King calls for creative ways to tackle inequality

[AshLeaf]

AIBU to think this displays a breathtaking lack of self-awareness from one of the richest men in the world?

Well, how about you make a start with that Charles?!

He could sell one of his castles for a start.

Or, if he doesn't own them, he could move to a more modest council house and let the state sell them off or use them for social housing.

Interestingly, nearly 30% of voters think I am being unreasonable. I’d love to hear why?

Bin universal credit and increase the minimum wage - it is lunatic that the government / tax payer is subsidising businesses paying people too little to live on.

if a business can’t afford to pay its staff a reasonable living wage (one that they can live on without top ups) then it can’t afford to function.

There would be a short term market panic - but long term it would redistribute the tax burden onto corporations and away from individuals.

and people could earn actual livable money for their work. Which is repeatedly demonstrated to be better for heath / self esteem / family social + educational outcomes

This thread isn’t about solving inequality. The RF giving away their jewels doesn’t even begin to address inequality. Think so much bigger. Everyone RF included needs to take this seriously. So I’m fine with the RF questioning publicly about inequality. Everyone should. For example, climate change is a massive driver of inequality. What are we doing about that?

But they were clearly only interested at a "Ooh, fancy that!" level - they obviously don't believe in it and aren't concerned enough about it to actually restrict their own lifestyles in any kind of meaningful way.

Same as Biden - having a fleet of his own cars FLOWN over to a CLIMATE conference, on a continent where we already have plenty of cars that would have been available for hire.

It's like turning up at a food bank in a new Ferrari that you bought yesterday and bawling about just however will you manage to feed and clothe your kids?

What did he suggest? He's the guy earning the big bucks. I await the unique, insightful and superior contribution from him that will creatively resolve the issue thus demonstrating what we keep him for.

Maybe when you’ve already pulled the stunt of getting everyone else to pay for your family’s lavish lifestyle, the obvious answer is to try that again?!

I agree. If he just gave it all away, it would lead to short term benefit, or benefit for a small number of people, because of the way the system is.

He's calling for systematic change for the wellbeing of the population. This is part of his job description, after all...

It's a wild idea, but what about a progressive taxation system that discourages capital gains and promotes instead investment in infrastructure, research, and development? So you only get rich if you build, mend, invent, or do something.

We could build a public world filled with good schools, beautiful parks, smoothly running trains, maintained streets, a health service delivered by incredible data science and life science research.

We could fix this country, if we decided we wanted to. If creativity was rewarded instead of hoarding.

I'm not a RF fan, but in this instance, he's using his unique position in the public eye to advocate for systemic change that he wouldn't be able to achieve politically or financially. I kind of respect that.

Paying his staff a decent salary would be a start. That advert that appeared recently was a disgrace and the amended one was not much better.

@Elphame which advert?

"Look at this thread Charles. The peasants are so cute with their little opinions! Charles, come and look, and bring me more gin."

"Yes dear."

I agree - imagine what we could build if we didn't get only scoffing and negativity every time anyone suggested doing things better!

Haha, that's exactly why he emphasised 'creative'.

Reallocate wealth from the obscenely wealthy to the disadvantaged? Too obvious and boring! Let's get ~creative~ in a way that means he keeps all the jewels, property, staff and palaces

Why not target the Catholic Church?. It has immense wealth - billions upon billions. Why hoard all this wealth? Why not take all that money and distribute it to the most needy and desperate?

(Luke 12:15).

’Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions’.

He said this in the context of the Commonwealth didn't he? Ie. addressing inequality across the nations [but not by giving reparations 😬)

It's no more hypocritical than the nonsense of the COP meetings where half the global governments take huge entourages on jets to fly around the world to stay in nice destinations and talk about making sure the common man doesn't cause global warming.

We used to talk about a carbon footprint. We all have one. And the more people there are the bigger it is. When David Attenborough started his career there were 4bn people on the planet. There are now 8bn.

Well yes agreed but also the Royal family given it's Charles looking for ways to tackle inequality? 🤔

It’s not prejudice against the Catholics. The original comment was referring to the Church, not the individuals. The combined wealth of the Catholic Church/Vatican is almost immeasurable. Their immense wealth makes them one of the wealthiest religious institutions in the world. All that money could be used to make millions of lives infinitely better. Why does any organisation, let alone a religious one, need to hoard that kind of money? They should distribute to most needy.

You are joking right? I mean he's part of the problem not the solution!

he should live on a state pension for a year then revisit his approach

I think you're being unfair. The King was attempting to acknowledge the strong feelings about reparations that other parties i.e.our PM wasn't willing to address at CHOGM. He's done more than any previous monarch to address lack of opportunity. Yes the monarchy could do more, I think he's open to it, but no doubt his hands are tied in all kinds of ways.

Says the descendant of a Norman invader who nicked all the land from the natives. A great number of whom still own it.

What's that Bible quote ? Obviously the head of the CofE would know it. About tree trunks in your own eye before a mote in anothers.

Mind you, the Normans did end slavery in England - which was a long proud Anglo-Saxon tradition. So maybe things even out ?