Outsiders only ever talk of LONDON, nowehere else in the UK
Discussion
Is there a MASSIVE polarisation of funding, wealth, education and talent in London, to the detriment of the rest of the country? Or do I just imagine this?
If such a polarization does exist, can anything or is anything being done to rectify it? Does it need rectifying?
Is this just as pronounced in other major countries, or is wealth spread a little more evenly.
In the US for example, New York is the main financial centre, but it has many large propserous cities all over the US contibuting to the economy. Chicago, Houston, Miami, Los Angeles etc etc are not places of economic inactivity.
I only ask after browsing some jobs websites, and could not help noticing that the largest salaried and contract positions were in the centre of London (and very few in Taunton, I might add).
If such a polarization does exist, can anything or is anything being done to rectify it? Does it need rectifying?
Is this just as pronounced in other major countries, or is wealth spread a little more evenly.
In the US for example, New York is the main financial centre, but it has many large propserous cities all over the US contibuting to the economy. Chicago, Houston, Miami, Los Angeles etc etc are not places of economic inactivity.
I only ask after browsing some jobs websites, and could not help noticing that the largest salaried and contract positions were in the centre of London (and very few in Taunton, I might add).
The US has several different centres because of its size.
The UK is small and history plays a stronger role.
That said, Birmingham, Manchester and others are pretty big and pretty wealthy.
I don't think that London gets more funding per se.
To get big salaries you tend to need a big enough metroplis that a multitude of complimentary and symbiotic businesses can operate together. Each business is a building block and the more you can build together the higher the wealth.
This would explain why Taunton is slightly less wealthy then one of the largets economic cities on this planet.
The UK is small and history plays a stronger role.
That said, Birmingham, Manchester and others are pretty big and pretty wealthy.
I don't think that London gets more funding per se.
To get big salaries you tend to need a big enough metroplis that a multitude of complimentary and symbiotic businesses can operate together. Each business is a building block and the more you can build together the higher the wealth.
This would explain why Taunton is slightly less wealthy then one of the largets economic cities on this planet.
DrYazz said:
Is there a MASSIVE polarisation of funding, wealth, education and talent in London, to the detriment of the rest of the country? Or do I just imagine this?
If such a polarization does exist, can anything or is anything being done to rectify it? Does it need rectifying?
Is this just as pronounced in other major countries, or is wealth spread a little more evenly.
In the US for example, New York is the main financial centre, but it has many large propserous cities all over the US contibuting to the economy. Chicago, Houston, Miami, Los Angeles etc etc are not places of economic inactivity.
I only ask after browsing some jobs websites, and could not help noticing that the largest salaried and contract positions were in the centre of London (and very few in Taunton, I might add).
The short answer to your question is YES.If such a polarization does exist, can anything or is anything being done to rectify it? Does it need rectifying?
Is this just as pronounced in other major countries, or is wealth spread a little more evenly.
In the US for example, New York is the main financial centre, but it has many large propserous cities all over the US contibuting to the economy. Chicago, Houston, Miami, Los Angeles etc etc are not places of economic inactivity.
I only ask after browsing some jobs websites, and could not help noticing that the largest salaried and contract positions were in the centre of London (and very few in Taunton, I might add).
For better or worse, London is, financially, a different bloody country to the rest of the UK. Although there are plenty of areas of massive deprivation within London, central London is awash and concentrated with money like almost no other place I can think of.
Manchester etc do not even remotely compare.
London's in a different universe to the rest of the UK financially. No question. Don't know whether it's a good thing or a bad thing though....
edited to say: probably a bad thing.
Edited by Murcielago_Boy on Monday 30th August 19:53
Murcielago_Boy said:
The short answer to your question is YES.
For better or worse, London is, financially, a different bloody country to the rest of the UK. Although there are plenty of areas of massive deprivation within London, central London is awash and concentrated with money like almost no other place I can think of.
+1 For better or worse, London is, financially, a different bloody country to the rest of the UK. Although there are plenty of areas of massive deprivation within London, central London is awash and concentrated with money like almost no other place I can think of.
London utterly dominates the UK, same as Paris dominates France.
Not quite the same in Germany, where there are plenty of regional centres.
Maybe it's by design, maybe because Germany has only
been Germany the country for about 140 years.
Mind you, eastbound from London, you've got to get to
either Moscow or Istanbul to get to a similarly sized city,
so that could be something to do with it.
DrYazz said:
I only ask after browsing some jobs websites, and could not help noticing that the largest salaried and contract positions were in the centre of London (and very few in Taunton, I might add).
The reason london jobs pay so much is because it such an utter s
thole filled with the most miserable bunch on self obsessed tossers in the country oh and there is a few banks there
Edited by thinfourth2 on Monday 30th August 21:00
I agree, I am looking at going to work in London, because everything house price wise is skewed by city wages & bonuses.
I have worked in Financial Services locally for nearly 8 years and am on the national average wage (and haven't had a pay rise for 2 and a half years and we don't get bonuses either).
It is very different in London, if one company does not pay you the wages/bonuses etc, you just go to the bank/financial institution accross the road who will.
Speaking to someone I know, sometimes they say it can be busy, othertimes they can go over the pub for 2/3 hour lunches. It probably doesn't happen everywhere but it does happen.
It would never happen where I work though, your ar5e would be out of the door before you knew what hit you.
It is a completely different culture. I went for an interview in Canary Wharf about 4 years ago, and it seemed really strange. People in suits rushing everywhere, everything seemed to revolve around money, and it did seem rather uncomfortable at first.
I know a lot of people who have gone up to London, and after the initial difference in culture/travel etc, got into the way of life.
I don't think anyone I know would ever want to come back from London and work for the same salary conditions that they were getting locally.
I have worked in Financial Services locally for nearly 8 years and am on the national average wage (and haven't had a pay rise for 2 and a half years and we don't get bonuses either).
It is very different in London, if one company does not pay you the wages/bonuses etc, you just go to the bank/financial institution accross the road who will.
Speaking to someone I know, sometimes they say it can be busy, othertimes they can go over the pub for 2/3 hour lunches. It probably doesn't happen everywhere but it does happen.
It would never happen where I work though, your ar5e would be out of the door before you knew what hit you.
It is a completely different culture. I went for an interview in Canary Wharf about 4 years ago, and it seemed really strange. People in suits rushing everywhere, everything seemed to revolve around money, and it did seem rather uncomfortable at first.
I know a lot of people who have gone up to London, and after the initial difference in culture/travel etc, got into the way of life.
I don't think anyone I know would ever want to come back from London and work for the same salary conditions that they were getting locally.
thinfourth2 said:
DrYazz said:
I only ask after browsing some jobs websites, and could not help noticing that the largest salaried and contract positions were in the centre of London (and very few in Taunton, I might add).
The reason london jobs pay so much is because it such an utter sthole filled with the most miserable bunch on self obsessed tossers in the country oh and there is a few banks there
Edited by thinfourth2 on Monday 30th August 21:00
thinfourth2 said:
The reason london jobs pay so much is because it such an utter sthole filled with the most miserable bunch on self obsessed tossers in the country
I sort of understand where you are coming from. I met this absolutely gorgeous girl from Aberdeen this weekend whilst drinking somewhere in Belgravia, and while i had the chance to chat to her (before every bloke in the pub started to hit on her) i queried as to what made her moved to London, how long she had been here etc. - basically said had to come here because of work and was absolutely dreading coming here. Obviously, not everyone has good preconceptions of the city.thole filled with the most miserable bunch on self obsessed tossers in the country Edited by fido on Tuesday 31st August 13:04
DonkeyApple said:
That said, Birmingham, Manchester and others are pretty big and pretty wealthy.
I only have frequent experience of how things are in Brum, but lately 9considering it's the UK's second city) it's not good.85% of all jobs created in the last decade are, apparently, in the public sector.
Part of this is no doubt a corollary of the city's isolation from the outside economy due to traffic chaos. It is hard to see any venture wanting to move into the area when there are other more accessible places, which have the benefit of being within sensible and pleasant commuting distance from nice residaentail areas that (and let's face it, this is always the clincher) the person(s) who signs the project off can live in.
Digga said:
said stuff about Brum
Do you think, as I do, that Brum's image has a negative effect on the West Midlands as a whole.* I read a statistic at the weekend that stated some phenomenal % of the area designated the West Midlands is actually rural. The figure was around 80% iirc.
And knowing the highways and byways as I do I can believe this.
- * Waits for jokers to post "West Midlands as a
whole"
Funding tends to get weighted towards population density so as London is the most densely populated region of GB, then the funding appears, in totality, bigger but per capita is the same as anywhere else.
Also remember that ‘London’ is more a collective term than a city (other than the City of London), which again, does tend to skew perceptions somewhat.
Salaries in London are higher because it’s where the leading companies and institutions are based so competition for talent is fiercer than elsewhere so salaries are premium to attract the best people. This in turn pushes up prices and cost of living, which in turn means that salaries have to be higher. Bit of a vicious (or virtuous?) circle.
Many organisations (most notably the BBC) have tried on numerous occasions to de centralise away from London but very rarely do they succeed as too few people want to leave the city.
Also remember that ‘London’ is more a collective term than a city (other than the City of London), which again, does tend to skew perceptions somewhat.
Salaries in London are higher because it’s where the leading companies and institutions are based so competition for talent is fiercer than elsewhere so salaries are premium to attract the best people. This in turn pushes up prices and cost of living, which in turn means that salaries have to be higher. Bit of a vicious (or virtuous?) circle.
Many organisations (most notably the BBC) have tried on numerous occasions to de centralise away from London but very rarely do they succeed as too few people want to leave the city.
F i F said:
Digga said:
said stuff about Brum
Do you think, as I do, that Brum's image has a negative effect on the West Midlands as a whole.* There is actually a fair bit of 'new' money in manufacturing and engineering that is popping up in satelite towns and cities - not traditionally thought of as the country's engineering heartland - like Leamington Spa and Worcester. I'm sure that, had transport not been an issue, these firms would usually have found the acommodation and workforce required within Brum or the Black Country. As it is, there is a huge amount of wasted potential.
Flintstone said:
thinfourth2 said:
The reason london jobs pay so much is because it such an utter sthole filled with the most miserable bunch on self obsessed tossers in the country
oh and there is a few banks there
You didn't get the job then? thole filled with the most miserable bunch on self obsessed tossers in the country oh and there is a few banks there
The promotion meant that i would be paying full uk tax so i would get less money in my pocket and i would have to live in London which meant i would spend less time at home in scotland.
Never did understand why they thought the idea of earning less money and having to live in an expensive s
t hole was a step up in their eyesGassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff