Achieving Equality in Britain

[whiffey]

That we are all born and remain equal is an established truth often overlooked in selfish societies, so we see people in highly-paid jobs and others scratching a living on street corners.

I think there is a solution which will eradicate underachievement for ever. Firstly, scrap all forms of examination and competitive testing. These cause great stress in kids lives and the inequitable marking system means that some kids get high marks and others low marks (and some even fail). Everybody should have a university degree, and what I propose here is quite innovative. All degrees are to be awarded at random by computer, and what is more a cross-university policy will mean that even if you study Home Economics at Luton Poly you will have as equal a chance of getting a First in Classics from Oxford as the next citizen. 3-4 years is far too long for a degree course, we need to get our people into gainful employment as soon as possible, therefore the maximum length of a degree course would be one year, a Unipos.

Job allocation would be random initially. Students fill in a form with check boxes, what would you like to be a) doctor, b) fighter pilot, c) classics don, d) barrister, and so on. There would be no horrible jobs on this form. Software will allocate jobs using a randomising algorithm. Over the years it should be possible to modify the selection process to steer particular groups towards jobs they were best at. It might emerge for example that classics graduates from Luton Poly make particularly gifted fighter pilots and the software could be weighted accordingly (while maintaining equality).

All jobs would be equally paid.

I reckon about 250,000 lines of C would do the trick, what do you think ? Britain at last equal everywhere.

[Hugh Spencer]

Are you serious whiffey? You will destroy competition which, if it is fair, produces ambition and expertise, producing wealth which through various means filters down to everybody. Otherwise nobody would have to bother any more. You won't have to bother to improve your family's or your situation because somebody else will decide how much you are worth. No, spare me living the rest of my years in that situation!

[RATTER15]

You really are just trying to upset Wardy with this aren't you!!! how would he cope!!! rofl

[jake-the-peg]

But you also to match aptitude with jobs.

Someone who longs to work with children could be forced to spend the day in front of a computer screen whereas I'd might have to spend the day with a classfull of primary school children :c(

You don't need to scrap competition just advantage.

Abolish private schools and all children to be educated at boarding schools chosen at random and educated as their capacity

[Octavius]

It sounds almost similar to what we have now dunnit? We have fame-chasing money grabbing socialite party animals living the good life and the rest of Britain wishing they could be the next Alan Sugar/Jordan/Chantelle from BB. Those that are lethargic will think its too much like hard work and will prefer to live on state provisions and any menial jobs which the British people are just too darned good for will be filled by immigrants wishing to eke out a living in a society that has very little regard for them, the tedious jobs they do, the hard work and low pay that they get and the life they have strived to achieve.

Equality suits every individual person, providing the rest of the world comes up or down to their level, whilst the less fortunate still know their place.

[whiffey]

Aptitude is a merely subjective perception and is used to create divisions in society.

Under my scheme, any young kid could jump into a McLaren and win at Silverstone on Sunday, just by ticking a box. Much fairer.

[smudge]

I totally agree with Hugh!

I had to work very hard to achieve my goals, but I enjoyed striving along the way! The same with my husband. That's what life is all about!

Too many people get things handed on a plate these days, to the point where they don't even bother getting out of bed!

[jake-the-peg]

Hard work's very subjective though isn't it.

An eighteenth century mill-worker might look at you and think you a lazy so and so who works less than 12 hours a day and swans off on holidays not to mention weekends!

We all tend to look down on people we think work less hard than us but we rarely look at people who work longer and harder and think ourselves lazy do we?

[Loosehead]

I hope this is a joke whiffey! What drugs are you on? "Aptitude is subjective perception!" Right oh, So I've been an international standard footballer all the time, didn't even realise it!

Don't get me started on all the socialist clap trap!

[smudge]

Hear, hear, on your second para Loosehead!

[Lonnie]

Everybodies equal, except some are more equal than others, and so it should be.

If we were all equal, there'd be no leaders, and we'd all be running around like headless chickens.

As a matter of interest, wasn't everybody equal in Communist Russia?.

[naomi24]

You talk about selfish societies, but most people in highly paid jobs have to work incredibly hard to get there. It isn't handed to them on a plate by any means, so what's selfish about that? Why should someone study hard and work long, stressful hours, to earn the same as someone who either doesn't have the drive, the interest, the ambition or the intelligence to push himself into a well paid occupation?

Additionally, if we did away with 'horrible jobs', then society would suffer. Imagine a world without dustmen.

Degrees would be awarded randomly, so does that mean that someone leaving school with barely the ability to read and write could be qualified to work as a brain surgeon? Rather he work on your brain than mine!

Lonnie, no everyone certainly wasn't equal in communist Russia. Far from it. Some were always more equal than others - and it showed!

[Doc Spock]

Very funny whiffey, I like it.

I read once that if you take all the worlds wealth and equally distribute it, then return in 2/3 years, you will find a mix of millionaires and peasants.

As said in a Clint Eastwood film," A man has got to know his limitations"

[Lonnie]

Hi naomi,
Sorry, that was just a bit of sarcasm, doesn't transfer too well in print.

[bensmum]

Have to agree with Naomi on the point that there are some jobs which need to be done and we need people to do them
However I do think that the differential between some really high paid jobs and the more lowly paid ones is too big. Of course it can be argued that without the incentive to earn higher wages people would not bother but it is not always lack of drive or laziness whch makes people take on lesser paid work. It's not realistic to suggest that everyone should be paid at the same rate but sometimes I think that there should be more equality in the standard of living.

[naomi24]

Lonnie, not to worry, I realised that, but for the benefit of anyone who missed your meaning, I couldn't resist responding. :o)

[kempie]

The established truth "that we are all born and remain equal" falls over the moment a male ticks the box which would enable him to give birth.