At the Spectator. On why absentee foreign landlords aren’t to blame for the housing crisis.
It’s okay to hate foreigners so long as they’re rich
August 1, 2017 Comment now
I’m a Leaver who would be happy for a second referendum
July 25, 2017 3 comments so far
At the Spectator I voted Leave but if it looks like clearly being an economic disaster, then it’s ridiculous to pursue it whatever the cost. In no field does someone continue along the same course, knowing it will end in complete failure, whatever the consequences. It is true that there would be public anger at a second referendum, but there would be far more if the economy went down the toilet. There is also the fact that, while we… Read on
Young people check their privilege – and feel deeply disappointed
July 7, 2017 Comment now
At the Spectator Political correctness is fashionable, a positional good, and it is understandable that high-status people should therefore compete to become more politically correct than rivals. This is one possible explanation for the US campus ‘safe spaces’ movement, which is a well-trodden path among commentators, and unfortunately comes with the same problem that Political Correctness did in the late 80s and 90s; the people who endlessly complain about it become almost as tiresome as the people doing it…. Read on
Donald Trump is a gift for the progressive narrative
June 30, 2017 Comment now
At the Spectator Coffee House What I can predict is that after Trump the triumph of the progressive narrative will be more complete than ever. My grandchildren will be taught at school about the president’s ‘Muslim ban’ just as my children are told about Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. People will recall the Naked Gun-like image of a Jewish and Muslim family hugging while protesting against the order. There will be a film about Iraqi-Americans stuck at JFK, and… Read on
If you can’t afford a home, why vote Tory?
June 27, 2017 Comment now
At the Spectator Things are so bad that even Tokyo will soon have a larger proportion of homeowners than London; in fact the residents of Japan’s capital now have far larger homes than a generation ago, largely a product of densification in the capital. Japan, of course, has little in the way of immigration, and it has low fertility rates which will inevitably free up space in the future; Britain, in contrast, has historically unprecedented levels of migration… Read on
‘British Values’ won’t help in our fight against terrorism
June 22, 2017 Comment now
At the Coffee House Another structural problem is that, as the Adam Smith Institute’s Sam Bowman pointed out over the weekend, these attacks are going to increase hostility to Muslims, which in turn will encourage radicalisation. Sam is a friend with whom I profoundly disagree on the subject of immigration, and he got a lot of flak for this, but the point is almost certainly true. According to one paper, among the big terror risks are the size… Read on
Labour is now the party of the middle class
June 20, 2017 Comment now
At the Coffee House The polling data coming out of the election is very interesting; the Conservatives enjoyed a 17-point lead among people with no qualifications, while Labour had a 15-point advantage with graduates. This does not take into account age, since older people are far less likely to have a degree, but certainly this was ‘Labour’s highest middle class support since 1979, and the Conservatives’ best score among C2DEs since then’, as one analyst Read on
The future belongs to the Left
June 15, 2017 1 comment so far
At the Coffee House When I was in my early 20s and quite conservative I assumed I was just an anomaly, someone who develops these traits earlier than normal, and conservatism was like baldness or impotence or the other bad things that get you in middle age; most of my friends and contemporaries would catch up at some point, because these things just develop at different speeds. Now in my late 30s I realise it’s worse than that and… Read on
Why I’m voting Liberal Democrat for the first time today
June 8, 2017 Comment now
From a very early age I’ve been put off by sanctimoniousness; it’s why, I think, I’ve never been attracted to the political Left, which when I was growing up was heavy on the finger-wagging, and why I find a certain style of newspaper column irritating. They remind me of the sour-faced old guys we used to see at church all in competition to see who could look the most serious and disapproving. This whole idea that if you don’t support… Read on
Are Remainers brighter than Brexiteers?
May 15, 2017 1 comment so far
Yes, is the short answer. At the Spectator. PS Overall, though, there doesn’t seem to be that much difference between conservatives and liberals when it comes to brains. The paper’s personality results are equally expected. Remain voters – heavily concentrated in cities – tend to be more neurotic, while Leavers scored higher on conscientiousness, a personality trait associated with social conservatism. This study of 2015 voters, for example, showed Green Party voters to be off the scale in… Read on
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