Western Standard Of Living.

[sevenOP]

Would you be prepared to take a decrease in your standard of living if doing so ended world poverty ?

[Svejk]

seven, when they reduced child benefit for people earning £50,000+ there were howls of anguish from some ABers(many who profess to be socialists)
Ideals fly out the window where personal finance is concerned.

[naomi24]

sevenOP, If we all end up with exactly the same lifestyle, there's no incentive for one man to work harder than the next - or even to do a more demanding job than the next.

[sevenOP]

"Did I just see the Goalposts moving?"

You just saw a genuine mistake being corrected. Apologies and sorry I'm not perfect.

"sevenOP, If we all end up with exactly the same lifestyle, there's no incentive for one man to work harder than the next - or even to do a more demanding job than the next. "

Those cuts would be across the board, not across respective pay packets.

[naomi24]

Ok, my salary remains the same, but I can only have one television and one car? How would that end world poverty?

[Mosaic]

Yes. I'm really well into a simpler lifestyle.

[wildwood]

I'm not sure what your Q is aiming at, it mentioned world poverty so answered at that. If you mean the poverty in this country, I would certainly not want to decrease my own standard.

Barring genuine cases of hardship, giving a certain amount of money to a 'poor' person would do nothing to help them. They would not use that to pay their outstanding bills or take better care of their kids. There is really no reason for anyone here to live in real poverty. Again, education is the answer.

[EDDIE51]

I heard a report some time back that if all the resources in the world were to be spread equally between every person on the planet, it would be only enough to provide the standard of living Europe had in the early 1950s.
So would you be prepared to go back 60 years?
Of course there would be far better communications with computers and the internet still available but electricity, water, fuel and more would be 1950s level everywhere. Remember even now in 2014 something like 75% of the worlds population have no mains electricity, water or sewage disposal.

[sevenOP]

I was originally going to use that 'back to the fifties' analogy at the start EDDIE51 but the 'standard of living' concept is as nebulous as 'GDP', so I thought maybe 'back to the 60's might be more palatable.

So shifting the goalposts,
would you be prepared to take a decrease in your standard of living to that of the UK in the 1960's if that enabled World poverty to be ended ?

[Zacs-Master]

No. Thanks for eventually defining what you meant. It's a very Utopian idea. Can you imagine the popularity of the government who introduced it and the ensuing riots?

[Baldric]

What did you not understand here?

//I worked hard for my standard of living, having just retired early at end of June, there is no way I'm giving anything up willingly! //

[naomi24]

I'll ask again. How would that end world poverty?

[wildwood]

In answer to the present 'goal posts', I would happily return to the 60s, even if it didn't help the poor. In those days 2 years of a trademan's wages would pay for a very nice 3 bedroom property.

[Svejk]

I was going to say, take me back to the 70s, please. I expect 2 months would have bought some kind of house.

[Jeza]

I/We have worked hard for our now standard of living and I'm not prepared to give it up for anyone. Teach them birth control and get the men in the fields instead of sitting about jaw jawing all day.You have to work your way out of poverty and not expect other people to do it for you.

[woofgang]

Nope. My parents both worked all the hours god sent in the 60's. We lived over a warehouse in a building that was subsequently condemned, outside toilet and no bath except a tin one that was brought into the kitchen on a friday and filled by boiling saucepans of water. Oh and there were mice in the bedrooms and rats in the warehouse. We moved into a council house in 1965.
sevenOP were you alive in the 60's?

[Buenchico]

>>>No car unless employment necessitates it, one TV, one computer, one sound system and £40 per person maximum per week on food per person

Hmmm.

I've only got a car because I need it for work (but I take public transport far more often). It cost me £350 about 5 years ago.

My TV is an old Sony Trinitron CRT set, bought for a fiver at auction.

My computer is an ancient XP desktop, also picked up for a few quid at auction. (OK, I admit to owning a £60 tablet and a netbook as well but I probably don't use either for more than a few minutes each month, so I could easily do without them).

Sound system? What's that?

£40 per week on food? Up until a couple of years ago, I was struggling to survive on a tenner a week for food (and I certainly don't spend anything like £40 per week now).

I've had just two nights 'holiday' (actually staying in a hotel, rather than day trips) in the past quarter of a century.

My heating consists of a single oil-filled radiator.

So what (other, possibly than this beer I'm enjoying) am I supposed to give up?

[sevenOP]

"In answer to the present 'goal posts', I would happily return to the 60s, even if it didn't help the poor. In those days 2 years of a trademan's wages would pay for a very nice 3 bedroom proper" > wildwood

I am not sure it would: average tradesman's wage 1960 under £1000, average house price 1960 around £2500 per annum............ and I was referring to world poverty but you have made your position clear, thank you.

'Nearly 1/2 of the world's population — more than 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. More than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty, that's less than $1.25 a day. 2. 1 billion children worldwide are living in poverty.'

I lived in mouldy slum in the 60's woofgang.

Buenchico a sound system is a gramophone, wireless, CD player,tape recorder possibly a combination of all of these. From what you say I reckon you are a rare individual in Western society and you should have no problem living a 60's lifestyle. ( sounds like £40 a week for food could lift you into the gourmet style.

[naomi24]

I'll ask again - and again. How would that end world poverty?

[woofgang]

I asked too naomi....that's why I said that I didn't think this question is worthwhile. I don't think its at all rooted in any realistic thinking, just pie in the sky. You might as well ask if people would be prepared to be tattoo'd somewhere visible or wear a pink furry hat to bed every night if doing so ended world poverty.