RSA/LBC Debate - A future fair for all?

28th Feb 2011; 20:00

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RSA/LBC Debate

Both the government and opposition have pronounced their commitment to fairness - each claiming to have fairer and more even-handed policies than the other.  But what exactly constitutes a fair society, and is it possible to achieve it?

 Is it fair for poorer, more debt-averse students to be discouraged from attending university due to tuition fee hikes? It doesn’t seem so on face value, but is it at least fairer than asking a low to middle-income tax payer to contribute toward a graduate's tuition fees?

The IMF recently warned that economic inequalities could sow the seeds for the next financial crisis – and with the UK falling down the league tables to first world war levels of income inequality, how can we ensure a fairer future?  Will the big society be able to tackle disadvantage, or will the withdrawal of the state only widen the gap?

If, as David Cameron put it 'those with broad shoulders should take the heaviest load', then should we take the Swedish route and increase the high-end tax threshold and punish tax avoidance more harshly? Or do outwardly 'fair' policies like heavy taxation on high-earners simply drive business out and damage the economy; affecting everyone negatively in the long run?

And what of other, non-economic measures of fairness?  The EHRC Report on Fairness in Britain argues that unequal access to new technologies is a new threat to equality of opportunity; women are still underrepresented in positions of power and earn less than their male colleagues; and the recent cuts to disability allowance and welfare threaten advances made on that front.

Is fairness achieved via a series of difficult and sometimes harsh compromises, or is it just an impossible and illusory pursuit?

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