UK’s Labour would cost companies £300bn in workers’ share swipe

[meridian]

Don't know about happier, but certainly might challenge the productivity problems that seem to plague UK businesses.

Unlike Germany, I don't know if I could believe a situation where someone from the shop-floor was in the board meetings when voting on company direction - could you imagine?

Many (like, 30) years ago I was in a meeting where the local union delegate wanted union members to sit on board meetings even without shareholdings.

Their justification was that the direction that the board took the company directly affected all employees, their wages, their families, so they should have a say in that direction.

The capitalist in me disagrees, they’re not risking their capital in the business. However, the socialist in me agrees - most employees are risking more than just (a limited defined amount of) capital in the business they work for, they’re risking their entire economic output.

[Zigenare]

People are generally happier where there is more equality.

You mean when they get tulip they haven't paid for?

[PhiltheGreek]

A Labour government.

Won't happen.

[BrilloPad]

You mean when they get tulip they haven't paid for?

No. Where people who work hard feel rewarded for their work relative to other workers.

[SussexSeagull]

I think something has to be done to give normal working people a stake in society as the downward pressure on living standards was largely the reason for Brexit.

[BrilloPad]

I think something has to be done to give normal working people a stake in society as the downward pressure on living standards was largely the reason for Brexit.

Only at the lower end. Those in the top 1% are raking it in.

[meridian]

Only at the lower end. Those in the top 1% are raking it in.

Hasn’t it “trickled down” yet?

[BrilloPad]

Hasn’t it “trickled down” yet?

And Brexit will just make it worse. The rich-poor inequality will grow wider, quicker. Ironic given that, as SussexSeagull says, it was inequality that got the poor to vote for Brexit.

I suppose I should be grateful to be in the rich part. But I feel sorry for the British. Not matter how stupid they are, they are still people......

[sasguru]

The larger problem (and not just in the Uk) is that 50% of the population are irrelevant in a knowledge economy as they just don't have the cognitive skills necessary for success.
In the old days, these people worked in factories and their problem was exploitation. So the Labour movement was formed to fight for their rights.
But irrelevance is far worse than exploitation and there's no fix for that.

Much of what is happening in the world politically can be put down to this.

It's the great problem of our time: what in God's name do we do with the stupid?

[xoggoth]

The larger problem (and not just in the Uk) is that 50% of the population are irrelevant in a knowledge economy as they just don't have the cognitive skills necessary for success.
In the old days, these people worked in factories and their problem was exploitation. So the Labour movement was formed to fight for their rights.
But irrelevance is far worse than exploitation and there's no fix for that.

Much of what is happening in the world politically can be put down to this.

It's the great problem of our time: what in God's name do we do with the stupid?

Indeed. Many more low grade jobs will become obsolete in future as technology takes over and that will be a big problem. Inequality is a greater driver of crime than poverty on its own for some obvious reasons, like resentment and demand from the better off driving the drug trade and other illegal activities.

Worrying news recently of a big drop in students studying chemistry. (Cant find the link) It would help if the state aided those doing useful degrees.

Also, low grade immigration hardly helps to cure inequality. It's much harder for kids of manual workers to succeed in life whatever their origins. We need to greatly raise the bar on required skills.