Reith Lecture: It is Society that is broken - not just the economy

John_Pierpoint

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00729d9

The lecturer is catching up with the comments made by several posters on here in 2007/8.

I recommend it right through to the end so you can name the two most indebted societies, the ones who have done their best to impoverish their grandchildren.

Wookster

Missed this earlier and trying to listen now but for some reason iPlayer doesn't seem to be working

purch

Wookster wrote: »

iPlayer doesn't seem to be working

It's following Society's lead

John_Pierpoint

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/reith/reith_20120619-0930a.mp3

Kennyboy66

another example of BBC left wing bias.

Wookster

Kennyboy66 wrote: »

another example of BBC left wing bias.

Niall Ferguson is anything but leftwing.

John_Pierpoint

Interestingly he is pointing out that following left wing ideas is condemning the current cohort of graduates to a life time of reduced living standards & debt servitude.

To slightly modify the message:

"It is better to be uncool and right than fool and left" (to pick up the cheque).

ILW

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Interestingly he is pointing out that following left wing ideas is condemning the current cohort of graduates to a life time of reduced living standards & debt servitude.

I am geting a little sick of commentators only ever referring to graduates, as if they are the only people that matter.

FTBFun

ILW wrote: »

I am geting a little sick of commentators only ever referring to graduates, as if they are the only people that matter.

Pretty much every journalist is a graduate. Obviously just a coincidence that.

John_Pierpoint

ILW wrote: »

I am getting a little sick of commentators only ever referring to graduates, as if they are the only people that matter.

Niall Ferguson was commenting about the benefits supposedly on offer to the professional and managerial class and how they are fighting to keep them, even when simple arithmetic demonstrates that they are not sustainable (unless pensioners start having a falling life expectancy)

I think graduates probably have a bit of an air of entitlement, when compared to us non graduates; "I've spent a fortune training as ..............." So they get the nastiest reality shock.

For non graduates, escaping, from the world's second most indebted nation, could be that much more important but also that much more difficult.
There is little shortage of unskilled labour and low wages in the global economy, so "protectionism" means the barriers have been put up against an influx of such people.

Wookster

Lets be honest as well, if you've only just graduated, that's probably your only real achievement.

Real life begins when you pay your way in the world and compete for your slice of the pie.