“Do-gooders” are no longer just a nuisance — their “decadence”, according to populist demagogues, is now an existential threat to civilisation “Right on”. “Politically correct”. “PC”. “Social justice warriors”. “Virtue signallers”. Now “woke”. Rightwingers and authoritarians of all stripes have been sneering at liberals, leftwingers and anyone with a conscience…

Surveys are way off with their predictions too often to be of any real use. So why are they such big business? Not so long ago, you could go years without coming across a survey. A few folks were dimly aware of a company called Gallup, thanks to Top of…

Here’s a thought experiment. Picture a woman who’s two metres tall (about 6ft 6in). Easy, right? Now picture a second woman, standing next to the first, who is a millon times taller: 2 million metres, or 2,000km, tall. …

If we’re going to fight back against the populists’ calculated assault on truth, we need to raise our numbers game Maths is scary. There are plenty of maths wizzes out there, of course, and most of us, when the necessity arises, can perform basic calculations. It’s just that these operations…

In the time of coronavirus, the ability to tell good info from bad is more vital than ever. How do you sort the gold from the garbage? — Minds greater than mine have been grappling with the reasons for society’s gaping divisions for years. …

The far right’s awful analogies helped swing Brexit — and now they may threaten your life — “Apt analogies are among the most formidable weapons of the rhetorician” — Winston Churchill For too long, too many people have been listening to populists: know-nothing blatherskites offering simple solutions to complex problems. As a result, the UK has left the EU, nutsacking the economy and the opportunities of the…

A paean to Brexit — Furlongs and fathoms and gallons and perches, Schools re-equipped (with canes, slippers and birches), Time at the bar at 11pm, Ladylike skirts with an ankle-high hem. Antimacassars and old music boxes, Legal permission to maim and kill foxes, Coal mines and coal fires and smog and black lung, Horses and coaches and streets…

I put my head over the parapet. It nearly got shot off. But at least it meant I saw them coming I didn’t do enough. I voted, I marched, I attended campaign meetings, I donated to pro-Remain and anti-fascist causes, I spent months researching the facts, and months more turning them into blog posts, some of which went something approaching viral. I called out thousands of lies on the internet. I…

CBAs may be a flawed and oversimplified way of looking at Brexit, but they’re still more than most Leave voters have bothered to do — You’re a business owner. An opportunity arises for expansion. The risks are daunting — but the potential boost to income is huge. How do you decide whether to proceed? The first thing any halfway competent company director will do in this situation is undertake a cost-benefit analysis.