In other words, the IMF made a bad situation even worse. Further, it added the overtly political observation that the plan would increase inequality. Whatever one might think about the fiscal wisdom on Trussonomics, it really is none of the IMF’s business whether budgetary measures increase or decrease inequality. This is a matter for domestic political debate, not the holier-than-thou judgment of organisations such as the IMF. It is outside their remit.
Among the institutionalised lefties that actually inhabit the international infrastructure that inequality is bad, per se and overall, is now generally accepted. “But that will increase inequality” is proof perfect that the thing should not be done.
Things like The Spirit Level are indeed the most ghastly junk science, but very influential all the same.
I’m sure the IMF cares deeply about “inequality”, Tim. It’s probably all those poor globalist bankers and mysteriously connected unelected technocrats can think of.
Inequality is bad, except when its their own salaries that are unequal – or the hotels in which they stay. I was once a sub-contractor on a World Bank project and they booked me into the most expensive (foreign-owned, newly built) hotel in the country for the first week, costing roughly a year’s GNI/head! Thwe first thing I asked my client (main contractor) when I got back to the UK was to book me into somewhere cheaper but adequate for future visits.
But don’t worry, inequality in Britain is falling according to a Telegraph headline today: “The ultra-wealthy are deserting the UK, piling extra pressure on public finances.”
wat – can we at least steal their yachts?
Steve, you could at least insist that they take some of the illegals with them when they go.
“The Spirit Level”
Christopher Snowden did a pretty decent demolition of that book in “The Spirit Level Delusion: Fact-Checking the Left’s New Theory of Everything”
Christopher Snowden did a pretty decent demolition of that book in “The Spirit Level Delusion: Fact-Checking the Left’s New Theory of Everything”
Ah, but the left have a weapon that they think means everything he can be ignored: Who funds you?
Damn, bollocksed the closing HTML tag, again.
This was brilliant by Mr Snowdon:
“if The Spirit Level hypothesis is correct, it should apply across space and time”
so he went ahead and checked
http://spiritleveldelusion.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-spirit-level-ten-years-on.html
Testing a hypothesis. Using data. Seeing if results replicate. That’s science or close enough.