Tom Calver
@tomcalver.bsky.social
Data Editor, @thetimes.com
I write a weekly data column called Go Figure
🔗 https://www.thetimes.com/profile/tom-calver
📧 thomas.calver@the-times.co.uk
I write a weekly data column called Go Figure
🔗 https://www.thetimes.com/profile/tom-calver
📧 thomas.calver@the-times.co.uk
Pinned
What can 40 years of song lyrics tell us about society?
I analysed the lyrics of 1,600 pop songs going back to 1985.
Our music appears to be getting gloomier, less future-looking and more self-obsessed
1/6
I analysed the lyrics of 1,600 pop songs going back to 1985.
Our music appears to be getting gloomier, less future-looking and more self-obsessed
1/6
This week's column is about how we spend our most valuable asset of all: time
Life has become less obviously strenuous. For women, unpaid work is being replaced with paid work. Men enage in more leisure than ever. Both sexes sleep more.
Why, then, does life feel rushed?
1/3
Life has become less obviously strenuous. For women, unpaid work is being replaced with paid work. Men enage in more leisure than ever. Both sexes sleep more.
Why, then, does life feel rushed?
1/3
January 4, 2026 at 11:43 AM
This week's column is about how we spend our most valuable asset of all: time
Life has become less obviously strenuous. For women, unpaid work is being replaced with paid work. Men enage in more leisure than ever. Both sexes sleep more.
Why, then, does life feel rushed?
1/3
Life has become less obviously strenuous. For women, unpaid work is being replaced with paid work. Men enage in more leisure than ever. Both sexes sleep more.
Why, then, does life feel rushed?
1/3
What can 40 years of song lyrics tell us about society?
I analysed the lyrics of 1,600 pop songs going back to 1985.
Our music appears to be getting gloomier, less future-looking and more self-obsessed
1/6
I analysed the lyrics of 1,600 pop songs going back to 1985.
Our music appears to be getting gloomier, less future-looking and more self-obsessed
1/6
December 28, 2025 at 11:55 AM
What can 40 years of song lyrics tell us about society?
I analysed the lyrics of 1,600 pop songs going back to 1985.
Our music appears to be getting gloomier, less future-looking and more self-obsessed
1/6
I analysed the lyrics of 1,600 pop songs going back to 1985.
Our music appears to be getting gloomier, less future-looking and more self-obsessed
1/6
Reposted by Tom Calver
Net migration was negative as recently as the 1970s. The difference was that Britain had a surplus of young people. We have never before been an ageing country that is also shrinking.
(£) www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Interesting by @tomcalver.bsky.social Britain on trend to shrink + consequences
(£) www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Interesting by @tomcalver.bsky.social Britain on trend to shrink + consequences
Could Britain’s population actually start shrinking soon?
By 2029 the ONS expects more deaths than births
www.thetimes.com
December 21, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Net migration was negative as recently as the 1970s. The difference was that Britain had a surplus of young people. We have never before been an ageing country that is also shrinking.
(£) www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Interesting by @tomcalver.bsky.social Britain on trend to shrink + consequences
(£) www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Interesting by @tomcalver.bsky.social Britain on trend to shrink + consequences
Britain’s population could start shrinking sooner than we think
Successive changes to immigration rules are seeing visa applications plummet. Meanwhile, revisions to data - plus an expected student exodus next year - should send the official emigration figures higher
1/4
Successive changes to immigration rules are seeing visa applications plummet. Meanwhile, revisions to data - plus an expected student exodus next year - should send the official emigration figures higher
1/4
December 21, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Britain’s population could start shrinking sooner than we think
Successive changes to immigration rules are seeing visa applications plummet. Meanwhile, revisions to data - plus an expected student exodus next year - should send the official emigration figures higher
1/4
Successive changes to immigration rules are seeing visa applications plummet. Meanwhile, revisions to data - plus an expected student exodus next year - should send the official emigration figures higher
1/4
Britain’s hospitals average 90% bed occupancy throughout the year, and 95% in winter.
This is not normal!
1/3
This is not normal!
1/3
December 14, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Britain’s hospitals average 90% bed occupancy throughout the year, and 95% in winter.
This is not normal!
1/3
This is not normal!
1/3
I am helping man the phone lines for @thetimes.com Christmas appeal!
We are raising money for three amazing charities this year, covering restorative justice, loneliness and bicycles!
Give us a call on 020 7782 5555 if you can spare anything and fancy a chat
We are raising money for three amazing charities this year, covering restorative justice, loneliness and bicycles!
Give us a call on 020 7782 5555 if you can spare anything and fancy a chat
December 11, 2025 at 2:24 PM
I am helping man the phone lines for @thetimes.com Christmas appeal!
We are raising money for three amazing charities this year, covering restorative justice, loneliness and bicycles!
Give us a call on 020 7782 5555 if you can spare anything and fancy a chat
We are raising money for three amazing charities this year, covering restorative justice, loneliness and bicycles!
Give us a call on 020 7782 5555 if you can spare anything and fancy a chat
Reposted by Tom Calver
Great to see @tomcalver.bsky.social using this IFS chart in his (excellent) piece about the UK's economic and fiscal travails. The combination of low growth and high debt interest really does make for some unpleasant fiscal arithmetic. It's a tough time to be Chancellor.
November 9, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Great to see @tomcalver.bsky.social using this IFS chart in his (excellent) piece about the UK's economic and fiscal travails. The combination of low growth and high debt interest really does make for some unpleasant fiscal arithmetic. It's a tough time to be Chancellor.
After Liz Truss's mini-budget, just 15 per cent of people felt the Tories were the best party at handling the economy
Today, the equivalent figure for Labour is 12 per cent
www.thetimes.com/article/470f...
Today, the equivalent figure for Labour is 12 per cent
www.thetimes.com/article/470f...
November 9, 2025 at 3:34 PM
After Liz Truss's mini-budget, just 15 per cent of people felt the Tories were the best party at handling the economy
Today, the equivalent figure for Labour is 12 per cent
www.thetimes.com/article/470f...
Today, the equivalent figure for Labour is 12 per cent
www.thetimes.com/article/470f...
Reposted by Tom Calver
Her decisions may have had a small impact on borrowing costs & inflation. Other factors, like BoE policies & decades of poor growth have done more combined damage. Perhaps Reeves’s greatest failure has been to not see all of this coming
(£) www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
By @tomcalver.bsky.social
(£) www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
By @tomcalver.bsky.social
How much of our economic mess is Rachel Reeves’s fault?
The chancellor was at pains last week to blame everyone else for the tax rises she is likely to announce in the budget
www.thetimes.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Her decisions may have had a small impact on borrowing costs & inflation. Other factors, like BoE policies & decades of poor growth have done more combined damage. Perhaps Reeves’s greatest failure has been to not see all of this coming
(£) www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
By @tomcalver.bsky.social
(£) www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
By @tomcalver.bsky.social
Reposted by Tom Calver
Superb work from @tomcalver.bsky.social and @jburnmurdoch.ft.com showing how the UK's upper-middle classes have born the brunt of our 20yr long productivity stagnation, whereas lower earners have been insulated from this via ongoing minimum wage hikes, compressing earnings across the spectrum.
November 2, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Superb work from @tomcalver.bsky.social and @jburnmurdoch.ft.com showing how the UK's upper-middle classes have born the brunt of our 20yr long productivity stagnation, whereas lower earners have been insulated from this via ongoing minimum wage hikes, compressing earnings across the spectrum.
Reposted by Tom Calver
Fair-minded discussion by @tomcalver.bsky.social on the Brexit impact. I'm more worried about the trade data though - goods exports volumes declining since 2019 is a big problem, and finance and transport services have significantly lagged other advanced economies.
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Would UK be better off without Brexit?
Ministers may be tempted to use it as an excuse for tax rises, but there’s far more to it than that
www.thetimes.com
October 26, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Fair-minded discussion by @tomcalver.bsky.social on the Brexit impact. I'm more worried about the trade data though - goods exports volumes declining since 2019 is a big problem, and finance and transport services have significantly lagged other advanced economies.
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Reposted by Tom Calver
Fascinating as always by @tomcalver.bsky.social on the impact of Brexit. Would UK be better off without Brexit?
www.thetimes.com/article/860b... 1/2
www.thetimes.com/article/860b... 1/2
Would UK be better off without Brexit?
Ministers may be tempted to use it as an excuse for tax rises, but there’s far more to it than that
www.thetimes.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Fascinating as always by @tomcalver.bsky.social on the impact of Brexit. Would UK be better off without Brexit?
www.thetimes.com/article/860b... 1/2
www.thetimes.com/article/860b... 1/2
Strip out London, and Britain’s GDP per capita is just 3% larger than Poland’s 🤯
🇵🇱 My @thetimes column: Poland’s economic miracle
12 out of 17 Polish regions are now richer than West Wales. It has faster internet, cheaper electricity and more high speed rail than Britain
When it comes to regional development it’s the UK, not Poland, that needs to catch up
1/3
12 out of 17 Polish regions are now richer than West Wales. It has faster internet, cheaper electricity and more high speed rail than Britain
When it comes to regional development it’s the UK, not Poland, that needs to catch up
1/3
October 12, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Strip out London, and Britain’s GDP per capita is just 3% larger than Poland’s 🤯
🇵🇱 My @thetimes column: Poland’s economic miracle
12 out of 17 Polish regions are now richer than West Wales. It has faster internet, cheaper electricity and more high speed rail than Britain
When it comes to regional development it’s the UK, not Poland, that needs to catch up
1/3
12 out of 17 Polish regions are now richer than West Wales. It has faster internet, cheaper electricity and more high speed rail than Britain
When it comes to regional development it’s the UK, not Poland, that needs to catch up
1/3
October 12, 2025 at 11:59 AM
🇵🇱 My @thetimes column: Poland’s economic miracle
12 out of 17 Polish regions are now richer than West Wales. It has faster internet, cheaper electricity and more high speed rail than Britain
When it comes to regional development it’s the UK, not Poland, that needs to catch up
1/3
12 out of 17 Polish regions are now richer than West Wales. It has faster internet, cheaper electricity and more high speed rail than Britain
When it comes to regional development it’s the UK, not Poland, that needs to catch up
1/3
Reposted by Tom Calver
Great chart from @tomcalver.bsky.social showing how a third of Britain’s economic output in the mid-1990s comprised fossil fuel extraction, electricity generation and mining. And financial services then stepped in before the financial crisis
www.thetimes.com/article/a394...
www.thetimes.com/article/a394...
October 5, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Great chart from @tomcalver.bsky.social showing how a third of Britain’s economic output in the mid-1990s comprised fossil fuel extraction, electricity generation and mining. And financial services then stepped in before the financial crisis
www.thetimes.com/article/a394...
www.thetimes.com/article/a394...
NEW: Since the start of the Ukraine invasion, 17 out of 27 EU nations have spent more on Russian oil and gas than they’ve sent to Ukraine in aid!
Despite an oil embargo, Europe is still sending £1bn a month on Russian energy.
This week’s column:
www.thetimes.com/article/dd9d...
Despite an oil embargo, Europe is still sending £1bn a month on Russian energy.
This week’s column:
www.thetimes.com/article/dd9d...
September 28, 2025 at 10:47 AM
NEW: Since the start of the Ukraine invasion, 17 out of 27 EU nations have spent more on Russian oil and gas than they’ve sent to Ukraine in aid!
Despite an oil embargo, Europe is still sending £1bn a month on Russian energy.
This week’s column:
www.thetimes.com/article/dd9d...
Despite an oil embargo, Europe is still sending £1bn a month on Russian energy.
This week’s column:
www.thetimes.com/article/dd9d...
Which country works the hardest?
🇺🇸 = long hours, minimal holidays
🇬🇧 = long hours, modest holidays
🇩🇪 = modest hours, lots of holidays
This week’s @thetimes.com column 🔗 www.thetimes.com/article/5463...
🇺🇸 = long hours, minimal holidays
🇬🇧 = long hours, modest holidays
🇩🇪 = modest hours, lots of holidays
This week’s @thetimes.com column 🔗 www.thetimes.com/article/5463...
August 24, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Which country works the hardest?
🇺🇸 = long hours, minimal holidays
🇬🇧 = long hours, modest holidays
🇩🇪 = modest hours, lots of holidays
This week’s @thetimes.com column 🔗 www.thetimes.com/article/5463...
🇺🇸 = long hours, minimal holidays
🇬🇧 = long hours, modest holidays
🇩🇪 = modest hours, lots of holidays
This week’s @thetimes.com column 🔗 www.thetimes.com/article/5463...
Reposted by Tom Calver
"The real mystery is why, during a period of mass migration, the number of foreign prisoners hasn't risen by more."
Good piece by @tomcalver.bsky.social (IMO bottom line is that migration/nationality status has little correlation, +be or -ve, with criminality).
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Good piece by @tomcalver.bsky.social (IMO bottom line is that migration/nationality status has little correlation, +be or -ve, with criminality).
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Does anyone know whether migrants really commit more crimes?
News reports suggest asylum seekers are more likely to break the law than people born in the UK — so what does the data show?
www.thetimes.com
August 17, 2025 at 10:57 AM
"The real mystery is why, during a period of mass migration, the number of foreign prisoners hasn't risen by more."
Good piece by @tomcalver.bsky.social (IMO bottom line is that migration/nationality status has little correlation, +be or -ve, with criminality).
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Good piece by @tomcalver.bsky.social (IMO bottom line is that migration/nationality status has little correlation, +be or -ve, with criminality).
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
NEW: Are migrants more likely to commit crimes than non-migrants?
Here’s what the data does and doesn’t show.
1/8 @thetimes.com
www.thetimes.com/article/72b6...
Here’s what the data does and doesn’t show.
1/8 @thetimes.com
www.thetimes.com/article/72b6...
August 17, 2025 at 9:39 AM
NEW: Are migrants more likely to commit crimes than non-migrants?
Here’s what the data does and doesn’t show.
1/8 @thetimes.com
www.thetimes.com/article/72b6...
Here’s what the data does and doesn’t show.
1/8 @thetimes.com
www.thetimes.com/article/72b6...
Data finally proves it: online dating leads to worse relationships
This week’s column is about choice overload, the importance of shared context, and how too much data - when it comes to dating - is a bad thing
@thetimes.com
www.thetimes.com/article/82b7...
This week’s column is about choice overload, the importance of shared context, and how too much data - when it comes to dating - is a bad thing
@thetimes.com
www.thetimes.com/article/82b7...
August 10, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Data finally proves it: online dating leads to worse relationships
This week’s column is about choice overload, the importance of shared context, and how too much data - when it comes to dating - is a bad thing
@thetimes.com
www.thetimes.com/article/82b7...
This week’s column is about choice overload, the importance of shared context, and how too much data - when it comes to dating - is a bad thing
@thetimes.com
www.thetimes.com/article/82b7...
Reposted by Tom Calver
This is what $10,000 invested in Palantir on election day would be worth now.
But can you do any better?
Introducing @thetimes.com trading game. How much money can you make in 9 months?
Free link 👇
www.thetimes.com/article/086b...
But can you do any better?
Introducing @thetimes.com trading game. How much money can you make in 9 months?
Free link 👇
www.thetimes.com/article/086b...
August 5, 2025 at 4:39 PM
This is what $10,000 invested in Palantir on election day would be worth now.
But can you do any better?
Introducing @thetimes.com trading game. How much money can you make in 9 months?
Free link 👇
www.thetimes.com/article/086b...
But can you do any better?
Introducing @thetimes.com trading game. How much money can you make in 9 months?
Free link 👇
www.thetimes.com/article/086b...
This is what $10,000 invested in Palantir on election day would be worth now.
But can you do any better?
Introducing @thetimes.com trading game. How much money can you make in 9 months?
Free link 👇
www.thetimes.com/article/086b...
But can you do any better?
Introducing @thetimes.com trading game. How much money can you make in 9 months?
Free link 👇
www.thetimes.com/article/086b...
August 5, 2025 at 4:39 PM
This is what $10,000 invested in Palantir on election day would be worth now.
But can you do any better?
Introducing @thetimes.com trading game. How much money can you make in 9 months?
Free link 👇
www.thetimes.com/article/086b...
But can you do any better?
Introducing @thetimes.com trading game. How much money can you make in 9 months?
Free link 👇
www.thetimes.com/article/086b...
Reposted by Tom Calver
Imagine you could go back to election day in November 2024, with $10k and everything you know now.
Could you successfully dodge Trump’s tariffs and outperform the market?
Play our stock trading game ⬇️
Could you successfully dodge Trump’s tariffs and outperform the market?
Play our stock trading game ⬇️
Can you beat Trump’s tariffs? Play our stock trading game
www.thetimes.com
August 5, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Imagine you could go back to election day in November 2024, with $10k and everything you know now.
Could you successfully dodge Trump’s tariffs and outperform the market?
Play our stock trading game ⬇️
Could you successfully dodge Trump’s tariffs and outperform the market?
Play our stock trading game ⬇️
Reposted by Tom Calver
If you could go back in time, to the day of the 2024 US election, with $10,000 US dollars and everything you know now, how much money do you think you could make?
Try for yourself and watch how Trump's first six months in office have affected the markets.
www.thetimes.com/us/news-toda...
Try for yourself and watch how Trump's first six months in office have affected the markets.
www.thetimes.com/us/news-toda...
August 5, 2025 at 11:30 AM
If you could go back in time, to the day of the 2024 US election, with $10,000 US dollars and everything you know now, how much money do you think you could make?
Try for yourself and watch how Trump's first six months in office have affected the markets.
www.thetimes.com/us/news-toda...
Try for yourself and watch how Trump's first six months in office have affected the markets.
www.thetimes.com/us/news-toda...
This week’s @thetimes.com column is about how we’re bad at investing
Decades of data shows that rather than investing for profit, UK savers are motivated by pessimism
This “when shit hits the fan, save all you can” approach is bad for our finances, and bad for the economy
1/5
Decades of data shows that rather than investing for profit, UK savers are motivated by pessimism
This “when shit hits the fan, save all you can” approach is bad for our finances, and bad for the economy
1/5
August 3, 2025 at 12:06 PM
This week’s @thetimes.com column is about how we’re bad at investing
Decades of data shows that rather than investing for profit, UK savers are motivated by pessimism
This “when shit hits the fan, save all you can” approach is bad for our finances, and bad for the economy
1/5
Decades of data shows that rather than investing for profit, UK savers are motivated by pessimism
This “when shit hits the fan, save all you can” approach is bad for our finances, and bad for the economy
1/5