The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


We’re just going to leave this here

Posted on February 08, 2012 by

The image below is a (slightly edited) graph (untouched original here) from The Poverty Site, an independent blog which monitors official UK government stats relating to poverty. It shows the gaps between the two richest and two poorest deciles of society, and covers almost the entire period of the last three Labour governments.


We haven’t amended the data in any way – all we’ve done to it is add a couple of shaded grey boxes to make it easier to judge the positions of the lines over time, and two thin vertical black lines immediately to the right of the vertical axis, again for ease of illustration. The line on the left shows the size of the gap when Labour came to power in 1997 (about 26%) and the one to its right shows the size of the gap in 2009, just before Labour lost the 2010 election (about 29.5%).

What that tells us is that under 13 years of UK Labour governments with thumping majorities, the size of the inequality gap between the richest and poorest grew by around 13% – or if you like, a steady 1% a year. (Luckily and famously, Labour were “intensely relaxed” about that.) So next time you’re thinking of voting Labour – or voting to remain in a Union where either they or the Tories will always form the government – because you want a more equal society, all we’re saying is, maybe bear it in mind.

4 to “We’re just going to leave this here”

  1. Jen says:

    Without a doubt, labour are just another brand of tory using values and beliefs in what labour used to be.  This is why people still vote and believe in Labour because their actions never match their talk.  Bad branding overall.

    Reply
  2. Bugger (the Panda) says:

    I see whatbthe gtraph says and think what it doesn't say as well.
     
    Is it that the top 10% have grown their wealth faster than the other groups or that some groups have not grow,
     
    It would be interesting to see not just relative comparisons but hard data corrected to some fixed point.
    My gut feel is the following that;
    the great trickle down myth underpins the concept of open borders free capitalism seems not to have happened ergo, the great cake has just benn reapportioned to suit the Billy Bunters.

    Reply
  3. An Duine Gruamach says:

    Wingers – thought I'd alert you to another potential sighting of the Loch Ness Positve Case for the Union, about halfway down this page: link to telegraph.co.uk
    I didn't quite see the case myself, but it may be in there somewhere.
     

    Reply
  4. Shodan says:

    The majority got steadily poorer and the elite at the top have got wealthier. This has happened under the watches of both Labour and Tory. Despite all their bluster they end up continuing the same processes. Over time even the facade is crumbling or being abandoned as now you can barely get a fag paper between the red Tories or the blue Tories.
     
    The same con was pulled in America as their statistics are equally grim. They've been voting in what they thought was the "left" and "right" wings only to slowly find out after decades that the left wing and right wing are on the same bird. When you take true inflation, cost of living and spending power into account wages have been falling for the majority instead of rising. They have to work longer hours to get less, they are more indebted, less secure and it all relies on credit and cheap Chinese imports. Any bubble bursts and the most vulnerable will suffer badly. I know far too many that are in outrageously priced rents and mortgages and feel like they are on a knife edge, despite their best efforts.
     
    A sorry mess watched over by and lead on by Tory and Labour leadership.

    Reply


Comment - please read this page for comment rules. HTML tags like <i> and <b> are permitted. Use paragraph breaks in long comments. DO NOT SIGN YOUR COMMENTS, either with a name or a slogan. If your comment does not appear immediately, DO NOT REPOST IT. Ignore these rules and I WILL KILL YOU WITH HAMMERS.


  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,808 Posts, 1,226,774 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Hatey McHateface on Monster Zero: ““The squabbling soon kicks off” My! What kind of cant would behave like that? The mind boggles. But surely you…Sep 18, 22:37
    • Hatey McHateface on Monster Zero: ““Ten years ago today since indy vote” This is really interesting stuff, Barbs. Can we infer you lose one year…Sep 18, 22:27
    • Hatey McHateface on Monster Zero: “@ Barbie says: 18 September, 2025 at 9:20 pm “The biggest terrorists on the planet are the English” So what…Sep 18, 22:11
    • Geri on Monster Zero: “Thanks Sarah. Jeez, I dunno what happened there where I went back a year thinking it was 2024. I wish…Sep 18, 22:10
    • Geri on Monster Zero: “Infiltrated already – it never takes long. The establishment is renowned for getting where shit wouldn’t. She shouldn’t have unofficially…Sep 18, 22:05
    • David Holden on Monster Zero: “Is it safe to come out yet or is the ginger man/baby still getting his arse kissed by those that…Sep 18, 21:56
    • George Ferguson on Monster Zero: “@Willie I don’t have the answers to the current situation but if the polls are correct then we are heading…Sep 18, 21:54
    • sarah on Monster Zero: “@ Geri at 8.49: It was planned to be on the 11th anniversary i.e. today 18.9.2025.Sep 18, 21:53
    • Geri on Monster Zero: “The biggest terrorists on the planet are the English. That’s a fact. “The British Empire – where the sun never…Sep 18, 21:20
    • Mark Beggan on Monster Zero: “This cut to the UN budget does that include the broom cupboard in Geneva? Because there’s some serious diplomatic shit…Sep 18, 21:17
    • Willie on Monster Zero: “Frankly George I wonder if some of our dimwit population care if there is a two tier health. system. I…Sep 18, 21:16
    • Mark Beggan on Monster Zero: “He never. He thought he was one of the staff.Sep 18, 20:56
    • Mark Beggan on Monster Zero: “This disgusting little man likes to lay wreaths for Terrorists.Sep 18, 20:53
    • Geri on Monster Zero: “Alf, Was it planned for the 18th of September or was that just coincidence? *Sigh* Ten years ago today since…Sep 18, 20:49
    • Geri on Monster Zero: “Yer beloved Supreme Court disagrees with you. (There’s a surprise, not) https://x.com/AngusBMacNeil/status/1692173788585099552?t=8JvguPXO6hYtFzDhl95J4Q&s=19Sep 18, 20:36
    • Aidan on Monster Zero: “No Geri – every conflict or dispute related to constitutional law cannot be decided by a public vote, for reasons…Sep 18, 20:26
    • Bilbo on Monster Zero: “I see ‘Bully boy alpha males’ that Sturgeon talks about is still in the SNP https://archive.is/ePMzg Hepburn was a very…Sep 18, 20:25
    • Bilbo on Monster Zero: “Looks like the new party headed by Jeremy Corbyn isn’t doing too well with tales of unauthorised membership portals and…Sep 18, 20:08
    • Hatey McHateface on Monster Zero: “Guardian Online is reporting that the UN faces a $500 million budget cut and will have to shed 20% of…Sep 18, 20:07
    • Geri on Monster Zero: ““You haven’t given me an answer to who you think, other than the courts, has authority to determine issues of…Sep 18, 20:06
    • Bilbo on Monster Zero: “I see that UK public sector broadcasters want legislation to force social media platforms like Youtube to give them more…Sep 18, 20:03
    • Mark Beggan on Monster Zero: “I think a lot of attitudes are going to change between now and May. An awful lot. What happens in…Sep 18, 19:59
    • Hatey McHateface on Monster Zero: ““Hatey likes to pretend that I and others who think like me go around breaking laws any time we feel…Sep 18, 19:56
    • Bilbo on Monster Zero: “I see that there is still US tariffs on Whisky. I’ve got a feeling that Trump looked at Swinney at…Sep 18, 19:54
    • Mark Beggan on Monster Zero: “Two Tier Keir. The political class are all singing from the same hymn sheet. It’s wake up time for a…Sep 18, 19:43
    • Bilbo on Monster Zero: “Having a not guilty verdict in a court of law doesn’t necessary mean innocence but could mean that there isn’t…Sep 18, 19:41
    • Mark Beggan on Monster Zero: “A fight over Straw and Carrots.Sep 18, 19:18
    • TURABDIN on Monster Zero: “Was Scotland the proving ground for the colonialist model? A rhetorical question obviously. So much ticks the boxes including the…Sep 18, 19:04
    • George Ferguson on Monster Zero: “@Dan 6:43pm £9800 for a TURP in Scotland was my quote. I decided not to give it to them. (and…Sep 18, 19:00
    • Hatey McHateface on Monster Zero: “Guardian Online is reporting that Jezza and the dried fruit bint have had a domestic. The new political party that…Sep 18, 18:58
  • A tall tale



↑ Top