Are Clegg and Osborne at odds on income inequality?

Speaking today on social mobility, Nick Clegg appeared to create a new front with his Conservative colleagues by openly discussing the need to reduce income inequalities. Only yesterday, George Osborne outlined that his focus was on equality of opportunity and not equality of income. A debate has been raging in recent weeks over the conclusions of ‘The Spirit Level‘ by Professors Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett.

In his speech to the Lib Dem think tank, Centre Forum, Nick Clegg said:

“The goal of improving social mobility overlaps with other objectives for social policy, such as reducing poverty or narrowing income inequality.”

Although making it clear that social mobility and income inequality were not the same, he outlined his own commitment to tackling the problem.

In answer to a question by Sam Coates of The Times, Mr Clegg explicitly referenced the current debate over ‘The Spirit Level’ and, while dismissing the idea that Britain could ever be a perfectly equal country, outlined his view that income inequality was problematic and that “extremes of wealth inequality” were wrong especially when they became “stratified”.

The Deputy Prime Minister’s remarks appear to be at odds with those of Chancellor George Osborne just yesterday. In his speech yesterday, Mr Osborne referred to “equality of opportunity” rather than tackling income inequality. And as noted by Tim Montgomerie on Conservative Home yesterday:

“Mr Osborne used his Today programme interview to distance himself from the idea that greater equality of outcome should be a government aim. He said that he wanted to deliver equality of opportunity and that the Coalition’s reforms in education, welfare and health – as well as the reduction of the deficit – were part of his hope that a child born today would enjoy a better chance to succeed in life than a child born during the Brown-Blair era.”

Although David Cameron name checked the work of Wilkinson and Pickett at his Hugo Young Memorial lecture last year, Conservative think tanks such as Policy Exchange and the TaxPayers’ Alliance have, in recent weeks, been challenging the findings of the Spirit Level. Malcolm Clark has debunked these attacks on this website. Much to Mr Montgomerie’s chagrin, 11 Tory MPs have signed a pledge to narrow the gap between rich and poor.

http://twitter.com/gazbook/status/21485774982 Gary Mark Watts

RT @leftfootfwd Are Clegg and Osborne at odds on income inequality http://bit.ly/dq8FBX
http://twitter.com/trakgalvis/status/21486713189 trakgalvis

Are Clegg and Osborne at odds on income inequality http://bit.ly/dq8FBX via @leftfootfwd
http://twitter.com/samcoatestimes/status/21488756345 Sam Coates Times

Clegg and Osborne – are they at odds on equality, asks Will Straw http://bit.ly/csnIEE
http://twitter.com/shamikdas/status/21488973859 Shamik Das

Holding the #ConDemNation Coalition to account – on employment: http://bit.ly/alIjjR & inequality: http://bit.ly/dq8FBX on @leftfootfwd
http://bestblogs.labourhome.org/2010/08/18/are-clegg-and-osborne-at-odds-on-income-inequality/ Are Clegg and Osborne at odds on income inequality? « The best Labour blogs

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http://twitter.com/duncanstott/status/21489838860 Duncan Stott

Aren't 'income inequality' and 'outcome inequality' exact opposites? http://bit.ly/dq8FBX @leftfootfwd
http://twitter.com/equalitytrust/status/21490908442 The Equality Trust

RT @leftfootfwd: Are Clegg and Osborne at odds on income inequality http://bit.ly/dq8FBX
Ash

Good old Clegg. He signs up to a Coalition agreement in which his pet income tax cut, plus assorted Tory tax cuts, are funded by benefit cuts and a VAT increase – then has the nerve to suggest it’s a policy objective (of the Coalition, presumably) to reduce inequality. At least Osborne has the decency to refrain from making such absurd claims and to stick to the language of ‘opportunity’.

What a farce. How can a government be unsure as to whether it does or does not have as a policy objective the reduction of income inequality?

The real tragedy is that the present economic situation represents a real opportunity to do something about income inequality: in the present circumstances, there’s a powerful case for protecting the incomes of the worst off while asking higher earners to accept higher taxes and slower wage increases. Alas, we can trust the Coalition to ask the most from those who have the least.
http://twitter.com/robinwilson250/status/21496017886 Robin Wilson

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http://twitter.com/ozbilgin/status/21496570410 Mustafa Ozbilgin

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http://twitter.com/shodanalexm/status/21503642468 Alex Marsh

RT @leftfootfwd: Are Clegg and Osborne at odds on income inequality? http://bit.ly/csnIEE
Robert

You have to remember Clegg has to look like he has an idea or authority, otherwise the liberals would walk away, so of course when the boss comes back from holiday he will tell his poodle to get behind him, stop playing the leader and be silent like most lap dogs, Blair did the same when in the presence of greatness with Bush, remember Bush ignoring Blair like he was some left over, it’s the same with the liberals now.
http://singlemothershelpsite.com/?p=23 Single Mother Help – Assistance for Disabled Single Mothers | Single Mothers Help

[...] Are Clegg and Osborne at odds on income inequality? | Left Foot … [...]
Gez

shame Milburn couldnt make it back today for Cleggs announcement that he is to work for the Coalition

He was on holiday in Bali

Of Course !!!

Thats social mobility
http://twitter.com/ramsey_phil/status/21652679501 Phil Ramsey

RT @leftfootfwd: Are Clegg and Osborne at odds on income inequality? http://bit.ly/csnIEE