Corbyn's latest big idea.

Strivax

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So, we should cap pay. No one should be paid more than £X. We do not know what £X is to be, only that it should be more (surprise, surprise) than Corbyn's own pay, of £140,000 a year* or so. Is this latest proposal meant to be serious, do you think? Or is he planning to sneak in a less radical proposal in due course, such as a legally fixed maximum ratio between the highest and lowest paid in an organisation, that people will accept with gratitude because it wasn't worse?

Best wishes, Strivax.

*As context, average UK pay in 2015 was around £27,500. Meanwhile, in 2013, out of the 60,000,000 UK population, one survey says only 300,000 earned more than £100,000 per year. Another survey puts that figure at 1,200,000 by 2015, with 50,000 earning more than £1,000,000 a year.

*As more context, my total annual income is around £6,700 in benefits, because I'm schizophrenic and therefore cannot work. But due to austerity measures I expect that amount to reduce to around £5,600 sometime this year.
 
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Anguspure

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So, we should cap pay. No one should be paid more than £X. We do not know what £X is to be, only that it should be more (surprise, surprise) than Corbyn's own pay, of £140,000 a year* or so. Is this latest proposal meant to be serious, do you think? Or is he planning to sneak in a less radical proposal in due course, such as a legally fixed maximum ratio between the highest and lowest paid in an organisation, that people will accept with gratitude because it wasn't worse?

Best wishes, Strivax.

*As context, average UK pay in 2015 was around £27,500. Meanwhile, in 2013, out of the 60,000,000 UK population, one survey says only 300,000 earned more than £100,000 per year. Another survey puts that figure at 1,200,000 by 2015, with 50,000 earning more than £1,000,000 a year.

*As more context, my total annual income is around £6,700 in benefits, because I'm schizophrenic and therefore cannot work. But due to austerity measures I expect that amount to reduce to around £5,600 sometime this year.
The average wage for a corporate director in NZ is around $27K which just so happens to be about the minimum taxable income, funny that (its quite amazing how many nice houses and flash cars one can afford on this income). Only an honest man, a fool or the extremely and untouchable rich declares any more, so who exactly is this guy trying to target?
 
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Strivax

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I don't like to put words in his mouth, but I think Corbyn genuinely wants to bring about 'a more equal society', and I have no objection to that ambition, in principle. Whether limiting any legal wage to some arbitrary maximum might be a sensible way to go about this is very debatable, though. Aside from the obvious practical disadvantages such as the one you mention, the signal it sends out is that a Corbyn Britain would seek to cap personal ambition and aspiration, as well as professional enterprise and entrepreneurship, and fail to reward talent and application. As Britain seeks to forge itself a new, post EU, independent role in the world, I think that would be an entirely misguided message to promote.

Best wishes, Strivax.
 
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Anguspure

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I don't like to put words in his mouth, but I think Corbyn genuinely wants to bring about 'a more equal society'. Whether limiting to some arbitrary maximum any legal wage might be a sensible way to go about this is very debatable, though. Aside from the obvious practical disadvantages such as the one you mention, the signal it sends out is that a Corbyn Britain would seek to cap personal ambition and aspiration, as well as professional enterprise and entrepreneurship.

Best wishes, Strivax.
Seems to be another stab at the old Marxist thing.

"We learn from history that we learn nothing from history."
George Bernard Shaw

"Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it."
Winston Churchill
 
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theFijian

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Seems to be another stab at the old Marxist thing.

"We learn from history that we learn nothing from history."
George Bernard Shaw

"Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it."
Winston Churchill
Corbyn's definition of equality is indeed the old marxist one - equality of outcome rather than equality of opportunity. He confuses (as does the Left in general) inequality with inequity.

Inequality is the natural order of things, rather than deny it we'd be in a much better state if we learned to fight against inequity instead. Inequity is something we should all stand against, eg. it is unfair if workers are exploited or employers are cheated.

Most economic policy today is pure politics with very little economics involved.
 
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theFijian

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Do you not think that economic inequality is inequitable?
Why should I be paid the same as someone who does more work, has more skills and generates a product/service or more value?

So no, economic inequality is not de facto inequitable
 
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theFijian

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Pay is a distraction. Inherited wealth, much of which is stashed away in secret off shore accounts and managed by super clever accountants and those who know how to avoid paying tax, is a much more pressing problem.
Not all inherited wealth is stashed away off-shore. Most of it is just property (ie. the family home), pension pots, cash isa's etc. The idea that the state by default owns the wealth that a person has spent their whole lifetime working hard for instead of being able to leave to their family or loved ones is quite frankly disgusting.

And to think that in these days of Brexit and Trump with people crying about populism and authoritarianism people are gleefully signing over their entire lives for the state to control is laughable.
 
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Strivax

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Why should I be paid the same as someone who does more work, has more skills and generates a product/service or more value?

So no, economic inequality is not de facto inequitable

OK, I agree with you to a certain extent. People who work hard, for long hours, should get more than shirkers. Nevertheless, the people who work hard for long hours are generally the poor, who often have to hold down two or even three jobs, if they can get them, to make ends meet. And when 1% of the world's population owns more than the remaining 99% put together, then I think something has gone seriously wrong with it's wealth distribution system. And I think that sort of inequality is inequitable.

Best wishes, Strivax.
 
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Bungle_Bear

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OK, I agree with you to a certain extent. People who work hard, for long hours, should get more than shirkers. Nevertheless, the people who work hard for long hours are generally the poor, who often have to hold down two or even three jobs, if they can get them, to make ends meet. And when 1% of the world's population owns more than the remaining 99% put together, then I think something has gone seriously wrong with it's wealth distribution system. And I think that sort of inequality is inequitable.

Best wishes, Strivax.
That's pretty much the point theFijian was making - much of the world's financial inequality comes from inequitable exploitation of resources including the labour force. Simply addressing financial inequality without addressing the underlying inequities will, in the long term, achieve very little.
 
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