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Barometer

The political lives of Walter Mitty

Plus: Where to go for lower income tax, and the Premier League of rip-off tickets

1 February 2014

9:00 AM

1 February 2014

9:00 AM

The political life of Walter Mitty

Nigel Farage attacked the ‘Walter Mittys’ in his own party. A few of the many uses of James Thurber’s daydreaming character in politics:
— In 2003 Tony Blair’s official spokesman Tom Kelly described the late government weapons scientist Dr David Kelly as a Walter Mitty. He was later forced to apologise.
— In 2011 friends of Liam Fox described his friend Adam Werritty as a Walter Mitty who had exaggerated his role as an aide to Dr Fox.
— In 2009, a leaked British National Party training manual called many supporters ‘Walter Mittys’ who ‘can’t write proper English’, are ‘compulsive liars’, ‘get carried away with conspiracy theories’ and who therefore should be discouraged from writing blogs.

Eastern promises

Labour committed itself by returning the top rate of income tax to 50 per cent. High earners could save themselves a fortune by going against the general flow of European migration:

Top rate of income tax in 2012
Bulgaria 10%
Lithuania 15%
Czech Republic 15%
Romania 16%
Hungary 16%
Slovakia 19%

Source: KPMG

Moneyball


Liverpool fans complained that they will be charged up to £93 for a ticket to see their team play away at Arsenal in the FA Cup. How would the top of the Premier League look if it were decided on the price of the most expensive matchday tickets?

1 Arsenal £126
2 Chelsea £87
3 Spurs £81
4 Fulham £75
5 Newcastle £70

…and in the relegation zone:

18 Sunderland £40
19 West Brom £39
20 Hull £30

Band practice

Where did orchestras get their money from in 2012/13?

Total £140m (+3% on 2009/10)
Earned income £66.6m (-1%)
Arts Council funding £39.7m (-4%)
Council funding £8.2m (-7%)
Donations and sponsorship £24.8m (+44%)

Source: Association of British Orchestras

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