News

The billionaires, the middle men, and the little people

The year 2026 began with revelations that a former cabinet minister, Peter Mandelson, appeared to have passed on sensitive information including economic policy plans from the UK government to the financier Jeffery Epstein.

Making Britain worse and better in 2025

Bingzhi Zhu was a foreign student from China. Her student visa did not extend until the May of 2021; but she only realised this a day before it was due to expire.

The BBC, inequality, and the Multi-Coloured Swap Shop

The BBC was once an engine of progressive change driving British society to greater equality – Danny Dorling asks what changed, and why?

Playing chicken with voters

In September 2025, the British Election Study (BES) team released the latest results of a continuous survey of voters. What they were interested in was the decline in support for the Labour Party since the General Election of 2024.

Born to Rule is a fascinating book, with only a few small faults. It demonstrates using better data than others have yet amassed, how

Asset managers work to increase wealth over time

On July 1st 2025, journalist Polly Toynbee wrote a story in The Guardian beneath the title: ‘To all who think capitalism can drive progressive change, it won’t

How to Transform an Unequal Britain

When Keir Starmer became Prime Minister he promised ‘change’, and this promise was beefed up in his 2024 Christmas message with his six promises.

Very Long-Term International Housing Price Trends

Against the backdrop of recent global house price inflation, this paper addresses the question commonly asked about asset price booms and crises: ‘Is this time different?’

The Real ‘Strangers’ Among Us

Those who declare the UK to be an island of estranged individuals are the ones who should be looking closer to home

Calling Out Racist and Jingoistic Rhetoric

“…examines the rise of nationalist and exclusionary rhetoric in British political discourse,

Should landlords get more tax breaks? (Yes and No)

Extra regulation and less help with costs have made buy-to-let far less profitable. We ask if incentives are needed to keep the rental market going.

Foreword to: The Borders Within: Causes and fixes of Geographic Divides by Michael Donnelly

In 1973, Britain was the second most equal large country in Western Europe, and now it is the second most unequal of any country across the entirety of Europe.

These are the times that try men’s souls

Something is afoot. Recently, the economist Guy Standing invoked Thomas Paine’s old adage, that we are living in times that try men’s souls.

Westminster needs to follow Scotland in tackling child poverty

Another Spring in the UK, another set of statistics are released on child poverty. The British government does this just once a year.