My parents were 11 and 3 when the war ended. My father started work at 14 and, 35 years later, through sheer hard work and ability was paid a salary of around 6x the average income.
My mother left school at 17 and remained a typist.
My father went to work so that his sister, the eldest, could go to college. Later he bought the house his parents lived in - he was at sea 11 months of the year.
When John Prescott called the NUS out on strike in 1966, he tore his Merchant Navy badge off his blazer he was so ashamed and didn't want anyone to ever realise that he had been a serving naval officer. When at sea he considered that he was not only working for his employer, but also serving his country as the ships on which he served were troopers for the British Army.
He would no more thought of striking than no standing and singing the National Anthem at Remembrance Services. After all, he had memories of 2 world wars, which resulted in him leaving school at 14 and seeing many friends and colleagues die.
In the 1970's industry could only work for 3 days a week due to power cuts caused by a shortage on mined coal, as most power stations were coal-fired. Yes, no electricity, no heating - central heating pumps need electricity, no fires because there was no coal or smokeless fuel.
This affected schools too. I worked for my 'O' levels during these winters. The examiners made no concessions for the fact that many children would have not been able to study during the evenings in winter due to lack of light or hot food. Only people who lived near hospitals etc and got their power direct from the national grid as a result would have had electricity 24 hours a day.
In the last days of the Callaghan government Britain was so nearly bankrupt that every decision made by the Chancelor of the Exchequer had to be cleared by the IMF who were lending (G)B the money to keep going on a day to day basis.
The top level of income tax was 100%.
With a net income after tax, NI and pension contributions I received less per month than the maintenance grant for a student for whom I was paying. I paid income tax at the 'standard rate' - 33% - yes 1/3 of my £2000pa salary.
The Thatcher government reduced income tax because it has been proved over and over again that reducing rates of direct tax increases the income from those taxes. In simple terms, when tax rates are perceived as reasonable it's not worth paying an accountant and tax expert £x00 per hour to save very little.
When poll tax was introduced it was presented badly. Wat Tyler led the peasants' revolt on the grounds of 'no taxation without representation'. He did not ask for representation without taxation which was what happened with local rates. It was possible for families who paid neither local nor national taxes to vote for expensive policies for which they would not be asked to pay.
In our road in the north west, we lived next door to an elderly widow and opposite was a family with 3 adult 'children' all working. Under the rating system they paid the same per house towards local services. Fair? No.
The community charge, its proper name, sought to remove this gross unfairness in ensuring that all those adults who were eligible to vote were expected to make a contribution to the services they obtained. A bit like 'the polluter pays' with car tax etc.
Under the rating system we paid more in general rates on our grotty 30s semi in south manchester than Michael Hesletine paid on his Georgian townhouse in London. As a couple we had neither his capital nor his income.
In retirement my parents' income was high enough (just) for them to pay income tax as my mother worked beyone retirement age and my father had a small occupational pension, and at the same time exclude them from all benefits such as rate rebate, etc etc.
My mil had never worked and so had a state pension based on my late fil's contribution record. She had more disposal income as she had her rent paid, her rates paid, and extra allowances for heating and food due to poor health. She spent the extra allowances on cigarettes as she preferred to smoke than eat. Both my pils, with mil's brother' were members of the British Communist Party before, during and after the second world war.
My fil believed, like Gordon Brown, in the establishment of a Marxist utopia at whatever cost. He believed that the only reason that Communism/Marxism hadn't worked in the USSR was that it hadn't been tried 'properly'.
The early Christian Church began with people living in a way similar to Communism. They found that it didn't work on a long term basis, as equality of outcome doesn't exist given human nature. If they found that it didn't work, I would be very surprised if anyone else could, as I could not think of a group of people with greater commitment.
Forcing equality of outcome doesn't work, giving the maximum of opportunity on an equal basis has a much better chance of success or prosperity.
Oh and just before anyone says it's all right for you - my parents were so hard up after inflation took off in about 1962 that their combined income was below the limit for free school meals, something denied to me because the Labour Council didn't believe my direct grant school should benefit from them.