Next Wednesday George Osborne looks set to announce a further increase in the personal allowance. With the PA already set to hit £8,105 in April, a further rise to around £8,800 in 2013 would keep the government on track for its £10k target by election day.

Debate about the...

If last week filled in the blanks on the economic story of the next few years, it also opened up a deeper set of questions about what the new economic landscape means for our culture and politics.

Of course, the full answer will only become clear in hindsight and,...