Widening gap between rich and poor.

[BHRemovals]

the gap will widen post brexit.

[dutch]

We are all equal in the end.

 

Yes, but few are capable to see this.

[banjodeano]

I am in the bottom 10% been a pensioner. The rich have money aplenty, so what. That's life, some of us do well, some do exceptionally well and hopefully employ us on the bottom rung of the ladder. How this system could be altered somehow is well beyond my pay scale.

 

Angel1.

And there lies the problem, whilst people are quite happy to accept that and doff their hat to their masters, then nothing will ever change

[alchresearch]

A good watch. As it's something we often argue about on SF, I'd be interested in comments and different people's perspectives.

 

No its not. Its just typical manufactured low-IQ TV.

[max]

The current system is potty.

 

Tax credits and extensive use of housing benefit are massive mistakes. It creates dependency on the state.

 

People need to be freed from this nonsense but Labour and the Tories don't have a clue.

 

If you take away tax credits and housing benefits then businesses would have to increase employees' wages which would probably mean many of these businesses going to the wall.

 

The only people who benefit from tax credits and housing benefits are employers and landlords which means you're right about dependency on the state but it's employers and landlords who are the dependants.

[I1L2T3]

If you take away tax credits and housing benefits then businesses would have to increase employees' wages which would probably mean many of these businesses going to the wall.

 

The only people who benefit from tax credits and housing benefits are employers and landlords which means you're right about dependency on the state but it's employers and landlords who are the dependants.

 

It'd have to be done in a managed way but tax credits have to go, and housing benefit should be for those in genuine need.

[Andy1976]

Complete nonsense.

Some people are born with massive privilege, and perhaps don't even realise it.

Having well educated, well off parents is a huge advantage. Having 2 parents also, and parents that care about education themselves.

Having family wealth is an even bigger advantage.

Yes, some people can overcome a poor start, but to pretend that "born equal" is real is to deny reality.

 

Disagree.

 

I was born to a mum who was a cleaner and a dad who was a window cleaner. I was brought up on a council estate, and went to a very average comp, my parents having very limited interest in my education.

 

I became the first in my family to obtain a degree, a masters, and to make partner in a law firm. That was done through determination and hard work.

 

A friend who came from Wybourn did the same, whilst one of his parents was serving time in prison! He's now head of an IT company.

 

Equally, I've had friends from 'wealthy' families, who have achieved nothing but taking drugs and signing on.

 

You may well say that these are just examples of people 'escaping' their background, but it goes further than that.

 

I have a brother who will openly admit he has no academic interest whatsoever, and is likely in the 'bottom percentile', whilst I'm in the top.

 

The friend from Wybourn is in the top percentile - his brother is in prison.

 

One of the wealthy families - one brother is a barrister, the other is a drug addict.

 

The 'escape' idea doesn't account for any of that.

 

My point is that there is a lot more to it than background, and to assume otherwise is a far oversimplified way of looking at it.

 

Are we born equal? No, not even within families, but whilst no one can deny that parental input is huge, there's also a vast personal, perhaps natural element that you're overlooking, and that's the desire to succeed and progress that ECCOnoob talks about.

[Obelix]

And some of us do very badly because they never had a chance. Is that OK?

 

The system was altered dramatically after the war and while it was far from perfect we were doing quite well widening opportunities for all, with free education, health care etc. You, as a pensioner, would have benefited from those opportunities. But that seems to be going backwards and life chances for poorer people are diminishing again. Is that fair?

 

The gap (according to this programme) is 30% wider than it was, and it hasn't worked its way through the system yet, so far worse is to come.

 

As I've pointed out before, the Gini index is falling in the UK currently and it means that inequality is not getting worse. Certainly if the 30% you postulate were true that would show as a massive jump in the index which simply isn't the case.

 

The program itself is from what I can tell a typical Ch5 low rent production that panders to the peanut gallery. You couldn't extrapolate a bean from it to the real world no matter how much you wish it were so.

 

As for chances - we all get a chance. Some may get better chances than others but to simply sit down and say you never got a chance is just accepting of your own defeat and no one to blame for it but yourself.

[El Cid]

As I've pointed out before, the Gini index is falling in the UK currently and it means that inequality is not getting worse. Certainly if the 30% you postulate were true that would show as a massive jump in the index which simply isn't the case.

 

The program itself is from what I can tell a typical Ch5 low rent production that panders to the peanut gallery. You couldn't extrapolate a bean from it to the real world no matter how much you wish it were so.

 

 

People have more possessions these days, but its only with help that they can afford to buy a house.

A car and the internet are necessities these days, they are not a sign of wealth. Back in the 60s a house would be paid for in 2/5 years.

[geared]

Being retired doesn't automatically mean you are in the bottom 10% of income.

 

Far from it, some pensioners are absolutely raking it in.

This is the generation who could buy a large family home on an average persons wage and retired on a final salary pension.

 

Bottom 10% of income?? Do me a favour!!