Hi ,
We currently live in a lot of malaise – anxiety around the economy, our crumbling services, the rise of the far right, the climate, whatever Elon Musk's up to right now. It's worth taking a step back and looking at how all these things interconnect.
We know that more equal societies work better. Since the Spirit Level was published in 2009, we've had strong evidence that outcomes for health, education, crime, and more are better in countries with lower levels of inequality. Updated research last year confirmed that 15 years on, it's still true – and added evidence that our environment, social problems, and democracy itself would be doing better if we were more equal. We'd all be happier, and that matters.
But we're not on that road. The UK is second only to the USA in inequality among large developed economies – by some measures, we're the most unequal advanced economy of our size. The 50 richest families in the UK own as much wealth as half of the entire country, and the wealth of the super-rich is soaring while we struggle.
This high level of inequality is draining the life out of our communities, exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis. It's allowing the super-rich to live and invest their wealth in incredibly polluting ways, accelerating climate breakdown. It's created an economy rigged to benefit the wealthy and powerful through unsustainable consumption and exploitation of workers. It's left our politicians listening only to certain groups of people and excluding masses of us from democracy altogether. Broadly, not good.
This is why the government's plan to push forward huge cuts to welfare and preserve low taxes for the richest is a dangerous path. Polling indicates that all our political parties are unpopular, particularly our two UK-wide parties of government. Trapping us in this crisis and refusing to take action is draining support for our entire social model. Making our society more equal throughout the 20th century created a "happiness revolution" that increased wellbeing; a revolution that stalled in the 1980s as inequality took off. Now, people are instead questioning the legitimacy of an entire system that isn't making them happy. This is one of the reasons why the surge in support for the far right hasn't been just political, but cultural.
That's why it's so important we start addressing inequality. It's not a symptom or afterthought. It's a crucial link in the vicious cycle. By undoing it, we can make society healthier, happier, and more secure. That'll undo the selfish emissions from the richest and the most polluting forms of economic consumption, encourage communities that can thrive together, and build solidarity that defeats the far right.
Here's how you can help achieve that right now:
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