Is England still a class society ? Info needed.

I've been seeing tv stories of more and more Canadians shopping in America for the holidays. It's nice that we may start fixing our trade deficit, but if this dollar decline continues, sheesh it may be treated like rubles. Oh well, our economy should show strong signs of continued after this financial quarter, but the media hype of the declining dollar seems to be a self-propagating story. The more hype of the weak dollar, the more and more countries switch to euros in their coffers rather than dollars. It'll be funny to see if China (whose economy continues to grow and their thirst for importing goods is growing as well) will un-peg the yuan to the dollar, because the purchasing power of their currency is hurting. Oh well, our companies ransacking and looting Iraq will give us some more money...

Once again I am amused by Uncle Liam’s “Analysis”. For many (and I suspect UL to be one) the “unfortunate rise in political correctness” is mearly a way of bemoaning the fact that you cant make jokes with Women/Homosexuals/Ethnic Minorities as the punch-line.

There is nothing obscene about allowing Women equal workplace rights. There is nothing obscene about allowing Homosexual couples to fair inheritance & taxation rights There is nothing obscene about allowing Traveller Children go to School against the bigotry of local Communities.

The “banning of Christmas” is horseshit. From now until January 6th, you wont be able to escape trees, adverts, lights, tv programmes, products, houses all filled with Christian joy and cheer Just because some town councils don’t formally acknowledge it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, but I (after Liam) digress.

The banning of Christmas and the like, is NOT the cause of Race Riots. Ever notice how the Riots ALWAYS take place in working class areas Liam? Just a funny coincidence that Race issues from Burnley to South Central are always (not nearly always, but ALWAYS) tied closely to class issues.

You don’t find a Millionaire White Banker bemoan his Millionaire Asian Computer expert neighbours new Mercedes. You do on the other hand, find people on the breadline bemoan their neighbours meagre social gain if they feel hard done by. Governments will play the race card any day ahead of a deeper examination of their economic policy. (As a Marxist Dinosaur, I must now clarify that to a reasonable extant anyone who works for a living weige is termed “working class”, Its not a term reserved for Miners and Steelworkers.)

Government is not more “egalitarian” than ever before, in social or economic terms. Id like UL to explain the basis of this broad and stupid statement.

Economically: Ireland has the highest rich poor divide in the world according to the UN, (Britain the 9th). The move away from manufacturing to service provision (the manufacturing is still being done somewhere “globally” lets not forget) is just a move from one form of conditions to another. Where would you prefer to work: a call centre or a factory floor? To me there isn’t much difference. Regressive taxes are rife as both countries take their competitive (but not efficient) place in the international market. Council, Water, & Bin Tax along with the move toward fees and loans for everything from health to education are the preferred alternative to progressive taxation. In Ireland & Britain, the rich are incentivesed with Tax breaks, the poor are incentivesed with a dollop of fear & a kick up the arse.

Socially: Both sides of St Georges Channel, we have seen the degradation of communities. Few people in urban areas give a toss about their neighbours (and usually don’t have the time to), people rarely walk on streets, preferring to lock themselves up in cars. Ireland has the most amount of playstations per capita IN THE WORLD. Im sure Britain isn’t far behind. Around the country a whole new standard of illiterate Muppet is being grown. Social space is negligible in these parts too. Architecture and planning is a matter of “how many can we fit in” and nothing more. Aesthetically, there is little to show in The Uk and Ireland – bar the architecture of spectacle. Yesterday, our evening newspaper explained that one property developer in Dublin made €1million a month on the value of 1 idle site since 1998. Most young Irish families are virtual slaves to property developers, both parents working ever increasing hours to pay off ever increasing debt that lines the vat cats via ever increasing property prices. Communities are empty because everyone is off earning. Racism is rife in the UK and Ireland, Homelessness and Drug addiction too, oh, - and lets not forget, that Britain is still a Monarchy!

These are our “modern” conditions.

www.who-owns-britain.com www.monbiot.com

p.s. Liam, heres a good place to start (its where id argue from were I a young Conservative)“the rich poor divide has increased, but the economy is growing to such an extent that we can all have a good quality of life”