PaulMB
pfm Member
Arrived in London in 1955, age 3. Left in 1969, then returned for a year 1970-71. So a total of 15 years. During the '80s and '90s worked for British newspapers and went there every now and then. Have not been back since around 1998, but keep in touch with friends who live there.I’m interested as to what your experience of the UK is? Where have you visited? Your description doesn’t match the reality very closely, though it is very easy as a tourist to miss the wider picture.
Some data here:
The Scale of Economic Inequality in the UK | The Equality Trust
The UK has the 7th most unequal incomes of 30 countries in the developed world, but is about average in terms of wealth inequality. While the top fifth have nearly 50% of the country's income and 60% of the country's wealth, the bottom fifth have only 4% of the income and only 1% of the wealth.equalitytrust.org.uk
I looked at the data you linked, and seems like inequality fell steadily up to about 1980-85 and since then has crept up slightly. The comparison with other countries in Europe shows that it is not really greater in the UK than elsewhere; France and Italy about the same, Germany and Sweden more "unequal," others less so.
What I meant by a "predominantly middle class, conservative population" is that from what one might call the "lower middle class" to the "upper middle class" the shared values are stability, law and order, and their own economic well-being. Then of course there is a substantial minority of really poor people, and a small minority of rich and very rich people. But no different from most developed countries.
But in any case no politically volatile masses as in some South American countries.
I realise this clashes with your impression of a nation on the brink of revolution, and of course you are there and I am not.