Great Regulars: On top of the bitter winter,

the iron hand of post-war austerity was tightening its grip on British throats. Food was scarce, and its distribution and sale were regulated by petty bureaucrats. In November of that year, however, the nation was cheered by the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip in Westminster Abbey. Betty is named after the princess, and the trigger of the plot is the planning of a feast to celebrate the wedding. Are you getting this? Scroll forward 64 years and the iron hand of post-crash austerity is tightening its grip on the nation's throats. Food prices are rising and petty bureaucrats in government and the banks are gouging us for every penny we have left. Next month, however, the nation will be cheered by the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William.

from Bryan Appleyard: from The Sunday Times: Cameron Mackintosh's Pigs

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So, for example, researchers in the lead-up to the 2004 U.S. election could say that Republicans drank Dr. Pepper, bourbon and red wine while Democrats drank gin, vodka and Pepsi. This is not trivial. Combining such insights with a few thousand others, researchers can--or, just as alarmingly, think they can--profile every member of the population with enough money to buy a cup of coffee, an iPad or an Aston Martin.

In other words, freeing ourselves of the big beasts is not necessarily a liberation, and this niche phenomenon might just be the latest manifestation of an old process--capitalism's cycle of creation and destruction.

from Bryan Appleyard: New Statesman: Creative destruction

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