The Road to Peak Equality – and what happened afterwards.
Bill Ramsay spoke on this subject to our Glasgow Pensioners for Indy Group a month or so back. But he wanted to update his contribution and the easiest way was to have him in the IndyPodcasters studio. So then Fiona and Marlene heard Bill Ramsay’s compelling presentation on how the road to peak equality in Britain turned into a downhill slope to inequality with the start of the Thatcher era. From the birth of neoliberalism to the stark wealth gaps we see today, this episode traces four decades of economic policy and its ripple effects across society.
Video Version:
What started as an ideological shift has reshaped the United Kingdom — and the consequences are only becoming clearer. Bill’s research doesn’t just look back; it charts what could happen if these trends continue unchecked. The data is eye-opening. The implications are urgent.
Whether you’re concerned about the cost of living, social mobility, or the future of neoliberalism, this conversation cuts through the noise and asks the hard questions: How did we get here? Where are we headed? And what needs to change?
Key points:
03:30 1942 – 1978 – the road to Peak Equality
13:01 1979 – 2008 – Thatcher, privatisation and the rise of neoliberalism
19:03 2022 – present – Era of Popping Rivets
25:09 The rise of Reform UK etc
31:42 Far right tactics and funding
35:46 Unanswered questions about the Scottish Bond
39:15 The Andy Burnham effect
41:12 Income inequality under Labour
43:52 Mainstream media narratives
46:06 Whose responsibility is it to fix it?
- A previous post – the Hidden Costs of Inequality – also examines the consequences of social inequalities
- Audio version of this conversation with Bill is on our The Road to Peak Equality
- Our Celtic Alliance episode which is mentioned in the podcast: Audio version and Video version
- Bill is a regular guest. Here are some of his previous podcasts.
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