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UK one of the most unequal countries

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    UK one of the most unequal countries

    The article says much about helping the poorest with opportunities, a focus on the less well off and one sentence about tax havens. The UK is a tax haven!!

    Little wonder Corbyn is so opposed by the political establishment.


    UK one of the most unequal countries, says Oxfam

    The gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots" must be addressed, Oxfam says

    The richest 1% of the UK population owns more than 20 times the wealth of the poorest fifth, according to Oxfam.

    That made Britain one of the most unequal countries in the developed world and contributed to the vote for Brexit, the charity said.

    Its analysis found that about 634,000 Britons were worth 20 times as much as the poorest 13 million people.

    Oxfam has urged Prime Minister Theresa May to help close the gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots".

    The charity's report analysed data from Credit Suisse and found that the richest 10% of the UK population own over half of the country's total wealth, with the top 1% owning nearly a quarter (23%). The poorest 20% share just 0.8% of the UK's wealth between them.

    The report said many people in the UK felt locked out of politics and economic opportunity.

    "Whatever your views on Brexit, the referendum brought divisions within our country to a head, with many people expressing distrust and disconnection with political processes and voting for change in the hope that it would improve their economic position," Oxfam said.

    Theresa MayPA
    Theresa May has pledged to reform corporate culture
    The charity welcomed Mrs May's recognition of the need to reform corporate culture and proposed a series of measures for the government to adopt.

    They include:

    delivering on the Prime Minister's pledge to give workers more representation on companies' boards
    Giving firms incentives to improve workers' skills and encouraging benefit claimants to undergo training and education
    Adopt pay ratios of 20:1 so that the best-paid person at a company can earn no more than 20 times the salary of the lowest-paid worker
    tackling corporate tax avoidance and ending UK-linked tax havens.
    Rachael Orr, head of Oxfam's UK Programme, said: "Inequality is a massive barrier to tackling poverty and has created an economy that clearly isn't working for everyone. While executive pay soars, one in five people live below the poverty line and struggle to pay their bills and put food on the table."

    Ending unscrupulous practices must be a central element of the government's plans to reform the economy, she said.

    "That means closing wage gaps, incentivising investment in companies' staff and making sure they pay their fair share of taxes," Ms Orr said.

    A Downing Street spokesperson said the government had made changes such as bringing in the National Living Wage and reforming the welfare system, but admitted that more needed to be done to help both the poorest in the UK as well as families struggling to make ends meet.
    Source: UK one of the most unequal countries, says Oxfam - BBC News
    "Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience". Mark Twain

    #2
    Yes, and this gap has been getting wider for decades - including the 13 years when Labour was in power.

    The more immigrants there are, the lower the wages get driven down and all the more cash in the fat cats' pockets.

    Comment


      #3
      Blaming immigrants is so easy. They're ill equipped to defend themselves.

      We might consider during those 13 years of Labour that BHS owner Phillip Green was already masterminding how to extract a pension fund for his own gain. I don't think the recently redundant would blame immigrants.
      "Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience". Mark Twain

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by The Only Way Is Keynsham View Post
        Yes, and this gap has been getting wider for decades - including the 13 years when Labour was in power.

        The more immigrants there are, the lower the wages get driven down and all the more cash in the fat cats' pockets.
        But only as far as minimum wage and a number of Brexit politicians want to remove that once it has all finished. Sadly the only people who would actually work for that are the migrants and even then they seem to be the majority who'll also work for minimum wage. It's not really the migrants fault but also the companies who won't pay a decent living wage, offer that and people will go to work, possibly...
        Brexit is having a wee in the middle of the room at a house party because nobody is talking to you, and then complaining about the smell.

        Comment


          #5
          given that Trump or Clinton are going to press the button we may as well enjoy the last few months of life amicably!

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by The Only Way Is Keynsham View Post
            Yes, and this gap has been getting wider for decades - including the 13 years when Labour was in power.

            The more immigrants there are, the lower the wages get driven down and all the more cash in the fat cats' pockets.
            That's very funny, considering that distracting the population with immigration is a tried and tested way for politicians to gain popularity and hide the real issues.
            Down with racism. Long live miscegenation!

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by NotAllThere View Post
              That's very funny, considering that distracting the population with immigration is a tried and tested way for politicians to gain popularity and hide the real issues.
              Well, yes. Up to a point that is true.

              Talking tough on immigration wins votes while they do nothing about it.

              I know so many tradesmen; brickies, sparkles etc who have had their rates badly undercut. Particularly those working on building sites. And they feel let down. Who can blame them?

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by The Only Way Is Keynsham View Post
                Yes, and this gap has been getting wider for decades - including the 13 years when Labour was in power.

                The more immigrants there are, the lower the wages get driven down and all the more cash in the fat cats' pockets.
                Hi there Scroat face.
                Perhaps if there were no imagrunts you could of been a dokta.
                Hard Brexit now!
                #prayfornodeal

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by darmstadt View Post
                  But only as far as minimum wage and a number of Brexit politicians want to remove that once it has all finished. Sadly the only people who would actually work for that are the migrants and even then they seem to be the majority who'll also work for minimum wage. It's not really the migrants fault but also the companies who won't pay a decent living wage, offer that and people will go to work, possibly...
                  Indeed. A little off topic but sort of related to the school thread of recent..

                  Gymnasium schools require two years of marking/observation by the junior school teachers to get in, not verbal reasoning tests. Kids attend school at a later age, far better for their early development to be with a parent up until 5, not dumped at minders or pre school, so parents can get back on the treadmill. In Germany they have:

                  Free university,
                  Free national travel for students,
                  Excellent technical colleges,
                  As much respect given to those who enter trades,
                  Apprenticeships that pay €10 an hour, not less than £3,
                  Workfare that's paid employment,
                  Non judgmental welfare system,
                  Excellent social housing,
                  Rent protection and security of tenure for tenants,
                  Little in the way of zero hours, minimum hours style employment..

                  They're miles ahead of us. We're an embarrassment in comparison.



                  And they've got a million+ migrants!!! - WHAT's OUR EXCUSE?!!
                  "Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience". Mark Twain

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by scooterscot View Post
                    Indeed. A little off topic but sort of related to the school thread of recent..

                    Gymnasium schools require two years of marking/observation by the junior school teachers to get in, not verbal reasoning tests. Kids attend school at a later age, far better for their early development to be with a parent up until 5, not dumped at minders or pre school, so parents can get back on the treadmill. In Germany they have:

                    Free university,
                    Free national travel for students,
                    Excellent technical colleges,
                    As much respect given to those who enter trades,
                    Apprenticeships that pay €10 an hour, not less than £3,
                    Workfare that's paid employment,
                    Non judgmental welfare system,
                    Excellent social housing,
                    Rent protection and security of tenure for tenants,
                    Little in the way of zero hours, minimum hours style employment..

                    They're miles ahead of us. We're an embarrassment in comparison.



                    And they've got a million+ migrants!!! - WHAT's OUR EXCUSE?!!
                    And the German public are really happy about that, aren't they?!

                    Didn't Merkel get a drubbing in some election the other day?

                    Maybe it's all Daily Mail smoke and mirrors

                    Comment

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