The general secretary of the Trade Union Congress, Frances O’Grady, said last year that Britain is a country in which … Continue reading “The rich get richer and the poor get… richer.”

Sugar is much in the news at the moment, with the British Medical Association calling for a tax on sugary … Continue reading “Why the government shouldn’t intervene in the sugar market”

In a classic Beyond the Fringe sketch, Peter Cook is a cult leader sat atop a mountain awaiting the end … Continue reading “The death and rebirth of relative poverty figures”

Five years ago, in May 2010, I published The Spirit Level Delusion in response to Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett’s … Continue reading “The Spirit Level revisited”

Do you remember the great booze scare of 2004-05? Think back, you must recall it. The prophecies of doom about … Continue reading “The great ’24 hour drinking’ panic”

Income inequality is usually measured by the Gini coefficient. The Gini goes from 0 to 100, with 0 representing total … Continue reading “Income inequality: the facts”

It is around about this time in the electoral cycle that free market economists and libertarians start talking about their … Continue reading “The opportunity cost of explaining opportunity costs”

Barack Obama is said to have described inequality as the ‘defining challenge of our time’ and Ed Miliband has made … Continue reading “Fact check: Income and wealth inequality in Britain”

As Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles has long taken a principled stand against what he … Continue reading “Sock puppets: a step in the right direction”