We are entering a population crisis. The naked eye won’t discern it, because the population of England and Wales is at an all-time high of nearly 60 million. But look more closely, and you’ll see that all the gains are in the 70-74 age bracket, closely followed by the over-90s. The birthrate is dropping off, which you might not notice now, but the you who needs your bin emptied in 20 years’ time might.
The demographer Paul Morland spelled this out for readers of the Sunday Times, and initially it was manageable news: would it be preferable if the political horizon stretched to encompass these matters, rather than lurching in fortnightly cycles from one tawdry scandal to another? Well, yes. And if every new baby, per Hannah Arendt, embodies infinite potential, infinite joy, then no question, the more of those critters the better.
