In reality, most of America's poor work hard, often in two or more jobs.

As income from work has become more concentrated in America, the super rich have invested in businesses, real estate, art, and other assets. The income from these assets is now concentrating even faster than income from work.

We already have an annual wealth tax on homes, the major asset of the middle class. It's called the property tax. Why not a small annual tax on the value of stocks and bonds, the major assets of the wealthy?

The 'free market' is the product of laws and rules continuously emanating from legislatures, executive departments, and courts.

America's real business leaders understand unless or until the middle class regains its footing and its faith, capitalism remains vulnerable.

It's true that redistributing income to the needy is politically easier in a growing economy than in a stagnant one.

Evidence suggests jobs are crucial not only to economic well-being but also to self-esteem.

Obviously, personal responsibility is important. But there's no evidence that people who are poor are less ambitious than anyone else. In fact, many work long hours at backbreaking jobs.

Before the rise of the nation-state, between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, the world was mostly tribal. Tribes were united by language, religion, blood, and belief. They feared other tribes and often warred against them.

Nations are becoming less relevant in a world where everyone and everything is interconnected. The connections that matter most are again becoming more personal.

To get back to the kind of shared prosperity and upward mobility we once considered normal will require another era of fundamental reform, of both our economy and our democracy.

Going to salsa clubs may be popular, but I feel we're really missing something as a society by overlooking ballroom dancing. If only we could persuade schools to teach it or there was somewhere young people could go on a Saturday night to learn it.

I do get stopped in the street, and people are always, without exception, really polite. I think it's because they think I can send them to prison.

Even my trolls have started taking the trouble to spell their Tweets correctly, which is thoughtful.

Serious crime is very, very rare, and I think all of us are interested because they are rare and unusual. If they were banal and everyday, we wouldn't be interested in them at all.

From time to time, I definitely look witheringly, which is why I'm well known.

The reality is that when you're a barrister, you're trained, and you've got ethical structures. You've got to follow the evidence, and that's that.

I give celebrity my undivided indifference. Now that it's here, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. And people who complain about celebrity and any kind of privilege are, all of them, whinging morons, and they should keep their first-world problems to themselves. I feel very strongly about that.

I wish I had a filter; then, I'd suspect, who knows? I'd perhaps have more friends.

I think if you put 100% into anything and you do it with authenticity and enthusiasm, then it really shines through.

When somebody teaches you to love something, you never forget that! It's such a generous thing to do.

I did a couple of plays at university, badly, where I made friends with Benedict Cumberbatch. When you see someone like him acting, it makes you think there's not much point in doing it yourself.

By the time I finished doing regular practice, most of my work was in international regulatory law, so I was advising foreign governments about their responsibility and roles in things like public inquiries.

Ultimately, whenever you have a new opportunity, do it with gusto and fun and be wholly indifferent to what other people think.

Would it be a big step forward for the LGBTQI community if there were same-sex couples on 'Strictly?' Do me a favour. Some things ain't politics, and 'Strictly' is one of them.

There are plenty of organisations making a real difference to the lives of gay people around the country that do need our help, so why undermine the wonder of 'Strictly' by politicising it?

The difficulty with American television is it's pot luck.

There's a lot of judges on TV in America. Apart from Judge Judy, the vast majority of them are terrible.

My grandfather wanted to remind us that freedom of expression is the fundamental ingredient for democracy, and all the rest is detail. It is the scaffolding around which every other freedom is based.

If the press is to be free, the state has no role in regulating what is published.

We need journalists to be fearless and hold power to account.

Most people assume that when you go to court and win your case that you are guaranteed to get your money. Sadly, this isn't always the case.

It is always best to settle all outstanding financial matters as soon as divorce proceedings are concluded.

If an employer decides to flout the law, it may be guilty of criminal offences and subject to serious financial liability.

People form strong attachments to their properties.

The state of some of our roads is a matter of national embarrassment.

I know a bit about taxation and the remarkable effort that goes in to avoiding it.

If something looks like a tax avoidance scheme, then that's probably what it is - and there's lots of clever people working day and night to close them down.

Before starting a building project, it is wise to discuss your plans in full with the neighbours.

The family court is extremely child focussed. Its overriding objective is to do what is in a child's best interests.

It is extremely hard to bring a claim for compensation against the police or the Crown Prosecution Service, even when a person has been charged with an offence and later cleared.

Let's start spreading work experience and opportunities a little wider so that the photographers, writers, and TV producers of tomorrow are drawn from a broader section of society.

An actor with a genuine gift has the power to transport you from whatever your own pains may be into an entirely different world, freeing you from whatever you may be going through. At its best, it can be better than any medication.

London and its people are famed for their incredible indifference to one another, but it's actually a charade that requires some effort to maintain.

One must be aesthetically long-termist in selecting a man - it's like purchasing a farmhouse in the south of France. Sure, it's beautiful to look at, but will the roof stay on?

Perhaps the people of Twitter are more amenable to your babbling than your immediate family, but that doesn't necessarily make digital communication a beneficial distraction when we have an immediate social environment.

In theory, I absolutely love to work from home, in all its warmth and comfort, but have reluctantly been forced to confess that it's a total failure.

In our 'Strictly' group, we really did bond. It's seemingly disappointing to some that we had no diva meltdowns. I made true friends during the experience, which is surprising because I'm not a new-pals sort of person.

The more powerful you become, the less likely it is that people will tell you the truth. It must be why the 'Harry Potter' books become so bloated as the series progresses; think of the beautiful, precise editing of books 1-3 drowned in a mire of sycophancy and yea-saying.

It is splendid to be supportive when you see those around you doing well, but blind praise is easier than harsh facts.