I didn't have the privilege of doing politics, philosophy and economics at Oxbridge, but enjoyed studying political economy at UCL, where I learned how tools such as Cartesian logic and the Socratic method helped rationalise an argument.
I sometimes wonder whether such skills are still taught, or perhaps are conveniently forgotten. This has been particularly true in recent reporting of the pay of council chief executives. Following the report by Incomes Data Services, the media, not least the BBC, focused on the fact that 43% of chiefs earn more than £150,000, when the prime minister only earns £142,000.
