Inequality: the obstacle between us

Abstract

Why is New Labour the only Labour government which has failed to reduce income differences—despite 11 years in office? Although Gordon Brown's budgets redistributed income, they only did enough to keep up with the continuing widening of differences in incomes before taxes and benefits. None of the dramatic widening of income differences which took place in the 1980s and early 1990s under Thatcher has been reversed. The best that can be said is that without a Labour government inequality might have been even greater than it is. The government has indeed been ‘intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich’.

This article is based on a lecture given by Richard Wilkinson to the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies in July 2008. A modified version of it is available for free download, reproduction and circulation from the Centre's website http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/wilkinsoninequality.html

This article is based on a lecture given by Richard Wilkinson to the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies in July 2008. A modified version of it is available for free download, reproduction and circulation from the Centre's website http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/wilkinsoninequality.html

Notes

This article is based on a lecture given by Richard Wilkinson to the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies in July 2008. A modified version of it is available for free download, reproduction and circulation from the Centre's website http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/wilkinsoninequality.html

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Richard Wilkinson

Richard Wilkinson is Professor of Social Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham Medical School