Meetings
You can buy happiness – how closing the wealth gap would help everyone
7:30pm Thursday, 17th November, at Occupy Sheffield (outside Sheffield Cathedral)
See the Occupy post for more details
The Spirit Level and Income Inequality
7pm Thursday 24th November
Room Cantor 9135, Cantor Building (formally Furnival Building), Sheffield Hallam University, City Centre Campus, Arundel Street, S1 2NU
Bill Kerry of the national Equality Trust will be presenting the evidence from the Spirit Level to the Co-op & WEA. It’s a 6.30pm tea and coffee for 7pm start. Please reserve a place with Jaimie Jarratt at the WEA – email:jjarratt@wea.org.uk
Equality Group monthly meeting.
7pm Wednesday 7th December, Quaker Meeting House, St James Street (just up from the Cathedral)
Talk and campaigning around income inequality. All welcome.
News, Comment and Links
Between 1975 and 2010 the pay of the bottom 10% has grown by £9, the pay of the top 10% has grown by £505. Explore the history of the wealth gap and where you fit in
“There is a group dynamic here. I try to spend time away from my industry for a dose of reality. When 10 people all go skiing and drive Porsches, that becomes normal” “From a capitalist perspective I think I’m worth it because the company pays it. From a human perspective, I don’t think I’m more valuable than 5 teachers, for example” – Just Deserts or Luck? – study by Ipsos-Mori of the top 1%, whose findings were echoed by *that* report from the St Paul’s Institute.
“Britain falls short because of its child poverty rate, which is just above that of Greece, only spending 0.28% of national income on early childhood education, and an unemployment rate of 19% among young people.” German think-tank rates Britain poorly on child poverty and income inequality
“Now it’s like your friends are not just for their personality but also kind of how they look… You wouldn’t be not their friend because of their look but you know… you wouldn’t really want to walk down the street [with them]!” – Children talk about the material expectations they have, and those placed upon them in a Children’s Society study on child perceptions of poverty
