conradvink.bsky.social
@conradvink.bsky.social
Employer NICs are another £5,101 on a £39,000 gross salary and about 2/3rds of the incidence of that falls on the employee
December 15, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Employer NICs are another £5,101 on a £39,000 gross salary and about 2/3rds of the incidence of that falls on the employee
Sad to say but a lot of older British people don't see younger families as "locals" anyway even if they grew up in the area.
November 29, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Sad to say but a lot of older British people don't see younger families as "locals" anyway even if they grew up in the area.
Society free rides heavily on parental effort. Also every adult has consumed one childhood, so adults who do not then supply one childhood to somebody else have consumed more than they produced.
August 25, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Society free rides heavily on parental effort. Also every adult has consumed one childhood, so adults who do not then supply one childhood to somebody else have consumed more than they produced.
Only because this calculation ignores the (positive) net present value to the state of a new adult being gifted to society by the family who raised them.
June 2, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Only because this calculation ignores the (positive) net present value to the state of a new adult being gifted to society by the family who raised them.
Given the huge asset price inflation we've seen over the last ~30 years it's not meaningful to analyse class in Britain in 2025 without distinguishing between income and assets.
May 30, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Given the huge asset price inflation we've seen over the last ~30 years it's not meaningful to analyse class in Britain in 2025 without distinguishing between income and assets.
Fraud is the correct word unfortunately. Many commentators want to talk about how complicated biological experiments are in terms of methods and materials (and operator skill/experience) but a major reason for the crisis is authors writing things in manuscripts that they know are not true.
May 27, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Fraud is the correct word unfortunately. Many commentators want to talk about how complicated biological experiments are in terms of methods and materials (and operator skill/experience) but a major reason for the crisis is authors writing things in manuscripts that they know are not true.
Clegg complained that everybody now believes the economy was stagnant under the Coalition but in his opinion it was growing strongly. Most people who worked in the UK in the 2010s will remember year after year of flat/negative real wage growth so he just came across as either dishonest or deluded.
May 27, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Clegg complained that everybody now believes the economy was stagnant under the Coalition but in his opinion it was growing strongly. Most people who worked in the UK in the 2010s will remember year after year of flat/negative real wage growth so he just came across as either dishonest or deluded.
I tried to watch his IfGov talk but after 10 minutes of 'everything the Coalition did was correct and it all turned out great' I had to stop. No critical analysis, no introspection, no lessons learned. Pointless.
May 27, 2025 at 11:14 AM
I tried to watch his IfGov talk but after 10 minutes of 'everything the Coalition did was correct and it all turned out great' I had to stop. No critical analysis, no introspection, no lessons learned. Pointless.
Nobody wants to decarbonise their home heating (i.e. replace their gas boiler with a heat pump) because of high UK electricity prices. Policymakers need to get the cost of electricity down by increasing supply.
May 23, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Nobody wants to decarbonise their home heating (i.e. replace their gas boiler with a heat pump) because of high UK electricity prices. Policymakers need to get the cost of electricity down by increasing supply.
Those big employer SSCs for other European countries are mostly state-mandated contributions into occupational pension schemes. To compare like for like this graph would need to include employee+employer pension contributions for the UK.
May 21, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Those big employer SSCs for other European countries are mostly state-mandated contributions into occupational pension schemes. To compare like for like this graph would need to include employee+employer pension contributions for the UK.
I used to vote Green but the party has now been fully captured by anti-housing NIMBYs. People need somewhere to live.
May 15, 2025 at 12:41 PM
I used to vote Green but the party has now been fully captured by anti-housing NIMBYs. People need somewhere to live.
Yes it's silly but there is something real underneath i.e. falling living standards in the working age population of the UK. Lower down the income spectrum people have been priced out of owning the family homes their parents had, nearer the top end they're being price out of private education
May 1, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Yes it's silly but there is something real underneath i.e. falling living standards in the working age population of the UK. Lower down the income spectrum people have been priced out of owning the family homes their parents had, nearer the top end they're being price out of private education
Also these people could plant some trees at the bottom of their gardens for screening instead of acting helpless
March 17, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Also these people could plant some trees at the bottom of their gardens for screening instead of acting helpless
A land value tax would compensate people in this situation automatically. Neighbouring development means land value goes down, LVT goes down, loss of amenity is balanced by paying less tax
March 17, 2025 at 11:58 AM
A land value tax would compensate people in this situation automatically. Neighbouring development means land value goes down, LVT goes down, loss of amenity is balanced by paying less tax
People always think moderates will abandon the Tories if they go too far right but it never seems to happen
February 28, 2025 at 3:56 PM
People always think moderates will abandon the Tories if they go too far right but it never seems to happen
If America wants to impose trade sanctions on itself (which is what tariffs are) that's up to them, no retaliation required
February 27, 2025 at 1:07 PM
If America wants to impose trade sanctions on itself (which is what tariffs are) that's up to them, no retaliation required
Seems like it's all about constantly reinforcing in-group vs out-group identity. Attack the out-group at every opportunity to keep demonstrating to the in-group that they made the right choice and better not stray
February 20, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Seems like it's all about constantly reinforcing in-group vs out-group identity. Attack the out-group at every opportunity to keep demonstrating to the in-group that they made the right choice and better not stray
How can a Labour party which in theory exists to represent exactly this demographic be struggling for ideas on how help it economically?
January 13, 2025 at 12:26 PM
How can a Labour party which in theory exists to represent exactly this demographic be struggling for ideas on how help it economically?
All they've done in 6 months is means test Winter Fuel Allowance and hike National Insurance, do they think this deserves a standing ovation?
January 10, 2025 at 12:35 PM
All they've done in 6 months is means test Winter Fuel Allowance and hike National Insurance, do they think this deserves a standing ovation?
Seems like it's a tactical decision not to spend political capital on social care reform given high probability of failure.
Would be nice to know what this government thinks would be worth spending political capital on. If they spend 5 years doing nothing they will surely be punished by voters.
Would be nice to know what this government thinks would be worth spending political capital on. If they spend 5 years doing nothing they will surely be punished by voters.
January 3, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Seems like it's a tactical decision not to spend political capital on social care reform given high probability of failure.
Would be nice to know what this government thinks would be worth spending political capital on. If they spend 5 years doing nothing they will surely be punished by voters.
Would be nice to know what this government thinks would be worth spending political capital on. If they spend 5 years doing nothing they will surely be punished by voters.
Higher taxes on wages would likely increase gross wages in order to pull enough labour into the market, yes, but net wages would still be lower than before the tax rise. The incidence of a wage tax lands on both employer and employee (as with the recent NI hike).
January 1, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Higher taxes on wages would likely increase gross wages in order to pull enough labour into the market, yes, but net wages would still be lower than before the tax rise. The incidence of a wage tax lands on both employer and employee (as with the recent NI hike).
There's no magic force that pulls net wages up to some fixed standard of living. Tax wages more, take home less
January 1, 2025 at 12:59 PM
There's no magic force that pulls net wages up to some fixed standard of living. Tax wages more, take home less
Politicians want to feel/be seen as centrist. Abolishing existing policies is extreme/radical, tweaking is sensible/moderate.
November 20, 2024 at 8:06 PM
Politicians want to feel/be seen as centrist. Abolishing existing policies is extreme/radical, tweaking is sensible/moderate.