http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/blog/franceprofonde/the-latest-figures-provenothing/ Tim King on French politics Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:48:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/blog/franceprofonde/the-latest-figures-provenothing/#comment-31051 Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:00:13 +0000 http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/blog/franceprofonde/the-latest-figures-provenothing/#comment-31051 Not flippant at all - Montaigne's point exactly, who plays with whom? I'm only glad they can't be bothered to learn to read - six staff on average! Not flippant at all - Montaigne’s point exactly, who plays with whom? I’m only glad they can’t be bothered to learn to read - six staff on average!

]]> http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/blog/franceprofonde/the-latest-figures-provenothing/#comment-31028 Thu, 06 Dec 2007 11:53:14 +0000 http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/blog/franceprofonde/the-latest-figures-provenothing/#comment-31028 Forgive the irrelevant flippancy, but, by the way, the average person probably doesn't have 0.346 or any proportion of a cat. The average cat, on the other hand, probably has upwards of half a dozen humans (or "staff"). It just goes to show that statistics don't have universal meanings. Maintaining an averaged index of purchasing power may express a desire for social solidarity, but it would mask - as it seems to here - increasing inequalities, as in most societies over recent decades: and if it is indeed the case that people get stuck on the minimum wage, that must be worrying (am I right in thinking this sounds like the concern of a lot of Americans about their society too?). How to maximise people's opportunities to move up the ladder and increase their individual purchasing power? Forgive the irrelevant flippancy, but, by the way, the average person probably doesn’t have 0.346 or any proportion of a cat. The average cat, on the other hand, probably has upwards of half a dozen humans (or “staff”). It just goes to show that statistics don’t have universal meanings. Maintaining an averaged index of purchasing power may express a desire for social solidarity, but it would mask - as it seems to here - increasing inequalities, as in most societies over recent decades: and if it is indeed the case that people get stuck on the minimum wage, that must be worrying (am I right in thinking this sounds like the concern of a lot of Americans about their society too?). How to maximise people’s opportunities to move up the ladder and increase their individual purchasing power?

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