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I’ve got a piece on confidence and unemployment in the new issue of the RSA Journal. It starts with this little anecdote, which seems to me pretty representative:

Earlier this year, NatWest surveyed 9,000 young people about their salary expectations. The gloomy economic forecasts seem to have influenced the respondents, because their expected average earnings fell from last year’s estimate. Instead of saying they would be earning £70,000 by the time they were 35, they modestly anticipated £54,000. The average salary for a 35-year-old is £23,893.

The article was written in response to a piece on the recession by David Blanchflower, a former member of the Monetary Policy Committee. It’s well worth reading, especially if you need cheering down; you can also ask him a question. My question will being with a long, drawn-out scream.

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Issue 8 of Meat Magazine is out now in high-quality newsagents and Borders nationwide. It’s got a short story from yours truly illustrated by the ingenious Richard Merrick (that’s his penis below those are his pants below; the penis is here, along with Merrick’s other illustrations. I’d like to thank my legal team for their hard work on my behalf).

The story’s called The Birds and The Beasts and it’s a comic recounting of a filth-ridden night out, with reflections on The Game and evolutionary psychology. To tempt you, here’s the first paragraph:

A bird is a chick is a doll is a babe is a girl (although never a woman). And the beasts? We are the beasts. Come to eat you up like so many late-night kebabs.

How can you resist?

UPDATE: Looks like Merrick’s got a blog. Regular updates on his anatomy there, for those who just can’t get enough.

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