Tagged with Aspiration

Aspiration: what’s in it for the 20 million in poverty?

cashAccording to the official Office of National Statistics’ latest report, 19.3 million persons in the UK had an income below 60% of the national median at some point during 2010-13. That is nearly a third of the entire population, and a higher proportion than for the EU as a whole.

The UK figures are even higher for pensioners (40%) and single-parent households (60%). These statistics are awful for the sixth largest economy in the world, but there is a deeper hypocrisy behind them. At the general election the Tory manifesto and Cameron’s speeches resonated with calls for aspiration for everyone. So what are the aspirational chances for the 20 million people at the bottom of the pile when Osborne’s first act in the new government is to target them? Continue reading →

Aspiration for all would be fine, but neither the Tories nor the Blairites will deliver it

aspiration escape from crisis and destruction - credit lightwise http://www.123rf.com/photo_34979261_open-door-light-and-the-resilient-power-of-hope-as-a-symbol-of-shinning-rays-of-human-aspiration-con.html?term=aspirationThe Tory manifesto was artfully targeted at making everyone a weeny bit richer, and some a lot richer. It offered to raise the income tax threshold to £12,500 (though the rich get more from that than the poor), to lower tax on those on the minimum wage, to raise the higher rate income tax threshold to nearly £50,000 (benefiting largely the top 10%), and raising the threshold for the inheritance tax from £650,000 to £1 million (benefiting only the richest 6% of families).

The Tories showered these goodies around like confetti, freely admitting that these handouts plus the £8bn for the NHS and £6bn for housing association right-to-buy discounts amounted to over £20bn, wholly unfunded, but Labour kept doggedly to austerity and no unfunded handouts in order to prove its fiscal reliability. So who won? It’s a no-brainer. Continue reading →

Labour has always been the natural party of “aspiration”

aspirationAspiration: its a political buzzword that has been hijacked by the right. The Tories have launched their “aspiration nation” tagline of helping those who want to “get ahead”. Indeed the Blarites in the party have laid the ridiculous charge that “Old Labour” did not understand the aspiration of people wanting to do well for themselves.

In fact such attacks only resurfaced recently on the Progress website which had an article attacking what it termed “Digital Bennites” (the mind boggles) for relying on the “politics of envy” which is out of touch with most people, who apparently see themselves as millionaires in waiting. Continue reading →