For any of you with time on your hands, this documentary is very insightful and horrifying. I watched it last night and was appalled. It made me think historically of the French Revolution, and I wonder how long it will be before Britain suffers the same consequences.
The Super-Rich and Us BBC Documentary 2015 Episode 1 Rich People VS Poor People UK – YouTube
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t2BiuW93bos
Barbara Pyett 
Ah yes, but this has all played out before, just perhaps not to the new available levels of hedonisitc excess. There have been revolutions and redistributions, and it all comes back to that 1% will own 90% of resources again after a time. I will paraphrase what George Carlin said regarding this topic, “The rich (elite) do none of the work and have all the money, the middleclass does all the work and pays all the taxes, and the poor, well the poor are just there to scare the sh*t out of of the middle-class., to keep them showing up for those jobs”. Gotta love George 🙂
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That is so scary and true! Makes me wonder when the revolutions will start. Thanks for this comment Unreqwrited. ❤
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It’s not only a problem in Britain, or Europe, or the US. The global inequities of income and wealth have been worsening over the last century and have reached truly absurd levels. The 80 richest individuals now own more wealth than the poorest 3.5 billion people on Earth. And the richest 1% owns 90% of the world’s wealth. The gazillion dollar question is, where is the tipping point?
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Steve, those figures are astounding! Quite frightening really. When we were taught about feudalism, we thought the industrial revolution would change things. Nothing much has changed! Makes me want to become totally self sufficient, but that costs money too! I like your last question, where?
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It’s a shame that middle-income (as well as low-income) people can’t afford such luxuries as taking their family to a major sporting event, musical concert, theatre, the ballet and even the cinema. (I live in North America) Seems to me only the rich and super-rich can afford the admission prices. To be able to attend the American Super Bowl (not that I’m a fan) costs thousands of dollars. The chasm between the “have” and “have-nots” appears to be ever widening.
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Thanks Jennifer for your comment. It is getting like that in Australia too. The football prices have risen drastically, not that that bothers me, but it does stop families attending, as they once did. The other events you mentioned would also be too expensive for the majority. The division is just constantly widening.
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We sat and watched this, Barbara, and were duly appalled. We may be a bit long in the tooth to start the revolution, but our children will surely have to do something.
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I thought you might have seen this on TV. Am so pleased you found it interesting.
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I ummed and ahhed, Barbara, but in the end I decided not to watch it … why upset my day … but, then again …
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It is worth while if you have the time Christine. The BBC do a good job! 🙂
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About ten minutes later I did watch it, Barbara, and so glad I did. It explains everything that is going on in the political world right now! But people are getting smarter, they have so much alternative information at their fingertips to have the wool pulled over their eyes forever. Now I know why the ‘middleclass’ welfare handed out by Howard. It gives more to trickle up to the rich, and if the middleclass do not spend then the whole system falls apart. I must try and watch the series. Thanks. ❤
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Christine, I hope you manage to watch the series. I tried to see no. 2 and couldn’t get it. Shall have to try again!
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As you can probably tell from all my likes on your posts, I spent some time this morning catching up with you and enjoying your blog. I liked all your posts, but this documentary was riveting and thought-provoking. The United States is hastening along the same path; the politicians all talk about it, but do nothing to remedy it. Probably because, more and more, they are part of the super rich – or are HOPING to be.
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Thank you Janet, I’m thrilled you like my blog. Yes, I found this video riveting too. It seems our politicians are tempted into this arena and therefore don’t want change… This series continues in the UK on TV.
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Thank you for the link, Barbara. I’m reading Picketty’s book now–won’t finish it, but just the beginning, frankly, is an education.
Keep hearing how greedy the rich are, but I see plenty of greed from others, and saw one lab study showing that everybody got greedy when they got more money. So. Need a systemic change, as all say, to go after dollars of the rich, but who and how to bell that cat when the cat owns the bell stores, factories, warehouses, the mines providing belll-metal ore–and the workers who make the bells?
One bell of a problem.
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You’re right O. Babe, one bell of a problem!
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I think I’d better not watch it….:(
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Elaine, I think you’ll find it very interesting! Beautiful shots of London!
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It would be worth watching for that then!
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Hogwash out of the mouth of the super rich who say there is a trickle down effect. There is no such thing going on here in the US. The rich are taxed less than we, the lowly peons. But as someone else wrote, this is happening in every country, I see this as one thing that is wrong with the world. Greed with no scruples. The rich are a sorry lot of super snobs.
~yvonne
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It’s a very sorry state of affairs. You have put your finger right on the problem Yvonne!
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Australia will never be a Norway.
Our only chance in becoming a progressive country cementing our future was during the resource boom when all that wealth was wasted on tax breaks and squandered on concessions to the already rich.
The die was cast under John Howard then.
Whoever gets in power, Labor or LNP has now only one choice; raise revenue and convince voters that outcome must match income.
Outgoings are already cut to the bone. Our level of social welfare is mediocre and, as has been shown, will never cut the mustard with the voters.
Cutting health and education, ditto.
Don’t make the poor or vulnerable only carry this bucket
Somehow a strongman must show and convert Australians that ‘ TAX IS GOOD’ There is no other way.
Ask the Norwegians.
The Germans,
The Dutch,
The Danish,
The Swedish,
The Swiss,
The Austrians and many others,
The Finns.
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I’ll watch it later, Ba: but the bloke fronting the doco seems to think this is going on only in Britain ! – it’s worldwide. Here, too, of course …
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The doco does mention other countries, but London is particularly bad. The division is becoming worse and worse… as we can see here. They talk about the trickle down effect, but it’s not working…
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Oh, that’s Rabbit’s theory – neoliberalism. It stinks. It STINKS !!!!
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This issue has to be resolved, the only way it can; Tax the rich, till a reasonable balance has been reached. There is no other way.
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Since they reduced the tax rate in the UK for the very rich, many are choosing not to pay any… like here, I suspect. Laws need to be tightened.
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