Here I go again with my ‘worries list’ - I’ll try to be brief :
The huge
‘success’ of industrial capitalism as it is spreading across the world has been
seen by many as a way to solve problems of world poverty. Although this has
been true for many it has meant massive inequalities of wealth with almost a
billion people in the world suffering starvation while another billion are
dying of excess[1]. The richest 20% currently enjoy 86% of the
world’s income. In the US half the national assets are owned by just 400 people.
The New
Internationalist[2] recently
featured the ‘Feral Rich’ who, they say, are just getting richer and richer in
spite of the worldwide economic downturn.
“In the
past year the 400 richest Americans have seen their wealth grow by $200
billion”
“the 1,000
richest Britons have watched their fortunes swell to record levels”
“India’s
ultra-rich increased in number by 30% - the better-offs continue to prosper in
a slowdown and are largely immune to it.”
Research has found that almost everything – from life
expectancy to mental illness, violence to illiteracy – is affected not by how
wealthy a society is, but how equal it is. Societies with a bigger gap between
rich and poor are bad for everyone – including the rich[3]
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