Transcript Lysbilde 1

SOCIAL ISSUES IN THE UK
Professional English 24.1.2011
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I Class
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What is class?
Materialist definition; economic situation
only (Karl Marx)
A number of factors determine class:
income, wealth, education, housing, life
style, language, status etc. Stratification of
society exists, but social mobility is
possible. (Max Weber)
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The British Class System
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What classes are there in Britain?
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Upper class
Upper middle class
Middle middle class
Lower middle class
Working class
Underclass?
What characterizes the different classes?
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Is Britain still class divided?
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Distribution of wealth
A widening gap between rich and poor
Unequal opportunities
Social exclusion
Differences within the classes
A classless society? A meritocracy?
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II Poverty
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1/5 of the British population (about 12 million)
are poor
More than 1/5 of the children(about 25 %)
Social exclusion
- Unemployment
- Little education
- Broken families
But, also the ”working poor”
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III Unemployment
1986: 13.7% (3.4 million)
1997: 6.2%
2004: 4.8%
2006: 5.5%
2007: 5.4%
2008: 6.0%
2010: 7.9%
2.5 million unemployed
(Nov.2010)
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Varies according to :
– Region
– Occupation
– Age
– Gender
– Race
State intervention
Jobseeker’s allowance
Training programmes ”Welfare-to-work” and ”New
Deals”. Rights and responsibilities
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IV Crime
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Less registred crime, but more perceived
crime
More people imprisoned
Youth crime
”Tough on crime. Tough on the causes of
Crime” (New Labour)
Tough on which crimes and which
criminals?
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V The Welfare State
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The age of consensus after WWII
The National Health Service
National Insurance
National assistance
The system was left largely unchanged
until the 1980s
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The Welfare State Today
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Reforms in the 80s: ”Rolling back the state”
Reforms made by New Labour:
– Joint partnerships between the public and the
private sectors
– ”A hand up”; programmes for training and
education
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Changes and reforms to be made by the
coalition government:
– Massive budget cuts
– A new Health and Social Care Bill introduced.
The most radical reform of the NHS since 1946.
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VI Immigration and Race
Relations
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7 %, or about 4 million people, say they
belong to a non-white minority
Mainly from Commonwealth countries
History of immigration to Britain after
1945:
– Open-door policy until the 60s
– Push and pull factors
– Recent developments
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Social inequality
Riots, e.g.
– Notting Hill 1958
– Brixton 1981 and 1985
– Oldham 2001
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Discrimination and racism and efforts to
protect against it
Religion as a divisive issue
BUT, Britain is also in many ways considered a
successful multicultural society
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