Meow

Major negative - tall poppy syndrome and a focus on negatives not positives. It's tiresome.

OleJanx

All true enough. It links back to Hippocrates' four humors of the body, which in turn were linked to the seasons. Autumn=black bile, which seems appropriate for British humour.

Charismatic

That is why the beer is SO good and we enjoy a laugh so much .

The Dean

OK OK........ I give up....... what is 'tall poppy syndrome'?

typical

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_poppy_syndrome

The Dean

Ah yes - what I always thought was called 'The Politics of Envy'..........

typical

I am always quite surprised how conservative / right-wing expats are, as a group. As per this thread

I'm probably not going to get much support in my view that one of the best things in the UK is the social safety net, and the worst is the rank inequality perpetuated by the limited opportunities for those at the bottom.

Bahtatboy

Agree with the safety net bit, but not sure about the limited opportunities. I believe that there's rank inequality at the top--perpertuated by the old boy network--but surely there are (or at least were before the economy got fusterclucked) opportunities for those at the bottom to make their way to the middle, which isn't (wasn't?) such a bad place to be in UK.

Paracletus

The UK has been pretty poor for social mobility for a long time in comparison to other western/northern European countries.

Norm_uk

Hardly surprising given we have an aristocracy and monarchy with far more influence than most people think. Couple that with an entitlement culture and a national sense of post-imperial "can't be done" and the result is lower social mobility than a lot of other EU states.

N.

typical

I honestly believe (if applied to the poor, rather than to the middle and upper class) this is just a tabloid invention.

scrubbedexpat141

That's an interesting point.

You always associate that sense of entitlement with the poorer / lower classes claiming. The top classes are just as bad if not worse when it comes to expecting XYZ for nothing.

Norm_uk

I never specified who subscribed to the entitlement culture - but I think it's across the spectrum, not just in the classes that receive benefits. Many middle class people are the first to cry "human rights" when asked to work normal hours, dress properly at the office or accept the fact that when you don't pay your debts you are not treated the same by banks as those who do.

N.

scrubbedexpat141

Ah, I wasn't directing that at anyone, apolgies if it seemed that way. It just sort of dawned on me you focus more on the lower end expectations rather than the higher.

I think the middle classes are fairly poorly looked after. Not eligible for this benefit or that, no tax credits for this or that, but taxed up to 40% and often work longer / as long as those earning 10x.

That being said...they also enjoy more things than the lower classes.

Difficult to articulate in text.

Charismatic

I’m inclined to agree the Gini index has been pushed too far.