UK energy costs 4x higher than the US
Jimmy Carr claims the UK has some of the most expensive energy in the world, roughly four times more expensive than in America.
Snapshot · Modern Wisdom
You’re Not Depressed, You’re Living The Wrong Life - Jimmy Carr - #1135
Explore episode
Aug 10, 2026
Where this was said
Let Your Obsession Become Your Advantage
At 1:42:43 · chapter starts 1:33:17
This is the episode's most policy-dense chapter. Jimmy's diagnosis is that fiddling with income tax rates by 2% or tweaking stamp duty is rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Real national competitiveness depends on four structural levers: currency, energy, regulation, and tax. His prescription: devalue the pound (it's overvalued, which is why a pint costs £7.50 in London); commit to a 20-year nuclear energy programme modelled on France's 1970s build-out of 56 plants; slash regulation (the UK's current regulatory environment resembles the late Soviet Union); and introduce a flat rate of tax inspired by Estonia's single-form, no-repeat-data, flat-rate system. For America, he's more concise: open primaries to force candidates toward the centre, and term limits to prevent the permanent political class. The American Constitution is brilliant technology — but it has to be actively worked, not left to sit there. [1] — Jimmy Carr "Two percent adjustments to income tax and stamp duty tweaks are deck-chair rearrangements. The UK's competitiveness hinges on four structur…" 1:40:20
How to Fix the UK in Four Moves
Two percent adjustments to income tax and stamp duty tweaks are deck-chair rearrangements. The UK's competitiveness hinges on four structural levers: currency valuation, energy costs, regulatory burden, and tax rates. Devalue the pound, build 56 nuclear plants, slash red tape, introduce a flat tax — and the country transforms.
Similar snapshots
$50K Holy Land trip on $200K nest egg
An 85-year-old nursing home resident wants to spend $50,000 — a quarter of his entire $200,000 nest egg — flying 10 family members to the Holy Land.
$31.9 million in forgotten 401(k)s
An estimated $31.9 million worth of 401(k) balances have been abandoned by former employees and are sitting unclaimed.
Debt paid off: $72K in 6 months
Matt from Chicago paid off $72,000 in debt in 6 months by working 12-hour days, 7 days a week, then funded an emergency fund and pre-paid a Costa Rica vacation.
80-hour work weeks to pay off house
Matt continues working 80+ hours a week after becoming debt-free in order to pay off his house by age 40, against his fiancée's wishes.
Couple: $180K debt + pregnant
Elizabeth and her husband in Nashville carry $180,000 in combined debt — $115K in student loans plus medical bills and a car — and just discovered she is 5 weeks pregnant with their second child while also having a 4-month-old.
Extra debt payment margin: $747/month
Despite $180K in debt and a surprise pregnancy, Elizabeth's EveryDollar budget shows a $747.39 monthly surplus on top of minimum payments and living expenses.
Side hustle income: $1,900/month
Elizabeth and her husband earn $1,900 per month from side hustles — she does Lyft and house cleaning while he does additional gig work — on top of their regular income.
Gold average return since 1971: ~7.8%/yr
Gold has averaged approximately 7.8% annual return since 1971 when the U.S. dollar was untied from it, which George Kamel notes is lower than historical stock market returns.
House paid off in 26 months
George Kamel shared that he and his wife paid off their own home mortgage in 26 months — far ahead of their original 4-year goal.
