I have a friend in New Zealand, whose real name isn’t Tim, and who is unusually witty. This gives Tim … Continue reading “Standard socialist fallacies #2: “Ability is power””

It’s as predictable as the so-called “rabbit out of the hat”. Twice each year (three times when George Osborne felt … Continue reading “Britain’s socialists aren’t quite as “progressive” as they think they are”

Nothing is certain in life but death and the annual claim that the poorest fifth of households pay the highest … Continue reading “The tax and benefit system is highly redistributive: Look at the net effects”

When the action movie ‘Thor’ and its sequel were shown in cinemas, the media often referred to its protagonist as … Continue reading “Thor and the Nordic welfare state: Not so Nordic, after all”

On Monday I appeared on a (recorded) Channel 4 ‘infotainment’ programme called ‘How Rich Are You?’ The appearance was sold … Continue reading “Ten mistakes that permeated the Channel 4 ‘How Rich Are You?’ programme on inequality (part 1)”

Forget political polls and voting intentions. The most important survey of recent months came from Pew Research on the attitudes … Continue reading “Our obsession with inequality is dangerous – the emerging world knows better”

The FT’s Martin Wolf weighs in on ‘Why inequality is such a drag on economies’. This is the question that … Continue reading “Chicken and egg inequality”

Contributory welfare has become the latest fad in Westminster village. Labour politicians are in favour of it, Conservative politicians are … Continue reading “Contribution vs. redistribution: why contributory welfare won’t happen”

The satirical website the Daily Mash has revealed shock news: ‘Greedy people have more stuff, say experts’. They were reporting on … Continue reading “We should not be redistributing from people who prioritise income to those who do not”