March 20, 2017
By Jon Clifton
Another metric, however, showed something different happening in the U.K. ― “happiness.” In the two years leading up to Brexit, Gallup found that the percentage of people who were “happy” (or “thriving”) was in dramatic decline. In fact, the 15-percentage-point decline in the percentage of people rating their lives positively enough to be considered thriving was so dramatic that it remains among the largest two-year drops in Gallup’s history of global tracking....
The reality on the street has been very different for those in the UK than the propaganda of the government. In 2013 the reality of 'the street' became more and more apparent. While the GDP was suppose to indicate the country was doing well enough, the reality was "the money was flowing in one direction, to the top 10 percent.
17 March 2016
By Graham Vanbergen
Forty years after Margaret Thatcher came to power the true extent of neoliberal market reforms are still unravelling and inequality, as we are now hearing almost daily, has inexhorably taken a grip and harming society much more widely as a direct result with evidence of rising poverty its consequence.
The Equality Trust and High Pay Centre has average pay for UK workers calculated as £26,500. However, average pay conceals the reality for millions.
For instance, the top 0.1% are earning a few pounds over £1 million a year and the top 1% are earning an average £271,888. What this figure hides is the fact that the top FTSE chief executives are earning an average of £4.3 million and it takes them just 2.5 days to earn the average annual workers pay. These statistics do not include other successful groups such as self employed entrepreneurs.
The top 10% of UK workers earn £79,196. But the truth here is that this also includes the earnings of the top 1%, meaning the next 9% don’t really earn that figure.
What is grotesque is the next number that should shock everyone. The average pay of the next 90%, (by stripping out all earnings of the top 10%, including the 1% and 0.1% groups) leaves an annual income of just £12,969. Yes, you read that right. Stripping out the top 10% of average pay, leaves just £12,969 average pay for the remaining 90% of the population.
What is interesting about the figures collated by the Inequality Trust is that the data is about two years old (not their fault – it’s what is available), so things will actually be slightly worse as all analysts agree that inequality is getting worse, not better.
That statistic itself is shocking enough on its own but many people in that 90% category earn considerably more than £12,969, leaving the bottom 20% earning around £5,500 per annum....
The idea the British 'finally got it' is not a new phenomena. People are people and their physiology hasn't changed from the beginnings of existence. People of any nationality, any country understand oppression of their well being and have within them the need for hope. Hope is an important thing, HOWEVER, when hope turns to despair because the anticipation becomes a different reality there is a change in their survival and unrest sets in.
It has been the case through the beginning of time, the people, the masses if you will begin to look through the same lens and see their foolishness and the threat to their children's well being and all hell breaks loose. It is fact, it will never change. Get used to that idea. The lowest income individual has a friend and they another friend and they others and the masses begin to care about each other because "There but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford," witnessing so called criminals being lead to the scaffolding for hanging.
As Bradford, an evangelical preacher realized in 1555, witnessed men and women being put to death by rules of law; the law can serve a master of ill intent upon their subjects. Bradford eventually was burned at the stake without a change in his demeanor. Poor fool.
The modern day 'stake' is homelessness, impoverishment and now in the USA obstruction to a quality education resulting in impoverishment, homelessness, etc. In the USA it is disguised through racism and the stereotype of laziness. The reality is setting in and the American people are finally seeing their foolishness in allowing anger rule their decisions. But, there is the popular vote and the Russians, too.
