Indeed. I'd say most nations begin this way. (View Post)

People don't just give up land - but remember medeival Europe was far emptier than it is now; there was a lot of empty land, particularly in the wake of plagues etc. That said, my view is still … (View Post)

NICE put values on lives saved all the time. If you object to it, you can do it the other way if you like: how much money does it take to prolong a life by a year? If you quantify the financial impac… (View Post)

My take on this debate: The Telegraph is an increasingly daft newspaper, and I say this as someone broadly sympathetic to its worldview. (Sample headline from the past week 'why the working from… (View Post)

I think that's probably right - although the Romans were here for, what, 400 years or so; it wasn't really a brief occupation, and (AIUI) the elite was thoroughly Romanised (as was the chur… (View Post)