Those conferences on poverty: amazing how they're all in such desirable places to visit, isn't it? Mauritius? And of course there's a certain lack of anything useful being done at them as well.
All too many people misunderstand this: yes, services can indeed be productive uses of labour.
Although when Adam Smith called government unproductive labour, he didn't mean quite this unproductive.
Nor did he mean this entirely foolish piece of European Union legislation.
Just as there are no free lunches, there won't be a free carbon cap either.