58 per cent! This is the “statistic of the year” according to the Royal Statistical Society. It is the share … Continue reading “The RSS “statistic of the year” is absolute bunk”

Continued from Part 2… Alston makes many claims about living standards. Some turn out to be without foundation and based … Continue reading “Solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short?! (Part 3)”

Continued from Part 1… Alston points to rising food insecurity and calls for the government to “systematically measure food security”. … Continue reading “Food banks and food insecurity (Part 2)”

The United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty, Philip Alston, recently published his second and final report on poverty in … Continue reading “Is the special rapporteur right about poverty? (Part 1)”

Continued from Part 2. He claims statistical backing for his anecdotes but provides no robust evidence on either suicide or … Continue reading “How the UN gets poverty wrong (Part 3)”

Continued from Part 1. Furthermore, the condition of poverty is not uniform and some will endure more hardship than others. … Continue reading “How the UN gets poverty wrong? (Part 2)”

A few years ago, when my grandfather was still alive, my father took him to see Angela’s Ashes at the … Continue reading “How the UN gets poverty wrong (Part 1)”