Archive - The Value of Nothing

Welfare and the unexpected tyranny of government statistics

How the government’s obsession with tiny numbers has crippled decision making (and undermined the ONS).

Jul 10 •

June 2025

The unfixable road that was vanished

A main road through a small town is in desperate need of repair. There's just one small problem: for all intents and purposes, it doesn't exist.

Jun 30 •

HS2 and the slow decay of Britain

“I have tried to ascertain where design decisions get made... I have struggled to get to a definite answer.”

Jun 23 •

Stop gaslighting people about crime

Yes, crime statistics show long-term decline, but the numbers don't tell the whole story.

Jun 5 •

May 2025

Trouble at the tip

A half-arsed stand-off between central government and local councils is making it harder for people to do the right thing. Westminster should be…

May 20 •

The weird world of Robin Ince

What, exactly, is the value of a diagnosis? A review of Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal: My Adventures in Neurodiversity, by Robin Ince.

May 9 •

April 2025

I visited Britain's most expensive farm track

A dispute over a farm track in Buckinghamshire could cost taxpayers 'tens of millions' in delays to HS2 after local NIMBYs blocked a minor upgrade. I…

Apr 28 •

Why does Britain feel so poor?

Plus chaos chasers, ghost motorways, the secret symbols hiding in your street, and a rationalist death cult.

Apr 1 •

March 2025

February 2025

2.5% is a ludicrous target for defence spending

It's time to grow up and get serious.

Feb 18 •

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