An excellent article, Erik, and a pleasure to read.

I do have to add my two cents, but they are just two cents compared to the full dollar value you delivered.

• The Netherlands had an area that industrialized quite before the Manchester area industrialized. I forget exactly what the four principles are that must be in place to declare a location industrialized, but the Zaan area north-west of Amsterdam had all four. I think it was mechanism, mass production, innovation, and one more I forgot.

Investors flocked there, until… the British put their Navigation Acts in place and finance moved from Amsterdam to London. It bled the industrial area of the Zaan dry. If you ask economists with in-depth knowledge, then they do agree it was the first industrialized area, but it did not sustain its growth.

Partly, this shows that there has to be an abundance of money available, in a rather crude way one could say 'to waste' on innovations, and a population enticed to buy the products.

The UK really did a number of the economic prosperity of the Low Countries by installing the Navigation Acts, not in the least because Dutch investors would end up investing in the UK where their money would bring greater results than in the then failing Dutch economy robbed of its larger dominance in the world of those days.

* The Scandinavian countries have a unique democracy in the world: There is just one House.

There is no President to screw up the direction of the nation so it ends up benefitting particularly the President or the king and the top elites in society.

There is no Senate to screw up the direction of the nation so it would benefit the rich senators and the elite in society.

So, make sure to have this aspect explained front and center. The format chosen was an excellent vehicle to establish an egalitarian society, but it was probably also chosen because there was an egalitarian society of some kind in place already.

My take on it is that, with the innovation of Proportional Voting by Victor D'Hondt, the Scandinavians kept it simple because their societies were not flat in terrain, but more flat in hierarchy than most other places in Europe. They embraced the Brussels sprouts version of democracy and did not bother to add a Senate or a Presidency on top of their one House.

When the democratic game is straightforward plus it contains a good amount of political freedom plus extremes are avoided, then we have an egalitarian society within a couple of election rounds.

You can be proud of your heritage, Erik.

Thanks for an excellent article.