“Protection of the vicious poor involves aggression on the virtuous poor” The words quoted above are those of Herbert Spencer, a prominent Victorian sociologist. If I had read them last Read more

As the world economy faces a possible double dip we should take a moment to work out how we got in this mess. We seem to have taken the ideas Read more

Imagine if phone-hacking had been a scandal from the 1980s. The left-wing cultural grand narratives would be completely predictable: this is a result of greed; these are the kind of Read more

So at the age of 33 I went on my first ever demonstration on Saturday. I had just never been inclined before. Like David Skelton I was a little sceptical: Read more

I am now a full-blown deficit denier: I deny that it is doing us any good. I think our massive deficit goes way beyond what is needed or was ever Read more

Johann Hari is one of the left’s best writers, and has composed a beguiling narrative – that there is no debt crisis. This claim needs nipping in the bud. The essence Read more

David Cameron’s speech on public services on Monday has drawn predictable criticism – the revelation according to St Polly the byline – is my personal favourite. Nothing new was announced, Read more

What if our welfare state had been pragmatic rather than socialist? What if it had been built on Britain’s rich heritage of voluntary action as well as state provision? What Read more