Is realism such a great virtue in international affairs? Don't we respect people who defy realism, like Zelenskiy in 2022 or Churchill in 1940? (View Post)

The child benefit example is a good one - I am sure that rather than saving money it is a drag on both tax revenue and the economy as it encourages all kinds of perverse incentives. Universal benefit… (View Post)

In a lot of ways NI doesn't make sense - but its continued existence does act as a political check on any efforts to means test or otherwise limit the state pension, simply because so many peopl… (View Post)

It really isn't. There's loads going on every night. In the last few months I have gone to the theatre multiple times, spent many great evenings in the pub, gone to several gigs, gone clubb… (View Post)

That's largely because of the way that borrowing is measured, with various wrinkles created by accounting conventions (eg treatment of student loans, accruals vs cash accounting methods). The de… (View Post)