Law and order.

 

Flawed thinking

Here are two simple facts: -1- the United Kingdom imprisons a higher percentage of our citizens than almost any other civilised country except for the United States; -2- per head of population there are 144% more people in prison in the north of England than the south. [source: statistic.com]

The comparattive fiigures are: France 107, Greece 103, Germany 67, Denmark 72, Canada 85.

So what might the causes be: (a) a nasty government, (b) something seriously wrong with the country, (c) something wrong with the British people.?

It is fairly easy to discount option (c) by looking at the figures for the north-south divide. In Cleveland the number of people behind bars is 132.4 per 1,000 people. In Wiltshire the figure is 54.2 per 1,000.

This means either there is something wrong with northerners or some other factor is at play. What on Earth could it be? Satistics available show that it might not be one single factor, but rather a combination. Comparing the worst and the best:

Unemployment

North East

South East

6.4%

3.8%

Weekly wage £

North East

South East

614

724

The Institute of Fiscal Studies reports:

1. Between 1993 and 2022, employment in traditionally middle-paying occupations fell by 12% nationally, whilst employment in low- and high-paying occupations grew by 14% and 95%, respectively. This ‘hollowing out’ has had profound implications for the geography of jobs, and the opportunities available to workers with different educational backgrounds in different parts of the country.

2. The decline in manufacturing jobs . . . mainly affected the North and Midlands . . . occupations previously in the middle of the pay distribution fell by a third over the last three decades.

3. The occupations that have seen the most growth since 1993 are either in low-paid services such as social care, childcare and hospitality, or in high-paid services such as IT, business and finance. But whilst low-paid service sector jobs have emerged everywhere, the new ‘high-end’ jobs are found mainly in London and other cities. In Inner London, the number of people in high-paying occupations has increased threefold since 1993.

Whichever measure you choose to study — and excluding the more picturesque areas to where the well-heeled retire — the further north you go in England the worse the comparisons with the south become. This is true of wages, educational and skill attainment, health and life expectancy.

The information provide by the IFS leaves out one important factor: the migration of somewhat smarter people to London has been occurring for much longer than 1993. I'm speaking from personal experience. I made the move in 1980 and on arrival I immediately noticed the difference in the general demeanour of the people. I was warned before I left North Wales, "don't go to the smoke" as though it was some kind of hell-hole. While it was true that the condition of rented property in those days was abysmal, I found the general ambience generated by a population of intelligent, content and mostly successful people was tangible.

This does not mean that people born in southern England are automatically smarter. The phenomenon of greater intelligence occurs because so many clever northerners have to migrate south to find appropriate employment. Obviously, over many many decades this has had a detrimental effect on the north.

All-in-all the accumulation of so many incremental negativities has created significant damage over time. This causes two new problems: crime in general and what the lazy thinkers term 'drugs'.

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