The words “left” and “right” are no longer of real significance.

Some people still do not understand that the debt burden in Britain and across the industrialised world is so large that it cannot be paid down. The belief persists that if taxes on the rich could be raised a bit more, that would fix it. But, even if all citizens were taxed 100% of their income, the debt burden would still surpass the income. Therefore, there is no longer a very fruitful debate to be had between the “left” and the “right”. The bigger question is: what is the appropriate relationship between the citizen and the state?