1% now officially owns more than half the world’s wealth

Monopoly man with axe dancing on money bags, photo by torbakhopper (Creative Commons)

Monopoly man with axe dancing on money bags, photo by torbakhopper (Creative Commons)   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Claire Job

We now live in a world where the richest 1% of the population owns more than half the wealth. And the poorest half owns less than 1% – according to the latest Credit Suisse Wealth Report.

This is a world where crippling cuts send thousands flocking to food banks. At the same time, those at the top find their riches mounting. They are untouched by the economic crisis that gave rise to the Tory lie “we’re all in it together”.

Chaos

But we are not! The working class is paying for the economic chaos of the capitalist system. It’s a system wielded by those of wealth for the benefit of themselves and their friends.

The middle class, too, is getting squeezed. More and more see the need to ally with the working class in struggle. Look no further than the pay battle faced by junior doctors for evidence.

The Tory cheats trumpet falling unemployment figures. But most new jobs are low-wage, part-time, or self-employed posts – with no sick or holiday pay.

They hide the fact that in Britain, 63% of children living in poverty are in a family where someone works. Tory plans to decimate tax credits in April are estimated to mean poverty for an extra 200,000 children.

What do you expect from the bosses’ politicians?

The prime minister and chancellor received ideological training at exclusive super-rich clubs in Oxford. Supposedly, burning a £50 note in front of a homeless person was an initiation ritual.

But it’s workers – the 99% – who make all the wealth the 1% controls. We build the products and run the services.

It’s not enough to be angry. Turn that anger into action. Join the Socialist Party – fight for socialism. Join the fightback today!