It’s been a good few decades for the top 1%, with big rises in income and wealth. But, what does it take to be in the top 1% by income, wealth, land-ownership and house values? If we look at the metric of wealth, a Swiss would need $8.5m, an American would need $5.8 million and …
Things can appear pretty bleak. We have warnings of a collapsing economy, record waiting lists, crumbling infrastructure and rising homelessness. The government might have changed, but the problems seem the same. Wages have stagnated and young people have low expectations of their future. It wasn’t always like this. In the post-war period, real wages were …
Japan is the 4th largest economy in the world. It is a leader in electronic innovation, high-speed trains and robots. Yet, in the past two decades, it has seen an unprecedented decline in real wages. Whilst most economies have been trying to reduce inflation, Japan has been desperately trying to do the opposite – to …
In 1957, the British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan proclaimed to the electorate “You’ve never had it so good”. And he had a point, full employment, a growing economy, debt falling rapidly, record house building, rising wages, universal health care and a growing sense of optimism that things would keep getting better. But, can you imagine …
Labour's Big Budget GambleWatch this video on YouTube It was one of the biggest budgets in decades – Higher tax, higher spending, and more borrowing. Rachel’s Reeves hopes it will boost economic growth, avoid austerity and restore public services. But it is a gamble because if it fails to increase growth the UK will need …
The Australian economy is unique. 35% of the country is practically desert and geographically it is isolated. 98% of its trade is exported by sea. Yet, it has become one of the richest countries in the world. Richer than the UK, France and Germany. From 1991 to 2020, it experienced the world record for the …
In May 2016, Britain voted to leave the EU. The only reason David Cameron held a referendum was because he was convinced he would win. But, he hadn’t expected Boris Johnson to make a last minute switch and help galvanise a Vote Leave campaign. Brexit – The Big MistakeWatch this video on YouTube The result …
Since 2019, The German economy has gone into an unexpected decline, posting the 2nd worst performance in Europe. GDP is stagnant, the car industry in decline, real wages falling and discontent rising. For many decades, Germany was the powerhouse of the European economy with rapid growth transforming living standards, but this has come to a …