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terrypaulpearce's review against another edition
4.0
Lays it bare. Makes you angry. Gives you (a little) hope at the end. Well-written and researched and very persuasive (if you needed persuading).
emjayvee's review against another edition
5.0
A forensic analysis of the extreme inequality generated and perpetuated by UK-US style capitalism. Brimming with the kind of killer facts that you will want to share with everyone you know.
danm93's review
3.0
The premise of this book allowed Dorling to explore many avenues and include many anecdotes that a more conventional account of recent spiralling inequality in the US and UK might have missed. I thought the pocket money discussion in the 'Childhood' chapter was a very insightful analogy and the 'Health' chapter felt very prescient. At his best he writes passionately, with an attention to detail and a close focus on the broader premise: that the one-percent's excess wealth is causing deepening social divisions.
However as other reviewers have mentioned, some of it is not always the best-written and mixed with clause- and quote-heavy sentences, make it difficult to read at times. The chapter headings are already quite broad and this dictates the quite broad content, sometimes only loosely connected. For example, the point is definitely there to be made that tuition fee hikes (and increased indebtedness) are linked to health problems, but I'm not convinced he makes the link very clear. There are quite a few moments like this where interesting half-formed thoughts, asides or tangents are left hanging.
For a more nuanced or focused study within the topic of inequality it's probably best to look somewhere else. At best, this is an interesting and invigorating collation of ideas that summarise recent trends rather than offering a radical new insight. Nevertheless it definitely points you in a lot of different directions.
However as other reviewers have mentioned, some of it is not always the best-written and mixed with clause- and quote-heavy sentences, make it difficult to read at times. The chapter headings are already quite broad and this dictates the quite broad content, sometimes only loosely connected. For example, the point is definitely there to be made that tuition fee hikes (and increased indebtedness) are linked to health problems, but I'm not convinced he makes the link very clear. There are quite a few moments like this where interesting half-formed thoughts, asides or tangents are left hanging.
For a more nuanced or focused study within the topic of inequality it's probably best to look somewhere else. At best, this is an interesting and invigorating collation of ideas that summarise recent trends rather than offering a radical new insight. Nevertheless it definitely points you in a lot of different directions.
barry_x's review against another edition
4.0
An excellent study into the lives of the super rich and the growing inequality faced by the many in the UK.
The central premise is that the top 1% of the population take 15% of the country's money and that lives for millions of people would be better if only they took a little less. It's not brain surgery yet with a General Election a few weeks away it's seemingly off the agenda.
There is nothing earth shattering in this book for those with an interest in the subject matter although nevertheless it does effectively dispel many of the myths those in power encourage to maintain their own wealth to the detriment of everyone else.
In the current General Election campaign we are hearing 'Labour cannot be trusted on the economy' yet one of the biggest con jobs carried out by the Coalition is to blame a political party for the global economic crisis which was created by the super wealthy banking sector (of course which is disproportionately based in London). Of course, the only people who have continued to gain wealth over the last five years or so have been the 1% who caused the crisis in the first place.
The book effectively looks at issues surrounding health, education and employment in particular and makes a solid case for the exceptionally wealthy to pay far more in tax to fund quality education and health for all and provide all children with a good education.
Dorling presents the world of the 1% with some clarity - since they don't access the services provided for by tax they feel they shouldn't contribute. Of course that is based on the assumption that they actually 'earned' what they did.
My favourite chapters focussed on the private education system and how that perpetuates inequality in education and employment (realistically how many in the media or politics or heads of industry have been educated by the state). The discussion on Inheritance Tax was illuminating - just this week it's been an election pledge with Cameron identifying with 'the basic instinct to pass a little something to your children'. People generally don't want to be taxed on their inheritance but there is a very strong case for massive inheritance tax for the very wealthy. The money they have taken out of the system during their lives should be redistributed for the good of all. Was Cameron appealing to 'Middle England' or his friends from Eton?
The demonization and victimisation of the poor is a key theme (as if it's their fault they are poor). Again this week we've had continual calls of 'no more will someone get something for nothing'. Sadly he wasn't referring to the super rich with their inheritance and tax avoidance - he was referring to low income and unemployed people. For someone who has had spells unemployed and poor I think it is truly laughable that the 1% (and many others sadly) believe people prefer poverty. Another key theme was the rewriting of the 1970s. The 1% who control the media refer to it as 'dark days' but as a whole more of us were better off. That has disappeared from the landscape.
I have to reserve special praise for the section on the Landlord class - a group of people who are responsible for reducing housing stock, increasing housing crisis, increasing rents, restricting first time buyers and through tax breaks profiting whilst ripping people off. They are the group who are 'getting something for nothing'. I genuinely believe people should not be able to own homes for private rental. It worsens the quality of life of tenants. Short term jobs in short term homes. I was shocked to see that the landlord class had significantly more equity in their properties whilst home owners had reduced.
The book is a little dry at times and is littered with stats and quotes. It's pretty meticulously researched. I can imagine if you don't like stats you'd tire of this quick but after reading I felt quite angry and feel we are still very much on the receiving end of a class assault.
Whilst the book is aimed at a UK market I think US readers would appreciate this as income inequality is even greater there. Many of the stats refer to US economics and this could well be an eye opener.
I didn't share Dorling's conclusion that 'eventually the bubble will burst' and 'being super rich will become socially acceptable'. The top have never given anything away willingly and I don't really see the hope he does.
The central premise is that the top 1% of the population take 15% of the country's money and that lives for millions of people would be better if only they took a little less. It's not brain surgery yet with a General Election a few weeks away it's seemingly off the agenda.
There is nothing earth shattering in this book for those with an interest in the subject matter although nevertheless it does effectively dispel many of the myths those in power encourage to maintain their own wealth to the detriment of everyone else.
In the current General Election campaign we are hearing 'Labour cannot be trusted on the economy' yet one of the biggest con jobs carried out by the Coalition is to blame a political party for the global economic crisis which was created by the super wealthy banking sector (of course which is disproportionately based in London). Of course, the only people who have continued to gain wealth over the last five years or so have been the 1% who caused the crisis in the first place.
The book effectively looks at issues surrounding health, education and employment in particular and makes a solid case for the exceptionally wealthy to pay far more in tax to fund quality education and health for all and provide all children with a good education.
Dorling presents the world of the 1% with some clarity - since they don't access the services provided for by tax they feel they shouldn't contribute. Of course that is based on the assumption that they actually 'earned' what they did.
My favourite chapters focussed on the private education system and how that perpetuates inequality in education and employment (realistically how many in the media or politics or heads of industry have been educated by the state). The discussion on Inheritance Tax was illuminating - just this week it's been an election pledge with Cameron identifying with 'the basic instinct to pass a little something to your children'. People generally don't want to be taxed on their inheritance but there is a very strong case for massive inheritance tax for the very wealthy. The money they have taken out of the system during their lives should be redistributed for the good of all. Was Cameron appealing to 'Middle England' or his friends from Eton?
The demonization and victimisation of the poor is a key theme (as if it's their fault they are poor). Again this week we've had continual calls of 'no more will someone get something for nothing'. Sadly he wasn't referring to the super rich with their inheritance and tax avoidance - he was referring to low income and unemployed people. For someone who has had spells unemployed and poor I think it is truly laughable that the 1% (and many others sadly) believe people prefer poverty. Another key theme was the rewriting of the 1970s. The 1% who control the media refer to it as 'dark days' but as a whole more of us were better off. That has disappeared from the landscape.
I have to reserve special praise for the section on the Landlord class - a group of people who are responsible for reducing housing stock, increasing housing crisis, increasing rents, restricting first time buyers and through tax breaks profiting whilst ripping people off. They are the group who are 'getting something for nothing'. I genuinely believe people should not be able to own homes for private rental. It worsens the quality of life of tenants. Short term jobs in short term homes. I was shocked to see that the landlord class had significantly more equity in their properties whilst home owners had reduced.
The book is a little dry at times and is littered with stats and quotes. It's pretty meticulously researched. I can imagine if you don't like stats you'd tire of this quick but after reading I felt quite angry and feel we are still very much on the receiving end of a class assault.
Whilst the book is aimed at a UK market I think US readers would appreciate this as income inequality is even greater there. Many of the stats refer to US economics and this could well be an eye opener.
I didn't share Dorling's conclusion that 'eventually the bubble will burst' and 'being super rich will become socially acceptable'. The top have never given anything away willingly and I don't really see the hope he does.
nocto's review against another edition
5.0
Another acquisition from the Hay Festival bookshop. I probably wouldn't have picked this if it had been buried in a normal bookshop. But I was looking for something different and got absorbed in this. An excellent look at the distribution of resources in our society, I found it very interesting and illuminating as the conclusions weren't entirely what I expected.