With a plunging pound and predictions of economic collapse, the political earthquake in Europe and the United Kingdom is nevertheless looking pretty sweet for a certain Canadian doom-monger:
On Wednesday, revisiting Mark's bestseller America Alone, The Toronto Sun's Tarek Fatah wrote:
My fellow Sun columnist, Farzana Hassan, and I wrote a rejoinder in Maclean's titled, "Mark Steyn has a right to be wrong."
Today, I recognize, Steyn was right and I was wrong.
Economist Bryan Caplan was equally unimpressed by America Alone's analysis of Europe, and back in April 2008 responded with a piece called "Win Mark Steyn's Money":
I smell a bet. I propose the following terms to Steyn (or up to any three other people):
If any current EU member with a population over 10 million people in 2007 officially withdraws from the EU before January 1, 2020, I will pay you $100. Otherwise, you owe me $100.Any takers? (I've emailed this link to Mark Steyn's website, though I doubt it will actually filter up to him).
In fact, Mark responded:
Throwing caution and my children's college fees to the wind, I've recklessly taken this guy's bet...
Professor Caplan enthused that "The Bet's On":
Mark Steyn's graciously accepted my latest Euro bet... In the process, Steyn raises a fair question:
'Hey, why not make it a grand? A hundred bucks'll barely buy you a falafel at the Tour d'Argent in the Paris of 2020.'
Mr Caplan declined to make it a grand - but, on this historic day when for the first time a "current EU member" has voted to leave, "winning Mark Steyn's money" appears to be trickier than the experts think.
~In a preview of last night's excitement, Mark shared the stage with Brexit victor Nigel Farage a few weeks ago at the Munk Debate in Toronto.
~Don't forget that autographed copies of America Alone are available at the SteynOnline bookstore. Mark is abroad researching a forthcoming book, but, following Wednesday's column by Tarek Fatah, several readers wrote to wonder why there isn't an updated, tenth-anniversary edition of America Alone. Well, we tried, but the book's publisher, Regnery, turned it down.
