Author Archives: Rick

I’ve never set much store by generational definitions. According to the Atlantic, the only one officially recognised by the US Census Bureau is the Baby Boomer. All the rest have been made up and fitted in around the original one. But … Continue reading →

Most of you are probably familiar with the Elephant Chart which shows the changes in the global income distribution over the three decades before the last recession. It came from a World Bank paper by Branko Milanovic and shows the … Continue reading →

“Does the left have a future?” asks John Harris, citing the changes in the nature of work (see previous post), political fragmentation and the rise of nationalists and the populist right as challenges to mainstream leftwing parties throughout the western world. He says: … Continue reading →

John Harris has written a long piece in the Guardian asking, “Does the left have a future?” It’s an excellent read and I will write a longer piece on it soon. But, on the subject of changes in the labour market, he said … Continue reading →

Statsmeister Michael O’Connor produced this gem of a chart a few weeks ago, breaking down the post-recession employment recovery by region, type of employment and country of birth. It shows how much of the job growth outside London has come from self-employment, … Continue reading →

The HR director at an organisation I worked with a few years ago, commenting on people’s refusal to engage with change until the last minute, said: “When a decision is announced in this place it’s a signal for the debate to … Continue reading →

I was invited onto Tom Swarbrick’s show on Saturday to comment on Brexit and, particularly, the chancellor’s pledge to maintain the EU spending on agriculture and some scientific projects. As I said on the programme, and as several other people have pointed … Continue reading →