Are we all equal? Probably not. We are individuals & our talents, experience, skills, age, sex, abilitites & disabilitites vary enormously. Some people's lives seem blessed, while others struggle with difficulties we can only try to imagine.
Do we all have the same rights & responsibilities? Again, probably not. A mother or father caring for young children doesn't have the right to go off and work or enjoy themselves & leave the children alone. They are responsible for vulnerable young people.
The dilemma is do we all have a right to equal opportunities? Well, yes, up to a point. I for instance would love to drive a fork lift truck. Should I be given the opportunity to do that? Probably not. I have trouble driving a Nissan Micra & am rubbish at reversing as all my friends would agree. My concentration has been known to lapse too.
It seems to me that the crux of the matter is fairness and access. Everyone should be able to access good education and health care appropriate to their needs for instance. The fact that some can afford to pay for better quality services seems only to point up the fundamental unfairness & lack of access.
When it comes to work we all expect to be paid for the work we do for others. Most people get a sense of worth from the work they do, however humble that work is. I remember working my way through college in various shops & was inordinately proud of my weekly pay packet. I actually enjoyed the work & the people I worked with too. I was fortunate to become qualified for a profession & spend most of my working life doing a job I loved, (& got paid for).
Things have changed though. The world of work today is light years away from my experience. The unemployment statistics are massaged to a point where they bear little resemblance to reality. Enormous numbers of people are on temporary or zero hours contracts. Many have unpaid volunteer jobs or internships. Many work for the minimum wage or less. Many have had to become self employed in order to work. The Black Economy has always thrived. Statistically these people aren't unemployed.
We have to give as many people as possible opportunities. The working people who pay taxes are getting fewer, while the demands on taxation are increasing. We also have to balance all that with the needs of employers to keep their companies going & make a profit. Without them no one wins.
Being unemployed is demoralising & boring. It's a waste of human resources and a drain on the economy. We need to find a new way of creating opportunities for everyone - including the disabled & mentally handicapped. We need some real creative thinking rather than blind political point scoring.
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