Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Is British society more selfish today?
Today this article on the BBC website tells us about a man who died in Essex when his dog pulled him out suddenly onto a road causing a collision with a car. The driver was more concerned it appears to get the mans details after his pet's lead caused damage to her vehicle. The man, in his 60s, went home but began feeling unwell and died later in hospital from a head injury.
Separately Bill Bryson is bringing out his new book about UK life called the Road to Little Dribbling. This is 20 years after his last book on the UK, Notes from a Small Island. In a recent interview Bryson said;
''The UK had become a greedier and sometimes less polite place - a more ''screw you Jack'' society. If you went into a bar 20 years ago everyone would know who was next to be served. No one would dream of being served before the guy next to you if he was first. Now, it's very much every man for himself ''.
Here on HOL we have a new discussion about a homeless person where the person posting said, I am a compassionate person (or at least I'd like to think so) but I do not want to have to encounter this supposedly homeless petson's little encampment on my journey to and from work every day.
Is the UK a more selfish society in general than say 20 years ago? If so what has caused this change?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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Statistics are often presented in a way that suits the organisation commissioning their delivery, in this case the government (as we know). This analysis by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) of 2014 GDP suggests that inclusion of how much home-owners would pay if they actually rented (instead of owned their property) boosted UK GDP in 2014 by £158bn – a 8.9% share.
The NEC's conclusion is;
“The huge size of rent and property in the UK’s GDP exposes just how weak our economy really is.
“We’re not just counting rental payments to landlords as ‘productive’ activity. We’re even counting rent that doesn’t exist as a contribution to GDP.
“It’s no wonder average earnings have been so poor, compared to economic growth. GDP is becoming increasingly detached from activity that produces real value, skewed instead towards these phantom statistics.”
No real boast to income = no real boast to local & government services, even though people may expect this when they're told the UK is on a upward growth curve. That can lead to public confusion & frustration!
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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Are there any homeowners in Harringay who've earnt more than their house in the past three years? Ridiculous.
Apparently a well known former English footballer owns twelve apartments in St Katherine's Dock but doesn't rent them out. Each one comes with two parking spaces in the basement and he keeps some of his car collection there. The rent would be a pittance compared to the capital gain anyway.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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The most galling thing is that the cost of renting/paying a mortgage isn't included in the cost of living statistics. That something which consumes more than 50% of some people's income not to be counted is simply lying.
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A mortgage payment is capital and interest. The capital counts as savings, the interest is a cost. Rent however is ALL cost. This is outrageous!
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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I have lost count of the number of times on here that I have replied to requests for help / information / loan of parking permits / loan of tools and not had even the courtesy of a reply.
If those people can't be bothered even to say " thanks but no thanks " why should I bother to try to help them in the first place ?
If it's not selfish, it's inconsiderate.
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My pet peeve is manners in shops. My blood pressure goes up a tiny bit when the customer in front of me just says "Give me....". Though I always say Hello and Thank You to the driver when I get on a bus and bleep my Oyster Card, so I'm probably a bit odd.
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People from other cultures don't say please and thank you as much as we do, They don't mean to be rude.
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Permalink Reply by Abi on
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What I find a little saddening is when shopkeepers (whose first language is usually English) don't bother to tell you the amount you need to pay them and just hold out their hand expecting you to figure it out for yourself.
Even if it is as easy as looking up at a display (assuming you know where it is) I find that exceptionally rude when I'm the one paying. One local shop does this and I'll always make a point of asking for amount if they don't volunteer it.
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John, on Islington spending £30m a year on housing maintenance. The chart is for central government spending. Local government is funded in a different way.
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Oh yes, through parking fines. Ha ha ha.
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