Economist explains why Britain is poor

[MrFoolish]

The government has killed BTL. But I made my money off that before the policy mistake. And we are over-taxed, but other nations have even higher taxes.

So when you said the UK *is* a great place to get rich, you meant the UK *was* a great place to get rich. I've said to you before that young people don't have the easy opportunities you boomers got. The drawbridge has been pulled up.

[Nimrod103]

The government has killed BTL. But I made my money off that before the policy mistake. And we are over-taxed, but other nations have even higher taxes.

So when you said the UK *is* a great place to get rich, you meant the UK *was* a great place to get rich. I've said to you before that young people don't have the easy opportunities you boomers got. The drawbridge has been pulled up.

But the 'young people' don't want policies that might enable them to easily 'get rich'. They always want more 'left wing' redistributive policies don't they?
So they have got what they want?
Democracy in action.

[scotview]

But the 'young people' don't want policies that might enable them to easily 'get rich'. They always want more 'left wing' redistributive policies don't they?

Do you believe that, do you think that's true? If so, the UK will become a socialist state.

[XFool]

The government has killed BTL. But I made my money off that before the policy mistake. And we are over-taxed, but other nations have even higher taxes.

So when you said the UK *is* a great place to get rich, you meant the UK *was* a great place to get rich. I've said to you before that young people don't have the easy opportunities you boomers got. The drawbridge has been pulled up.

The drawbridge may or may not have been "pulled up" but, if it has, who (if anyone) is responsible?

As a boomer myself I spent the 1980s voting against Margaret Thatcher and her policies (surprise!). Unlike most here, I would imagine.
I think many of the results of her policies in the 1980s, whether intended or not, have been gradually coming home to roost over more recent years.

But then again, can we simply blame her policies for everything? Many large changes in the world come about because of fundamental changes in technology and the results on society. It is always attractive and simple to blame somebody or some group for "all of our woes", but is it reasonable to do so and does it provide any real answers or solutions?

[servodude]

It is always attractive and simple to blame somebody or some group for "all of our woes", but is it reasonable to do so and does it provide any real answers or solutions?

It depends on whether you fancy your chances as a populist politician? If you do it can provide you a way forward

[Nimrod103]

But the 'young people' don't want policies that might enable them to easily 'get rich'. They always want more 'left wing' redistributive policies don't they?

Do you believe that, do you think that's true? If so, the UK will become a socialist state.

I'm torn on this one.

I have read an argument that young people are big followers and buyers of IT products, iPhones, Apps, computer games, hardware, software, media (but not the BBC), and sport in all forms - all of which are a products of the free market.

OTOH whenever a company talks about profit, it is regarded as a dirty word, and immediately attracts talk of excess profit taxes. (In a free market, how can there be excess profits?) They want all barriers to immigration lifted, though is will make finding a job more difficult and a house more unaffordable. I suspect they favour the abolition of exams. They probably like the fact that two thirds of degree passes are now at first or upper second level, but don't see how grade inflation works against the interests of the clever, the hard working and industrious. They want their sports and pop idols to be rich, but not the clever, the hard working and industrious.