My wife grew up in the countryside. To the extent that I have ever grown up, I did so in a series of small towns. Now we live in London and we are always dithering about whether to stay put with our young family, or move out to the countryside.

It is a decision for us, of course, but it is a decision that affects others - and is affected by the mixed signals provided by the government's involvement in schools, infrastructure and the planning system. To the extent that governments get involved at all, they should be defending cities, strengthening their infrastructure and allowing them, within reason, to grow. In the UK and to some extent the US, they seem determined to do just the opposite.