism capitalists fall for the same delusion as communists, that they underplay the power of greed. It’s an ignorant book, but the ideas are clearly presented. I found it interesting to hear the author’s arguments, but I felt he was far too confident in a lot of dubious claims.
December 8, 2013
Fantastic book
April 19, 2024
If I’d read this book when it first came out, I would have declared it to be a lot of dangerous Thatcherite nonsense, so I’ve got a lot of sympathy for anyone who would do so. Trouble is, for me, this book is yet another sharp hook, dragging me further from my former, more comfortable way of thinking towards what, I hope, might be a vision and hope of something better.
Having read the other reviews, I give ground to the argument that many of the supposedly great ideas in this book sound great on paper, but are unworkable in real life. The trouble is, I feel equally confident saying that about the current system which we all take for granted, with a corrupt banking system built on the lie of fractional reserve currency, the cancerous monstrosity that our welfare state has become and our bloated and incompetent civil service. Look also towards Britain’s national disgrace - the NHS, which started out as a safety net for everyone and has since become a debt-ridden zombie of bureaucracy. The modern state is now a middle-class people farm with a vested interest in perpetuating the very problems it hopes to alleviate. It’s also entirely unsustainable and long past the point of salvage.
I’m not a fan of the multiple “isms” that have brought mankind such misery over the last century or so. Just about any time some bright spark thinks they’re onto a scientific or philosophical breakthrough that will make everyone happier, they end up with a nightmare dystopia that collapses under its own hubris. So it is with the anarcho-capitalism set out in this book; the transition to such a way of life would be brutal and cruel, with traumatic real-world consequences from which we might never recover. But here we are: as a potential blue print for a better way of life, I think this would make an excellent first draft.
Having read the other reviews, I give ground to the argument that many of the supposedly great ideas in this book sound great on paper, but are unworkable in real life. The trouble is, I feel equally confident saying that about the current system which we all take for granted, with a corrupt banking system built on the lie of fractional reserve currency, the cancerous monstrosity that our welfare state has become and our bloated and incompetent civil service. Look also towards Britain’s national disgrace - the NHS, which started out as a safety net for everyone and has since become a debt-ridden zombie of bureaucracy. The modern state is now a middle-class people farm with a vested interest in perpetuating the very problems it hopes to alleviate. It’s also entirely unsustainable and long past the point of salvage.
I’m not a fan of the multiple “isms” that have brought mankind such misery over the last century or so. Just about any time some bright spark thinks they’re onto a scientific or philosophical breakthrough that will make everyone happier, they end up with a nightmare dystopia that collapses under its own hubris. So it is with the anarcho-capitalism set out in this book; the transition to such a way of life would be brutal and cruel, with traumatic real-world consequences from which we might never recover. But here we are: as a potential blue print for a better way of life, I think this would make an excellent first draft.
November 25, 2024
A comedian and free market ideologue who has drunk deeply and greedly from the well of anarcho-capitalist and reigh libertarian propaganda (including treating the Cato Institute as an unbiased source). At no point does he even consider left wing cases against the state, he does quote Graeber and Chomsky once but not so much that you'd realise both are completely against him. Look, some things he's not wrong about as issues but for someone who so frequently states "find the right answer and continue to argue for it", he's not shown any evidence he's considered anything outside the libertarian and Austrian Economics subreddits (or whatever their equvalent was in 2012/13).
At times completely naive, other times completely wrong. When he's not quoting endlessly, and almost exclusively, from Austrain School economists, he's filling the word count with quotes from Roman emperors and philisophers. I knew he'd be gushing over Bitcoin from the start.
Credit where credit is due, he was a pioneer for the finance bro podcast and crowd funded book space... whatever value that actually provides.
Edit (but important): I'd almost entirely forgottent the complete fauning over Toby Young and Gove's educational reform attempts... god, what a cursed book.
At times completely naive, other times completely wrong. When he's not quoting endlessly, and almost exclusively, from Austrain School economists, he's filling the word count with quotes from Roman emperors and philisophers. I knew he'd be gushing over Bitcoin from the start.
Credit where credit is due, he was a pioneer for the finance bro podcast and crowd funded book space... whatever value that actually provides.
Edit (but important): I'd almost entirely forgottent the complete fauning over Toby Young and Gove's educational reform attempts... god, what a cursed book.
June 17, 2017
While I would not agree with everything that was said in this book. Especially since I disagree strongly with many of the claims taken without providing proof. And some concepts presented I would say would not work clearly in the free market economy. Everything in the book was presented in very appealing and fluent way. And I would say that reading this book came closest to making me strong supporter of economy with as least government involvement as possible.
March 7, 2020
Government take heed!
This book was written sometime ago and yet, we're slowly but surely seeing a changing of the tide in the wider 🌎. Dominic has shown a picture for the not distant future, perhaps towards the end of our generations lifetimes. God speed, my daughter's generations and the ones after will benefit from a minimal state!
This book was written sometime ago and yet, we're slowly but surely seeing a changing of the tide in the wider 🌎. Dominic has shown a picture for the not distant future, perhaps towards the end of our generations lifetimes. God speed, my daughter's generations and the ones after will benefit from a minimal state!
January 9, 2022
Dominic verbalised many thoughts that I have already had and put it in a very articulate way. It is great to have the contrast of a moral way to be when amist this current corruption and invested interests and saying that they, the Government, are looking for the good of everyone. Decentralised is clearly required.
November 13, 2022
Can a comedian write about economics and politics? Sure he can. Everyone can. I love when someone is not afraid to question the "common sense". You will not find a careful analysis in this book, nor there are tons of data or facts. But anecdotes provided make you think and question how important government is for our wellbeing and whether we can imagine a future without it?
September 10, 2017
Thought provoking gives and enlightening perspective on why removing some state control society could prosper because we live in a society that is over regulated therefore stiffling ingenuity and productivity.
September 2, 2020
paraphrasing: "Think of the right answer, realize it will never be a reality, then proceed to advocate it nonetheless" I am grateful to the author for marketing libertarian ideas in a way that is palatable to the masses. Hopefully, this book will make the future a few shades brighter.
October 12, 2024
Interesting polemic
Frisby sets out the case for the abolition of the state with panache and passion. His arguments are unorthodox but do raise questions of why the state regulates private behaviour as much as it does now.
Frisby sets out the case for the abolition of the state with panache and passion. His arguments are unorthodox but do raise questions of why the state regulates private behaviour as much as it does now.
February 28, 2018
Such a good read for those interested in the libertarian standpoint. Frisby is fast becoming my favourite commentator on society and its various problems and solutions.
June 3, 2022
Is this the pseudo ‘George Orwell’ book for the 21st century…?
July 27, 2023
Try not to be a subversive ;)
August 18, 2024
An interesting thought experiment on looking at the purpose and function of government. Proposes what government should and should not be, and where to go from here.
December 22, 2013
I saw the author on an episode of the Kaiser Report [rt.com/shows/keiser-report/] or RT.com. Frisby articulates his libertarian [or as he would say "anarcho-capitalism"]views with conviction. He is very influenced by Milton Friedman but has read extensively just pursuing his hunch that something is very wrong with modern government and its increasing interference in all areas of life, it's massive inefficiency and the increasing divide between the rich and poor caused by crony capitalism.
December 21, 2017
considerably more engaging than I was expecting up to now.
Interesting book but the sweeping statements are clearly flawed. Important issues are glossed over and answers are given in an over confident way. Some good thoughts, and that is the value of this book. A good read.
Interesting book but the sweeping statements are clearly flawed. Important issues are glossed over and answers are given in an over confident way. Some good thoughts, and that is the value of this book. A good read.
January 15, 2014
Provocative. Many things I don't agree with but lots of things that make sense and certainly made me think. Well argued in a casual and accessible way.
February 1, 2014
Thought provoking book on the effect of the Government and the State on, well, everything really! I suspect it is a little simplistic but definitely worth a read.
October 31, 2015
Enjoyable read, yet over-simplified. Some of the author's views are a bit out there.
June 20, 2016
An excellent introduction to libertarianism from a U.K. perspective
November 10, 2016
A passionate and articulate libertarian manifesto, a hymn for freedom, a paean for liberty. We need more of these. Dominic Frisby is brilliant.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews