None of this addresses another of Mr Wade's arguments: that inequality is a bad thing in itself, regardless of the extent of poverty. Many people would agree with that--though it has some strange implications. One is that you could regard a country with more equality as a greater success than another, even if the egalitarian country had not merely lower incomes on average, but also more people in absolute poverty. Mr Wade's points about inequality and social stress are well taken. Yet pulling up the poor still seems a nobler calling than pulling down the rich.