My wife and I only argue about the big issues, such as whether it's a good idea for her to leave utensils in the sink. For the record, clearly not: it means that coffee-filter cones and colanders which need nothing more than a quick rinse are infected with deposits of grease from other dishes. My wife is simply creating work.

The other day, as I was running a sink of hot, soapy water in order to clean a coffee-filter cone, I mused on an inconsistency: we celebrate creating jobs in the wider economy, but complain bitterly about creating them around the house.

We can see the obsession with creating jobs everywhere in public discourse. It seems to be easier to sell renewable energy subsidies through the idea that it will create jobs than the suggestion that it might slow climate change. The coalition's plans to cut public spending appear to me to be more unpopular on the grounds of lost jobs than lost services. International trade – and before it, new technology, which from an economist's viewpoint looks much the same – is also condemned because it destroys jobs.