*** FUTURE POSTS WILL ALSO APPEAR AT 'NOW AND NEXT' : https://rolfnorfolk.substack.com
Keyboard worrier
Sunday, November 07, 2010
The class system
Why, after all the supposed socialist and proto-socialist governments since WWII, do we have such a high and rising gap between rich and poor?
Even our postal service has become class conscious - in 1968 and under a Labour government. You'll note it's not "Express" or "Priority" as with the US system, but "First Class" versus - what is it now - "Steerage"?
Simple answer to your first sentence - a larger population gives a bigger spread of everything, including wealth. That's basic statistics. Consider the gaps in the Germanic tribes period of English history.
There is a biological argument to be made as well. As government policies and technology change, it takes a while for the rich to catch up and create new loopholes.
5 comments:
Steerage class - like it, like it.
Simple answer to your first sentence - a larger population gives a bigger spread of everything, including wealth. That's basic statistics. Consider the gaps in the Germanic tribes period of English history.
James, thanks.
Padders, this doesn't quite explain the fluctuations in the Gini Index since WWII in the USA and the UK.
Those are probably due to government policies, but you would have to consult an economist.
There is a biological argument to be made as well. As government policies and technology change, it takes a while for the rich to catch up and create new loopholes.
Post a Comment