Jonathan Swift wrote that the babies of the poor should be spitted, roasted, and consumed. The quotation, in Latin, crowns the main gate to Baldershanks, Sir Alistair Chichester’s estate in Chichesterton-Upon-Hogg.

Many have dismissed the Swiftian proposition as merely a mischievous jape by The Dean. Some have resorted to extreme language and labeled the proposal “callous.”

Adopt a Thatcherite perspective on the matter, however, for the sake of discussion. In theory, consuming offspring of the indigent may have salubrious ramifications. Consider, for example, the chaff it could winnow from good society — videlicet nascent ne’er-do-wells, layabouts, malingerers, and dole mums.

Quantify in at least four ways how taking Swift’s proposal seriously could affect Her Majesty’s economy. Here are possible avenues of inquiry:

(1) Consequences for domestic meat producers;
(2) Tax burden relief owing to shrinkage of the National Health Service;
(3) Workforce implications for the trades;
(4) Property value impact from slum eradication.

(Social Math — UK, Copyright 2018 James Mansfield Nichols. All rights reserved.)