Dominic Frisby is a financial writer, broadcaster, and comedian. He is the author of Life After the State, Bitcoin: The Future of Money, and Daylight Robbery: How Tax Shaped Our Past and Will Change Our Future. He writes regularly for MoneyWeek and has performed stand-up comedy in the UK and internationally.

In this episode, we think out loud about the long and revealing history of gold — and what humanity’s relationship with money tells us about power, honesty, and civilisation itself.

We discuss why gold has been desired, hoarded, stolen, regulated, and demonised throughout history; why it has repeatedly re-emerged as a store of value when trust in institutions collapses; and why Dominic argues that “gold is honest money — and is therefore disliked by dishonest men.”

The conversation ranges from ancient civilisations and gold rushes to the British Empire’s reliance on gold, and the costly short-termism of the British state’s decision to sell its gold reserves at the bottom of the market in 2010. We also examine how fiat money enables excess government, regulatory overreach, erosion of privacy, and bureaucratic expansion — and why monetary systems shape not only economies, but moral behaviour and political incentives.

You can follow Dominic’s work here:

About Thinking Class:
Thinking Class is a long-form interview podcast exploring the cultural, historical, and moral forces shaping England, Britain, and the wider Western world.

Hosted by John Gillam, the show features serious conversations with historians, academics, and independent thinkers.

Thinking Class is concerned with discovering long-term patterns over headlines and hot-takes. Expect historically-grounded analysis on matters of national character, institutions, demography, belief, and political legitimacy.

New episodes every week.

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#096 - Dominic Frisby - Gold, Power, And The State: What Honest Money Reveals About Civilisation