Britain's Ruling Elite

[I'm With Stupid]

Re: Britains Ruling Elite

In India they have a saying which parents drum into their kids. it's this;

'Life is a race - so start running!'

Here the parents say 'Don't worry about the race - the state will look after you'.

Well life is a fucking race and its a race from start to finish. The sooner the LWNJ's get used to that idea the better.
If you don't want to join the race then that's fine but stop spouting the politics of envy and resentment whilst other people
pay for you and pick up the tab.

This from the country that has a caste system way worse than anything the British class system ever thought up. This sort of thing, along with the American dream and all that other bollocks, is all about feeding the ego of successful people. The belief that everything you have was 100% earned due to hard work and talent, rather than any hint of luck or opportunities afforded to you by accidents of your upbringing. Try moving to a poor country and see how much being lucky enough to be born (even at a low level) into a rich country and getting all of the benefits that come with that is worth. It's a lot, I can tell you. Obviously the insidious flip side of the "I earned everything I have" ego stroking is the implication that everyone who doesn't have what you do obviously didn't work hard enough and deserves to live in poverty as a result. And there you have the basic tenets of individualistic right wing politics of people blinded to their own privilege and equally unable to see the obstacles in the place of others.

 

[I'm With Stupid]

Re: Britains Ruling Elite

That would be a valid argument mate if you only ever competed for work with people who went to the same school, however you don't. Some kids have an advantage just being geographically located in the catchment of excellent schools, others because they can pick a better state school and their parents are prepared to get them there, others because their parents are lucky enough to afford private schooling but make no mistake private school doesn't mean automatic success and state school doesn't mean a life of subserviency. A lot of things govern how you turn out and, even though the tools to succeed are free, poverty remains the biggest problem and one for which there is no easy answer.

Obviously the things that govern getting into a decent state school are often exactly the same things that govern who can go to a private school. One other thing that Finland doesn't do is public league tables, so rather than the rich parents simply buying a house near the good school, they have an interest in making sure their local school is the best it can be. As a result, the education system as a whole improves and everyone gets a better education. In the UK, parents seem to have this attitude that they couldn't give a shit about education as a whole, as long as their kid is getting a good one. By publishing league tables, you just encourage this postcode selection, where the prices around the best schools skyrocket and only the rich can afford to go to them. And it's still motivated by the same thing. You want your kids to have a better education than mine. It's only natural. But plenty of things are natural that it's not a good idea for society and politics to encourage or facilitate.

 

[I'm With Stupid]

I qualified for free school dinners and went to a really shit school. I now live in Zurich. How the fuck did that happen?

You discovered the airport?

 

[Stoned Rose]

Re: Britains Ruling Elite

Because it's bollocks and holding nothing back.

The only thing that stops anyone succeeding is lack of talent. And there is plenty of that about.

Because it's bollocks and holding nothing back.

That's not an answer bud. It's a glorified repeat of what you said originally.

Can you elaborate?

The only thing that stops anyone succeeding is lack of talent

Extremely narrow minded perspective.

What about those who are talented but don't succeed due to lack of motivation? stresses within their lives? going off the straight an narrow? parents who don't give a fuck? etc etc.

Also, what about those who succeed despite lack of talent? much like some of the 'ruling elite' types the thread alludes to.

Talent is part of the jigsaw but only one of the pieces.

Talent and application then. That seems to cover off your points.

There's no doubt some make it to the top without an abundance of either but I never look to try and bring others down to my perceived level rather than strive to better my own lot with a helping of both.

Anyone with talent and application will make something of themselves in the Uk (so long as they have health I guess).

Talent, application, health definitely.

Then there's also 'opportunity' and 'connections' as very important parts of the jigsaw.

Many people with the first 3 don't have much going for them by way of the 2nd two.

That can definitely limit their chances to utilise the first 3 properly.

It's a complex melting pot of factors.

 

[west didsblue]

I qualified for free school dinners and went to a really shit school. I now live in Zurich. How the fuck did that happen?

Just bad luck I guess;-)

 

[nijinsky's fetlocks]

I qualified for free school dinners and went to a really shit school. I now live in Zurich. How the fuck did that happen?

Plenty of deeply unpopular folk end up there to pay less tax.
Phil Collins spent the last years of his life there.
'Nuff said.

 

[Gelsons Dad]

I qualified for free school dinners and went to a really shit school. I now live in Zurich. How the fuck did that happen?

Plenty of deeply unpopular folk end up there to pay less tax.
Phil Collins spent the last years of his life there.
'Nuff said.

I pay more tax now than at anytime in the past ;-)

RIP Phil.

 

[TGR]

I qualified for free school dinners and went to a really shit school. I now live in Zurich. How the fuck did that happen?

A nice city is Zurich. I've had some excellent nights out there ;-)
I fly the Manchester Zurich route on a fairly regular basis as the
company I work for are based in Frauenfeld - 2 trains stops from
Zurich airport.

 

[TGR]

I qualified for free school dinners and went to a really shit school. I now live in Zurich. How the fuck did that happen?

Plenty of deeply unpopular folk end up there to pay less tax.
Phil Collins spent the last years of his life there.
'Nuff said.

That's because you can actually negotiate the amount of tax you pay within the different Canton's (regional areas)
and trade them off against each other.
For the serious wealthy people I am led to believe the going rate of tax is around 15%.

 

[Gelsons Dad]

Plenty of deeply unpopular folk end up there to pay less tax.
Phil Collins spent the last years of his life there.
'Nuff said.

That's because you can actually negotiate the amount of tax you pay within the different Canton's (regional areas)
and trade them off against each other.
For the serious wealthy people I am led to believe the going rate of tax is around 15%.

It's less than that.

This is before negotiation in Schwyz ;
http://www.sz.ch/documents/10-10-11_layout_steuern_11_eng.pdf