A rather empty article by James Bloodworth in the New Statesman about the lack of social mobility in British Society: http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/12/forget-immigration-big-issue-2015-should-be-death-social-mobility
Although he describes the problem competently enough, he fails to analyse it convincingly.
For instance: "...the political class has acquiesced in the slow death of social mobility for one very simple reason: the vastly unequal outcomes they almost all accept as de rigueur render all notions of "equality of opportunity" null and void." If he were familiar with Exodus by Professor Paul Collier he would know that research indicates increasing rates of immigration and "diversity" erode trust between and within communities. Therefore in a society where there is no trust it is unsurprising (if despicable) that the political class only looks after their own.
Also "...wealth concentrates when the returns on capital are higher than economic growth" (here Bloodworth is quoting Piketty). In the United Kingdom ordinary people have been able to accumulate capital assets through private house purchase. It is not the hoarding of capital assets by the elite that has destroyed social mobility - it has been the collapse of incomes due to the reckless expansion of the labour market that has made the accumulation of capital assets (both property and shares) increasingly unaffordable by most C1, C2 and D households.
Although he describes the problem competently enough, he fails to analyse it convincingly.
For instance: "...the political class has acquiesced in the slow death of social mobility for one very simple reason: the vastly unequal outcomes they almost all accept as de rigueur render all notions of "equality of opportunity" null and void." If he were familiar with Exodus by Professor Paul Collier he would know that research indicates increasing rates of immigration and "diversity" erode trust between and within communities. Therefore in a society where there is no trust it is unsurprising (if despicable) that the political class only looks after their own.
Also "...wealth concentrates when the returns on capital are higher than economic growth" (here Bloodworth is quoting Piketty). In the United Kingdom ordinary people have been able to accumulate capital assets through private house purchase. It is not the hoarding of capital assets by the elite that has destroyed social mobility - it has been the collapse of incomes due to the reckless expansion of the labour market that has made the accumulation of capital assets (both property and shares) increasingly unaffordable by most C1, C2 and D households.
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