Reading the household bills that politics produces, one line at a time, with a milk-based palate cleanser for the arithmetic
Monday, The Bills
Politics reaches most households in the form of bills. I examined three of them in Council tax, standing charges and a Budget poll in London. Council tax is set locally within limits set nationally. Standing charges on energy bills are fixed daily sums that apply however much you use. The Budget poll recorded what a sample of voters thought of the latest measures.
Each of the three produces a debate. Council tax is argued over for its fairness, with critics saying the bands are out of date and defenders saying that revaluation would create winners and losers. Standing charges are argued over by consumer groups, who say they burden low users, and by suppliers, who say they cover real fixed costs. The poll showed that people’s views depend on how the questions are put, a lesson every researcher learns in the first term.
Reading a Poll Honestly
When reading a poll about a Budget, check the sample size, the dates and the wording. A question that lists the benefits before asking for a view will produce a different answer than one that lists the costs. Neither question is wrong, but together they show the range. A good analyst reports both.
Tuesday, The Milk Shelf
After arithmetic, I enjoy a visit to the Texas dairy cousins. The main address is txdairy.com. The extended family includes txdairy.download, txdairy.trade and txdairy.loan. The cheerful relations are txdairy.party, txdairy.men, txdairy.date and txdairy.win.
A dairy website is a pleasant corrective to the world of standing charges. The cow has no standing charge. She has an appetite, and it is variable.
Wednesday, Transparency
The London Prat remarked on disclosure with Say What You Pay: Job Adverts Must Show Salaries. Pay transparency is supported by those who argue it narrows gaps and criticised by those who fear administrative costs. The researcher in me notes that evidence from countries that have tried it is mixed and still developing.
Thursday, Budget Humour
A short humorous column from the same site made me smile, the coastal column of 6 December. A good short column does what a long report cannot: it makes the reader laugh before the argument begins.
Friday, A Kitchen Table
I finished the week at the kitchen table with a calculator, a cup of tea and every bill I could find. The total was alarming but explicable. I put the bills in a folder labelled Politics, which is where most of them belong.
Saturday, A Bill by Bill Guide
A good way to understand household finance is to take each bill and ask three questions: who sets this charge, who can change it and what would change it? Council tax is set by the council within national limits, and it can be changed by local decision or national rule. Energy charges are set by suppliers within a framework controlled by the regulator, and they change with wholesale prices and policy. Water bills are set by companies within limits set by their regulator.
This sort of table makes politics tangible. Behind every bill is a decision, and behind every decision is a body that may or may not be answerable to the voter.
Sunday, The Calculator
I own a small calculator that has served me through three degrees. It has no memory, no wireless connection and a faint smell of old biscuit tins. It is, however, perfectly honest. When I type in a government figure, it returns what the figure really is, without regard for the speech that accompanied it.
The calculator is the unsung hero of political analysis. I would recommend that every journalist carry one and use it daily.
Monday, A Note for Renters
Many Londoners rent, and the politics of renting has its own debates. Landlords argue that regulation can discourage supply. Tenants argue that security and fair rents are basic needs. Governments of every colour have sought a balance, and the legislation continues to be amended. Renters should read official guidance and seek advice from reliable housing organisations when they have a dispute.
I rent myself, and my landlord is both prompt and kind, which makes me an unreliable witness for either side.
Tuesday, Another Look at the Budget
A Budget is a collection of decisions about who pays and who benefits, announced in a single speech and examined for weeks afterwards. The Office for Budget Responsibility publishes forecasts alongside it, and independent bodies such as think tanks publish their own analysis of who gains and who loses. Reading these alongside the speech is the best way to see the whole picture.
Government supporters will stress the measures that help working families, and opposition parties will stress the measures that hurt them. Both are drawing from the same document, and a careful reader enjoys the exercise.
Thursday, A Final Thought on Bills
My final thought on bills is that they teach patience and arithmetic in roughly equal measure. Each month the envelope arrives, the numbers are read, the sigh is sighed and the payment is made. Underneath the routine lies a long chain of decisions made by councils, regulators, companies and ministers. Following that chain back to its source is an education in itself, and I recommend it to anybody who has an evening to spare and a taste for detective work.
Where to read next
The rest of the shelf lives at prat.uk, bohiney.com and farm.fm. For a second opinion on the week, NewsBiscuit keeps its own counsel and its own hours.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/