http://blogs.independent.co.uk| Blogs from the Independent newspaper - news, views and features from the world's most free-thinking newspaper| Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:56:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2| en hourly 1 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/06/12/did-rising-prosperity-end-for-most-people-in-2003/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/06/12/did-rising-prosperity-end-for-most-people-in-2003/#comments Wed, 12 Jun 2013 08:48:24 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=35538 Did median real wages stop rising in 2003? I have been puzzled by this claim since the Resolution Foundation made it last October, and I am puzzled by it now that Duncan Weldon, an economist at the TUC, takes issue with me for suggesting that people generally continued to be better off until the bank crisis of 2008.]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/06/12/did-rising-prosperity-end-for-most-people-in-2003/feed/ 12 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/06/08/is-this-proof-the-virgin-queen-was-an-imposter-in-drag/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/06/08/is-this-proof-the-virgin-queen-was-an-imposter-in-drag/#comments Sat, 08 Jun 2013 09:49:22 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=35470 It is flattering. It really is. The lengths to which Paul Dacre goes to humour my little foible. This morning's Daily Mail contains such a fine example of the Questions To Which The Answer Is No genre that I can only confess to being speechless with awe. Number 958 in the series.]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/06/08/is-this-proof-the-virgin-queen-was-an-imposter-in-drag/feed/ 8 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/30/obama-helping-resurrect-ottoman-empire/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/30/obama-helping-resurrect-ottoman-empire/#comments Thu, 30 May 2013 17:00:50 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=35295 Questions asked by the weird website WND do not normally count, but this one is excellent, so I shall file it as number 955 in my series of Questions To Which The Answer Is No. The first paragraph is an unusual single-sentence long version: Is Obama helping advance a grand plan by Turkey, with the support of [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/30/obama-helping-resurrect-ottoman-empire/feed/ 12 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/28/can-earthlings-crowdfund-a-moon-colony/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/28/can-earthlings-crowdfund-a-moon-colony/#comments Tue, 28 May 2013 20:38:21 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=35252 This is a “serious question”, according to Kirsten Salyer, who asked it on Bloomberg. I get the impression Ollie Money didn’t think so. He’s right. It’s number 953 in my series of Questions To Which The Answer Is No. Buy the book of the series here. “Crowdfund” is also on the Banned List. Although I think [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/28/can-earthlings-crowdfund-a-moon-colony/feed/ 1 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/25/will-angelina-jolie-help-end-climate-change-denial-and-help-the-republican-party/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/25/will-angelina-jolie-help-end-climate-change-denial-and-help-the-republican-party/#comments Sat, 25 May 2013 12:11:46 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=35036 Terrific double Question To Which The Answer Is No asked by Forbes and spotted by Tom Doran. That is number 950 and 951 in the long-running series of the book. Number 952 was generated this morning, with Swiss movement precision, by the Dacre Auto Headline Generator (thanks to Brian Brady): ]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/25/will-angelina-jolie-help-end-climate-change-denial-and-help-the-republican-party/feed/ 1 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/17/was-an-alien-space-fish-just-filmed-outside-the-space-station/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/17/was-an-alien-space-fish-just-filmed-outside-the-space-station/#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 20:37:03 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=34901 Falling a bit behind in the series of the book, Questions To Which The Answer Is No. This is number 947, asked by Huffington Post (alien fish, pictured). Number 948 was asked by Mary Riddell: Will Ed Miliband be the Doctor Who of politics? A bit baffling, that one (unlike all the others). Will he reverse the polarity of the neutron [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/17/was-an-alien-space-fish-just-filmed-outside-the-space-station/feed/ 0 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/14/would-you-get-a-company-tattoo-in-return-for-a-payrise/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/14/would-you-get-a-company-tattoo-in-return-for-a-payrise/#comments Tue, 14 May 2013 10:19:06 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=34734 Number 944 in my series of Questions To Which The Answer Is No, asked by guess who.]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/14/would-you-get-a-company-tattoo-in-return-for-a-payrise/feed/ 8 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/07/has-the-internet-killed-the-loch-ness-monster/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/07/has-the-internet-killed-the-loch-ness-monster/#comments Tue, 07 May 2013 14:48:57 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=34633 Number 940 in my series of Questions To Which The Answer Is No was asked by Philip Hoare, in the Guardian, on the 80th anniversary of the monster’s invention last week. Number 941 is on the front of today’s Guardian (pictured): Was 1963 the start of modern life? Thanks to Patrick Hennessy. Number 942 was asked by the Daily Mail: Maggie: The masterpiece. [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/07/has-the-internet-killed-the-loch-ness-monster/feed/ 5 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/01/did-mi6-plot-against-ukip/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/01/did-mi6-plot-against-ukip/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 15:17:13 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=34599 Number 938 in my series of Questions To Which The Answer Is No (only £6.14 to download the e-book) was asked yesterday by Douglas Murray at Spectator blogs. I particularly enjoyed Murray’s decorative touch: “Important to stress that it is not conspiracy theory.” The question was originally asked by Norman Tebbit in 2001, in the form, [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/01/did-mi6-plot-against-ukip/feed/ 7 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/04/27/could-abu-qatada-trigger-a-snap-general-election/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/04/27/could-abu-qatada-trigger-a-snap-general-election/#comments Sat, 27 Apr 2013 18:48:27 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=34512 I am sure that we have had a similar question before, but this, asked by Simon Heffer in the Daily Mail, is number 934 in the series of the book, Questions To Which The Answer Is No (yes, that is what QTWTAIN stands for; the second T is silent). Number 935, asked by The Guardian, also [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/04/27/could-abu-qatada-trigger-a-snap-general-election/feed/ 5 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/04/21/electoral-reform-%e2%80%93-coming-sooner-than-you-think/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/04/21/electoral-reform-%e2%80%93-coming-sooner-than-you-think/#comments Sun, 21 Apr 2013 13:50:39 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=34334 Political Betting is back on form with this Question To Which The Answer Is No, number 931 in my series, last week. The book of QTWTAIN is still available, just £6.14 for the download. Meanwhile, number 933 has just been asked by Mehdi Hasan: I’ve long been a critic of the explosion in CCTV/public surveillance, but the Boston bombings [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/04/21/electoral-reform-%e2%80%93-coming-sooner-than-you-think/feed/ 2 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/04/16/if-everybody-in-the-us-drove-west-could-we-temporarily-halt-continental-drift/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/04/16/if-everybody-in-the-us-drove-west-could-we-temporarily-halt-continental-drift/#comments Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:51:36 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=34191 Number 930 in my series of Questions To Which The Answer Is No (QTWTAIN): "If everybody in the US drove west, could we temporarily halt continental drift?" What If?]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/04/16/if-everybody-in-the-us-drove-west-could-we-temporarily-halt-continental-drift/feed/ 7