Thank you for your assessment, Ian. I respect your right to hold this view! :bowdown:

May I be bold enough to enquire whether you are content and happy with the state of imbalance between the earnings, to use the word in its loose and broadest sense, of the top 1% to 5% and the average worker?

PS it's important not to confuse an old banger with the term classic! ;):D

I cant say I am happy with what the top earners earn and what the bottom earners earn. A loaf of bread and a tube of toothpaste cost the same for both earners. However, those that have studied, saved, worked hard, sacrificed, risked are entitled with the skills they have picked up to earn more
then the person that has none of the above.
As for the average wage, Google tells me that is nearly 32k
if a couple are both earning 32k then they are ok. If only one is working and there are also children to support 32k does not leave much for things above basic so I would like to see that 32k wage higher but I do not feel the same way between average wage and top wage as I do about the gap between top and bottom wage. The top wage is still silly high.

"Anyone" can be a cleaner, not everyone can be a brain surgeon.
If ones house is dirty, get off ones ass and clean it, if one needs brain surgery, then the brain surgeon is worth every penny. This does seem to be a contradiction but I hope you understand the point I am making.


Some friends of ours are worth over that magic million.
They are only children and both inherited a house each. The wife also inherited about 600k. Their friends drank, smoked, car'ed and generally wasted their money.
To cut a long story short our friends bought and have given their friends a bungalow.

I know someone else that inherited a life changing amount of money. It is all gone. They live in reduced rent accommodated purchased just for them and on government handouts. They would not even change the battery in the smoke detector, wanted the home owner to do it.

These people have what they have due to wealthy people being generous. This is why spreading the wealth will not work, some squander it and thankfully there are wealthy people who have stepped up and helped. Making the wealthy poor would not have helped in the above cases, it would have made things worse.
I am taking wealthy to be the top 5%, I think you said somewhere that 5% are worth over a million . That million is not the million it used to be. Due to house prices a lot of people are asset rich and cash poor.
I'm sitting with no heating on, the wife said our bedroom earlier was 11 degrees.

macafee2

We have something in common! It's 12 degrees in the lounge and I about to get out into the garden to tidy up. The positive is that it's windy outside so the 8C will feel a lot colder and when I come back in, the 12C will feel toasty. :}

Seriously, I think we need to get businesses to pay a living wage - having to top-up a full-time worker's wage with benefits in order for them to live should not be necessary. Equally, those with education, greater skill, risk at work etc. should expect a greater reward but I don't think anyone really contributes more than £100k's worth of service (relatively speaking) to any business or to society. I have spoken to Hermes etc. delivery drivers who are far more intelligent than some executives I have known earning £100k+ PA and some at £250k PA. I would tax at a 100% rate above £100k PA which would put the high earners at just over 3x the average wage.

I do feel that the top 5% should contribute more than they currently do. It is because of the abundance of wealth amongst say the top 50% that we are in a run-away state with house prices. The property prices are high because a significant proportion of the population can afford to pay the high prices. There is only one effective way of managing ridiculous increase in house prices year-on-year. This is to reduce the level of wealth disparity.

Do you mean this? "Seriously, I think we need to get businesses to pay a living wage" Google says the living wage is £9.50 and the London living wage is £10.85.
It also showed that the average wage in the UK in 2021 was £25,971, that is about £500 a week
That is not enough for one person to earn if supporting wife and children. It does seem figures vary depending on what site you go to so please take the above figures with a pinch of salt. Mid 30's would be better but when there are two earning, mid 30's becomes a lot of money to bring in.

Ha I want to share the wealth more then you :)

macafee2

I don't understand your issue when you say 'Do you mean this? "Seriously, I think we need to get businesses to pay a living wage"

Notice I did not say the National Living Wage, which is an official number of £9.50 for 2021, but a living wage i.e. a wage level at which people can live without suffering ill health or needing top-up benefits whilst in full-time employment.

This should help. https://www.resolutionfoundation.org...l-living-wage/

living wage, uk living wage, national living wage....ok I take your point.
I thought you mean the "£9.50" living wage

macafee2