Inequality update

We all know where we are now - the income gap in the UK has continued to grow to obscene proportions and the Coalition government are pushing for regional pay as another way of lowering wages further. The unions have proved ineffectual so far in mobilising members to do anything more than a one day strike and marching from a to b to listen to a speech by Ed Miliband. Len McCluskey has called for an early re-election for himself, ostensibly so Unite can afterwards focus its energies on the next general election. Unite also now has 'Community Membership' that may be an acknowledgement of how high unemployment is these days.

As an international issue, income inequality has also reached the mainstream with the World Economic Forum acknowledging it as one of the three main threats to financial stability.

Joseph Stiglitz has said there is "a worldwide crisis in inequality".

On the other hand, the movement for a Living Wage has become a mainstream issue and is winning in workplaces and sectors all around the country, and the incomes of the rich are increasingly under scrutiny.