The Dreadful Monster and its Poor Relations - Taxing, Spending and the United Kingdom, 1707-2021

An invaluable primer to some of the underlying tensions behind contemporary political debate'' Financial Timesbr>br>It has always been an important part of British self-image to see the United Kingdom as an ancient, organic and sensibly managed place, in striking contrast to the convulsions of other European countries. Yet, as Julian Hoppit makes clear in this fascinating and surprising book, beneath the complacent surface the United Kingdom has in fact been in a constant, often very tense argument with itself about how it should be run and, most significantly, who should pay for what.br>br>The book takes its argument from an eighteenth century cartoon which shows the central state as the ''Dreadful Monster'', gorging itself at the dinner table on all the taxes it can grab. Meanwhile the ''Poor Relations'' - Scotland, Wales and Ireland, both poor because of tax but also poor in the sense of needing special treatment - are viewed in London as an endless ''drain on the state''. With drastically different levels of prosperity, population, industry, agriculture and accessibility between the United Kingdom''s different nations, what is a fair basis for paying for the state?>

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An engaging account of three centuries of the UK's economic history ... Hoppit outlines an agenda for reform. Jonathan Portes Prospect

Product details

• Authors: Julian Hoppit, Hoppit Julian, Julian Hoppit
• Publisher: Penguin Books Uk
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 31.08.2022
• EAN: 9780141992266
• ISBN: 978-0-14-199226-6
• No. of pages: 352
• Dimensions: 129 mm x 198 mm x 20 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Social sciences, law, business > Business > General, dictionaries; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, European History, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Taxation / General, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Public Finance, c 1500 onwards to present day, British & Irish history, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Taxation, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / General, Modern Period, C 1500 Onwards, Public finance and taxation