Episode 138
Alec
3rd decile
Deprivation decile (1 = most deprived) among 543 English constituencies
What just happened
Fake Experts
What Alec experienced has a name.
Using unqualified or misleading sources to manufacture doubt about what the data clearly shows.
Reality check
"Economists say we cannot spend more on health without causing inflation."
Which economists? The profession is divided. Many macroeconomists argue the binding constraint is real capacity, not currency. 'Economists say' without naming them is an appeal to unnamed authority.
Sources
Office for National Statistics
English Indices of Deprivation —
gov.uk
NOMIS Labour Market Statistics
Official labour market data —
nomisweb.co.uk
Charity Commission
Register of Charities —
charitycommission.gov.uk
360Giving
GrantNav grants database —
threesixtygiving.org
Disclosure
Alec is a fictional character. Their situation is drawn
entirely from official statistics. The institutions named in this episode are real.
The people are not. Every character in the Blocked Britain series is fictional.
Every situation they describe is statistically accurate. Data sources: ONS
deprivation data, NOMIS labour market statistics, Charity Commission data,
360Giving grants data. Blocked Britain has no political affiliation and no named
authors. It is funded by no organisation.