Inequality is killing the UK economy | Armando Iannucci | New Statesman 

Yeah the poor are so quiet and demure.

@@benitolazio8193 Quieter than they have been in the history of mankind. Demure, I wouldn't claim.

If only this were the truth. "The poor" that is snobbery in itself. Disenfranchised, marginalised, manipulated and disregarded. Menticide (the killing of one's mind) being complete, utterly, numb, predictable and pacified almost drone-like. These people become poorer through lack of power and proper representation. Until some mental maniac comes along and becomes their hero. Then comes the inevitable literal witch hunting. This is Europe!

@@hilaryporter7841 spot on

Capitalist Democracy! Voting with ballots is for suckers, voting with money is a much better idea. Don't fund the industry, fund the individual and the individuals will fund the industry, a demand driven economy. "The People are The Government" is about equality and voice, it is a flat democracy because participants are equally funded and is achieved with Conditional Basic Income in a Congressional Crowd Fund. "The Economy is The Congress" is about diversity and opportunity, it is a parabolic democracy because wealth is distributed unevenly and is achieved with Unconditional Basic Income. All this is paid for by a 1% transaction tax on goods and services, that over time could render all other taxes obsolete. Money based democracy is a Political Filter that has many advantages over ballot based deomcracy; it is non-binary, dynamic, periodic, forgiving, altruistic, responsive, immediate, diverse and eliminates many causes of corruption. In it's simplest terms, all tax revenue in a period is divided equally into each Citizen's Crowd Fund Account, and Politicians run Campaigns in the Congressional Crowd Fund the citizens buy into. Ballot based voting is a political filter that leads to strong leadership. Together they make a powerful combination. Apart, they are not as powerful as together. The Congressional Crowd Fund politically adehers to three principles of Democracy; Everyone has an equal vote/amount of money, Participation is not obligitory, and the way that you vote is Private. If someone does not participate in a period, the value of the participants' vote is proportionally increased. Peoples privicy is theirs alone to make public, although in certain circumstances, greater transparency may be desired or required. [For example if you were a Tory whip and wanted to force your membership to vote against their will and those of their constituients on a subject like, say, Fracking.] The Congressional Crowd Fund could be introduced as a filter gradually by applying it to Foreign Aid. Foreign aid campaigns advertise in the Crowd Fund and the Citizens fund these campaigns on a monthly basis. Campaigns would be required to provide accountability through the Blog and Accounts section their campaign, they would need to maintain credibility because a Citizen can always change their mind next time round. When you vote with money, it becomes clear the Crowd Fund is a managed micro economy. This is why I say The Economy is The Congress. Dental care is arguably not covered by the NHS in England. It is far better in this case to fund the individual rather than the industry. When I was 7 I got a filling on the NHS, not because I needed one, but because that was how the dentist got paid,.. nuts! Much better give the individual some money so they can just pay the Dentist when they need to see the Dentist. Is the Dental industry in any trouble? No, because it's private. This is why UBI is parabolically democratic in a real economy. Emergency services such as A&E, Defence, Fire, Police and fundamental services like central banking, foreign affairs, civil service and justice do need to be managed at a national level with strong leadership and solid mandate. Issues such as infrastructure, rail, road, energy, big national projects that require alot of money, and some aspects of law, should be proposed and presented in a Congressional Crowd Fund, if not for full but partial funding. It's amazing how many propositions could be mitigated by simply saying "Start a campaign in the Crowd Fund, and see who buys into it?" for example: 'Give mothers £8k to stay home with children' (Telegraph 2022.10.23) I say decide that democratically in the Crowd Fund by seeing who buys into it. Being able to start a Congressional Crowd Fund Campaign is something any citizen can do. Issues such as bin collection, education, general health (seeing a doctor, physiotherapy, mental health, teeth etc), housing and nourishment, the need for a mobile phone, keeping yourself clothed, socialising, fitness, should be individual choices, funded by UBI in partenership with private enterprise. These are decisions individuals should make for themselves. If you want a Ferrari, you could theoretically start a campaign in the crowd fund, but I think you would soon see it was democratically unlikely, and you're going to have to do something about it yourself. However in reality... the Crowd Fund is essencially altruistic, has to have some benefit to the community, but above all Democratic through equal funding. So, thankyou, that's my idea for a Capitalist Democracy, I would love to know your thoughts. * AI, Technological Unemployment & UBI ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CPre-wvF6XM.html * Gary Stevenson: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3ahL8AbvzbI.html * Sir Humphrey Politics, Sir Humphrey Economics, Sir Humphrey Democracy A Very British Democracy | Yes, Prime Minister | BBC Comedy Greats ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xzfNEF0e-y4.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JnnjY823e-w.html * Tom Seeley: Honeybee Democracy: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JnnjY823e-w.html * Harvard Professor Lawrence Lessig makes the case that our democracy has become corrupt with money, leading to inequality that means only 0.02% of the United States population actually determines who's in power. Lessig says that this fundamental breakdown of the democratic system must be fixed before we will ever be able to address major challenges like climate change, social security, and student debt. This is not the most important problem, it's just the first problem. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PJy8vTu66tEF.htmlCC 2

It's not just that politicians don't understand, it's more that many of the key decision makers fundamentally despise the poor. It's not a question of making them relate, it's a question of keeping them away from the levers of power because they hate the most vulnerable in society

Yet everyone's driving round in new cars new tackle better dressed

Let’s see - who has the money??? Yes, deliberate blindness.

YES!

you have hit the nail on the head mate... its not just the richest 1% they keep beating the drum about... its the massive coporations that dodge the UK's business tax... its bollox... look at the PM rishi's wife worth hundreds of millions and has non dom status and pays very very very low tax to india and doesnt have to pay bugger all here!!!!

@@John-qs2xr where no oligarchs fly

You have got a very good point David

Spot on

Rewarding the rich for failure, then blaming the poor for being poor through lack of effort.

Same with VED - old 2l £250, new one £165

@@simontemplate more like £295 for an older car. >2001 And £0 for a newer car. 2001> both based on a 1.6 diesel.

Third Position is the remedy.

@@benitolazio8193 You mean like Blair's "Third Way"? PFI contracts, Academies, schools as businesses, doctors bidding for patients and no legal aid? Spare me.

@@JayGriffinblaze He may be refering to the the resursuregent fascist ideology known as third positionism, which combines particular anticapitalist economicy policy with extreme left-wing

And yet, huge numbers of working class people, members of my own extended family included, still go on about benefit scroungers and immigrants coming here to live on benefits. As though a life in abject poverty is in some way easy. Usually those that do have never lived a day of their lives on benefits. I've never had to claim benefits, but have worked with those that do. An awful, degrading existence of daily suffering for many. Politicians and the Right Wing press perpetuate such myths, to keep the 95% who own only 5% of the countries wealth, fighting against each other, rather than holding those responsible to account. Divide and Rule.

I liked it when he said "welfare and well being" in a loop for around 15 minutes

Interesting discussion. It’s so good to hear these people speak about these disparities. Why are we using the euphemism “Food poverty”, “fuel poverty”, “child poverty”? It’s POVERTY, end of.

Correct, except it wasn’t corporations, it was aristocrats. Britain more than any other country on the planet has most land concentrated in fewest hands.

No it isn't - it's a reflection of our society. We the people could eliminate poverty if enough of us truly cared to do our bit ourselves - rather than staying home doing nothing, and expecting the government to fix all our problems.

And government is a tool of the rich.

@@cgo225 not inside the Liberal paradigm. Liberal Democracy = rule by international finance and the central Bankers All Liberal Democracies in the West are heading in the same direction on all the big issues particularly with mass immigration.

@@cgo225 Govt gives tax breaks to the rich and taxes the poor disproportionately to their income.

@@cgo225 As Greta would say. blah blah blah. What nonsense.

It's called bread crumb economics!

They buy food , so your silly tale doesn't work , envy is such a toddlers emotion.

@@benitolazio8193 Envy? Someone can't read...

Alterenatively: Poor person is hungry. Poor person gets a job and works hard. Poor person is no longer hungry.

@@benitolazio8193 No, you are deluded! This is reference to how some very rich are given more, and in fact often help themselves!

I often find myself reluctant to visit back home - Poland, because of how modern and prosperous it has become. I genuinely feel like I'm coming from a poorer country to visit rich cousins and I live in the very centre of Birmingham. Can't even imagine what it would be like for people who come from the deprived towns and cities of the north. I used to visit one of them, Preston, for work and I was devastated looking at their high street - most of places closed down, boarded up, the centre literally dying, whole neighborhoods falling into disarray.

It's amazing to me how ignorant many brits are about the rest of Europe. I lived in Slovakia for a few years and I think most brits assume its poor and decrepfi, when because its to equal, everyone has their basic needs met. There are issues with gypsy poverty, so not claiming its perfect, but the development has been incredible in only 15 years. Eastern Europe is now almost on a par with the UK

@@mdaniels6311 Very true. Never heard of a food bank when I lived over there.

Yeah there's this thing that happens with mass migration it's called wage squeeze , and it affects Britain's housing and health service too , and neither Labour or blue Labour will address it because globalist capitalism reigns supreme.

@@JerzyFeliksKlein yes because all our jobs and money went to Poland and the rest to turn them away from Russia . Poland supplied Thatcher with coal during the miners strike so thank you Poland for destroying Britain and our prosperity. Birmingham is hardly a paradise , what towns and cities in the north . Since Thatcher massive increase in Asians and the depopulation of the English protestants. So the towns and cities have adapted to lower income and fewer people . All thanks to you lot from Eastern Europe and Asia .

and healthcare

@@5ynthesizerpatel yeah but it sounds like even the NHS isn’t what it used to be

Hi, well-spotted, but it began before it became evident to the outside world. I am a Dutchwoman who's lived in the US and who's been in the UK for nearly two decades. What Armando said, that they use the poor here to balance the books, that they sacrifice the poor like cattle, that's what I've been saying too. They deliberately keep them poor because people who are poor are relatively defenseless. (Philip Alston, NYU, former UN rapporteur: "poverty is a political choice". His successor at the UN, Olivier De Schutter, Leuven University, wants to make povertyism illegal, just like other forms of discrimination.) Armando said it's been going on for 20, 30 years. That's interesting; for me, it is hard to know what went on before I got here. The UK is so different that I couldn't explain it to my friends and colleagues abroad at all in the past, but what a mess this country is is now increasingly becoming clear to the rest of the world. Yes, public transport is a different story relative to the US (although trains are outrageously expensive in the UK relative to the Netherlands, depending on which company operates a certain track). A lot of it has to do with the density of the population, in any country, so I think it depends on where exactly you are, too.

@@Neddoest I don't know what it "used to be" but I don't like the frequent sexism and gerontophobia in the NHS and if that's there, then povertyism is likely to be around too. (See my other comment, too.) Covid has caused huge backlogs, but that is the case in my normally very well organized home country the Netherlands too. I have read that more and more nurses are leaving the NHS to work for companies like Amazon, because the pay is much better. General doctor's practices are struggling badly too. Not enough staff is an overall problem. (They chased a lot of medical staff out of the country, too.)

@@5ynthesizerpatel for now! You Brits need to fight like `wet chickens` for the NHS! It seems that the current party in power aren`t that interested in looking after your once superb health care!

The right wing media has pumped out these lies for decades. Malnutrition can also mean obseisty. Obesity has exploded in recent decades because cheap food is processed and high calories. It's the market that's caused this mess, yet most people in the UK blame the poor themselves. But before mass advertising and processed food, the poor were not obsese, so is the argument that poor people suddenly became fat, or what? The rights arguments don't even make logical sense.

People may be fat, but they are starving nutritionally, you obviously didn’t hear the bit that stated nutritional food is the most expensive, and this is clearly visible when you do a basic shop.

@@EvsEntps This is utterly ignorant or a cynical playing with words. Obesity in the poor isn’t from eating large quantities, it comes from eating cheap “empty” calories. These are foods that leave children short of vitamins, minerals - micronutrients. The body transforms these “simple” carbohydrates very quickly into sugar and stores it as fat: and this, along with the lack of micronutrients, triggers hunger. The response to hunger of someone without enough money is to get more “empty” calories. If you have one pound to spend, no food in the house and no electricity left, are you going to buy your kids a nice, healthy lettuce or a loaf of cheap bread? The bread will make them feel full. Or a bag of chips from the chippie will warm them up.

I've lived in Indonesia, I know what real hunger and poverty are. The idea that the poor in the UK are starving is ridiculous and offensive to those people who really are. Poor nutrition is a real problem, but it's a luxury first-world problem.

@@EvsEntps Your comment demonstrates prejudice and ignorance of the facts.

And Labour are propped up by union money and liberal donors , what's your point ? Labour MP's went to private schools too you know.

@@benitolazio8193 the point of a union is to stand up for workers rights, and the broad definition of a liberal is to stand up for individuals rights if these arnt things you support then i dunno what to say to you to be frank if you support the rich becoming richer at the expense of the masses then sure carry on voting tories i guess

not gonna sit here and pretend labours the perfect solution but its a step in the right direction

true.

You should be grateful you get ANYTHING. Entitlement in all its glory! Britain has one of the most generous welfare systems in the world , unlike the middle east.

Another vote for that here. Gary has opened my eyes

no immigration is another issue not an invention. But they will exploit it and lay the trap for Labour...The neo liberals are running out of levers to pull now though (hence austerity 2.0) which is quite scary in of itself.

"Demonising" ! Then why don't they stop them ? Garbage.

It's actually more insidious than this. It's part of a 2-pronged strategy. Increase inequality especially among groups they have identified are most likely to lack the ability to protect themselves from its multiplying effects (because they largely do not vote for them anyway) while disemminating propaganda and rhetoric blaming these people and those that support them for the problems in society thereby leeching some of the support from those in a slightly better position than those at the bottom (the so called 'red wall').

Taxes are super low in the UK relative to many other countries, I lived in NL for 13 years and taxes where way higher, but that’s ok, because infrastructure is amazing

Should try Puerto Rico, taxes through the roof, all goods have to pass through the USA (much like they're aiming for in the UK..all international flights now go to England only, food standards dropped to USA level, agriculture laws shifted to allow poisons in Crops) then we pay an extra 30% tax when it comes from USA to Puerto (for the honour of being a colony), no voting rights at all. Heavily abused and dictated by another nation. Sadly, much like my home country Wales. Home from home. I'd hate to see how the UK would cope being adopted by America. It would turn 3rd world overnight

@D C Yeah they just do all the work and buy all the goods and services. What are they like....

@D C "They", being the nurses, teachers, social workers, hospitality workers, tube / bus drivers, the cleaners and road menders, the utility maintenance engineers. I am sure "they" would all love to pay more tax to see their environment float to a higher standard. They pay a very high proportion of net income on taxed expenses, like fuel - up to 75% of fuel pump price is tax, As far as I am aware, hedge-fund managers are not assessed for UK tax in any formal way... despite recently soaking the UK treasury for money by shorting the pound.

@D C What nonsense. You must be an over-paid Tory.

There is an old saying, whether it’s true on not. People get the government they deserve.

They need to take equal blame to tories they supported into power.

Spot on Rymixxx

This is precisely what Thatcher, Raegan, and subsequent governments did - for years - until it all resulted in the Great Recession of 2008 which was the direct result of unregulated institutions acting in totally dispicable ways only to be bailed out by the taxpayer. Are you sure you want the same again, so your children will pay the price in 20yrs time?

Labour simply don't know what they're about anymore. Just look at their front benchers, listen to them - totally bland, no passion, appealing to no-one but themselves..... and still they don't understand why they keep losing elections that are there for the taking.

Labour has a fabulous business strategy. Even the boss of Tesco said so. People need to do more research. Not just use sound bits.

Because Labour are all private school too.

@@csharpe5787 Your joke made me LOL🙄

@@benitolazio8193 Starmer grew up working class, get your facts straight

They both have the same type of Democratic models. Which are flawed. Other EU countries have better Democratic models like Netherlands and Germany. We have 2 democratic rooms. With both 2 different elections. We don't have house of the lords. We have local government elections which result in the "house of lord" type of chamber. And we have the main chamber that we also elect. And we have a lot more parties which have to work together. Also we don't have rich elite in our government which do not represent common people in the country.

Poverty, or the least well off, is a requirement of capitalism

@@darealdealuk i agree there must be some insentive to get money for something. But it depends if its really generating value or not. Just acquiring land + houses on it and milk out the people is not very beneficial to the economy. You just substract money from the market without actually providing more or better services if there is scarcity and not more newbuild houses. Thats toxic capitalism. Proper capitalism means good competition and proper value creation. And there should be an incentive for that.

@Aerism I don't think there's "toxic" or "proper" capitalism, just the capitalism that the human race has created, and which clearly needs to change

This 100%^ Globalisation destroyed the nation state democracy decades ago unfortunately. We are ruled by international finance and the central Bankers.

Spot on!

But we can't all aspire and train to be road sweepers. Some of us will simply have to be engineers and doctors wether we want to or not.

@@galinor7 The point is ,we respect and look after everyone. Not all of us can be high flyers.

You mean, why don't they bring him on again? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hcLw8cT5Lgs.html They had him on in October, so hardly "too working class for them".

Don't alienate your own side, especially when it is the people who are on benefits having their say and being heard. 'Don't get mad get even' is not about revenge, it's about making your servant instead of your master. Anger is a call to action, but not a plan. You should pay attention to it, but not base your strategy on it. And even Gary himself says its not talking to the people making the bad policies that will change things. What will change things will be voters, and getting everyone to vote the Tories out.

We featured an interview with @GarysEconomics a few weeks ago: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hcLw8cT5Lgs.html Also Gary appeared on the last series of Westminster Reimagined ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jqDwyBcOP_w.html His contributions were very valuable both times, we hope you enjoy them.

sometimes, it is better to make a request instead of throwing accusation or making insinuations. this is how leftists run circular firing squads, hence why the left never get successes like the "wicked right wing " do. turns out they have interviewed GarysEconomics.

I’m just not sure that’s true .. the real rise in wage inequality occurred in the 80s and was the consequence of very deliberate policies from a very right wing govt .. since then wage inequality hasn’t actually risen that much and the conservative (or at least some of them) seem to accept that it is too high and needs to be reduced

@@jsquire5pa the main NUM strike started during Thatchers reign in 1982 and was preceded by the National Geographic Association strike in Warrington, UK. The reduced standard of living in the UK and US is partly linked to Reagan & Thatcher implementing deregulation with financial institutions and wealth disparity continues at an ever increasing rate.

@@LoveFix2558 I’m afraid you haven’t answered my point at all and your historical facts aren’t event right …

@@jsquire5pa you don’t need to be afraid 😂

Same here in uk. The government misspent/corruption 93 billion with failed systems failed ppe furlough fraud. Since then they've been calling anyone 50+ who is sick or disabled as economically inactive. Our social benefits system is inhumane and condemned by the university as to how the uk treat he disabled. Hundreds died going through the process but ppl arent aware because the mp Teresa coffey sat on the 5 reports. Ppl died through illness or suicide. It can take up to 2 years and many applications and finally a review in front of a judge! To be awarded any disability benefits. It's inhumane ✌

So they don't even have to raise taxes the take is automatically rising. I think people on minimum wage shouldn't pay any tax. Maybe then they wouldn't need a food bank.

You see Britain's ruling class does not care about the children of those it considers surplus. In fact the Conservatives are actively Malthusian in introducing policies and using rhetoric that knocked about in the 19th Century in order to "decrease the surplus population" - you only have to read the comments on any right wing paper or youtube video.

me too

Blah blah , some are rich , some poor , suck it up.

@@benitolazio8193 no

Rail workers and nurses are not highly paid. Don’t listen to the govt lies. Train drivers were included in their calculations - but that’s a different union . What the strikes show is how important their jobs are for the whole country. That’s the reason discussions are deflected into the 'greed' of the workers and the irresponsibility of nurses demanding reasonable pay that the NHS can’t afford. Meanwhile the government is spending astronomical fees money on building new prisons, including women’s prisons, that do not house those avoiding tax and engaging in fraud but which imprison overwhelmingly the poor.

@@philomel1000 They get paid more than most. Much more in fact. This is where our tax money goes. If nurse were paid less we could hire more and they wouldn't be complaining about being overworked.

We've had austerity policies since 2010 under our tory government, and they are still ongoing, nothing has really changed and nothing will change while the tories remain in power. Things will only get much worse for the vast majority of people in the UK, while the con party remains in power

@@fredatlas4396 you're absolutely right it's the same in America tax cuts and austerity always blaming the poor for being poor and blaming migrants for their plight.

@@justsayen2024 immigration is capitalism importing an over supply of labour in, which is a race to the bottom particularly for the working class. Oligarchs love immigration. Capitalism will never invest in training or increase pay and conditions if it can just fly in labour. Back in the day the Left understood this, even Bernie Sanders was anti immigration.

Your accurate comment applies to all too many pundits: there is no place for genuine socialists, it seems.

It's astonishing to see the anti Corbyn people now complain about issues they actively demonised in 2017 and 2019. They need to take equal blame to the tories they supported into power.

A lot of people like him speak of alternatives and they had one in front of them. But in the end they expect us to settle for tory lite labour and be grateful for it.

Why was he a "never Corbyn"ite? Is he an apartheid state supporting Zionist?

That is very true. This is what always infuriates me about England, until the country can recognise how ludicrous the response to Corbyn was we will never be able to tackle our problems. Hand wringing liberals are very much part of the equation that brought us here, if they didn't like Corbyn's proposals what do they want? They admit the problems are extreme so mild tapering around the edges cannot solve them, it's just a self evident fact

No , they are a sign OF Humanity.

Why oh why is it not more widely understood that limitless growth is simply not possible? If I take an acorn and plant it in a 30cm x 30cm pot, and never re-pot it, will it grow into a full size oak tree? Will it hell! Growth as a measure of economic success needs discarding, once and for all.