Do Brits hate success?

[thebigIAM]

From this morning's Guardian website: Two-thirds of individuals live in households where the weekly income is lower than the national mean of £487 a week.

Against that backdrop, is it really surprising that there is 'moralistic hysteria' over MP's expenses? All the public wants is value for money, just like most of our customers do.

I don't think public outrage is a pitiful social disease. I think it's wonderful. How much worse a country would we have if the public opinion were allowed no outlet?

But we're talking politics now.

I thought the proposed UK property revaluations for Council Tax purposes were all about us paying for local improvements? (and improvements that we ourselves have made?) Our business rates took into account how 'nice' our premises were.

 

[gamer1810]

I don't think public outrage is a pitiful social disease. I think it's wonderful. How much worse a country would we have if the public opinion were allowed no outlet?

I agree. We should care how the government spends every penny of our taxes and NI, after all we are the ones who have worked hard to earn it.

And while I believe that politics and many apsects of our society are in a bad way, I still also believe that we as voters very much have the power to demand change, perhaps more so now than at any time..

 

[Beachcomber]

I don't think public outrage is a pitiful social disease. I think it's wonderful. How much worse a country would we have if the public opinion were allowed no outlet?

My objection is to the fact that these current 'revelations' and outrage are so orchestrated by the media - it's nothing more to them than a great topic that can run and run to shift large amounts of copy - do you really thin any paper acts out of moral correctness?

It's a fact that stories just like these (or worse) have been suppressed by various papers when it suits their own political ends and it is the fact that everyone is pretending to be so surprised by these expenses claims that staggers me.

Don't get me wrong, claiming for many of the things mentioned is wrong - but what we don;t hear is what % of total MP's expenses claims are made up of 'dishonest' claims? Without the whole picture we can't begin to judge. For all we know, these claims could only account for 3 or 4% of the total claims made - but that wouldn't be such a good story would it?

If there should be any kind of moral outrage, it should be over the way the media control and manipulate the national psyche in order sell papers.

 

[Wendy.Rule]

My objection is to the fact that these current 'revelations' and outrage are so orchestrated by the media - it's nothing more to them than a great topic that can run and run to shift large amounts of copy - do you really thin any paper acts out of moral correctness?

What I find more staggering is how they can turn a single revelation that we all understand in a flash to multi pages over multiple days of news. Tedious. Where is the rest of the news?

In any system where there is a variable income over and above salary, there is corruption at worse and differences of understanding at the best. I bet there are a lot of corporate managers laying low at the moment hoping the investigation does not now spread beyond their bonuses and MP expenses.

 

[thebigIAM]

I won't argue with anyone's criticisms of the media, and I worked within that industry for a very long time.

In fact, public opinion is as vital a check on our media as it is on politicians. Don't compromise. Be vocal in what's good and what's bad. Don't buy publications that disgust you. Demand a wider spread of news if you feel the focus of it is too narrow.

You are the customer. You're more powerful in influencing what you want than you think.

 

[Beachcomber]

You are the customer. You're more powerful in influencing what you want than you think.

I agree - unfortunately is is getting harder and harder to find any real 'news' anymore. These days the papers are full of opinion and gossip rather than facts. Gone are the days when you could expect to find at least some reporting - now it's harder and harder to differentiate between newspapers and OK magazine et al.

Combine that with the fact that we know that these revelations are being drip fed to the public in order to keep the topic hot and keep copy flying out the door while other more worthwhile current events are ignored and we start to see where the real anger should be directed.