Rich and Poor

What happened to half a million farm labourers? Many sought other unskilled or semiskilled work, some in nearby towns. Because of their very low income many found it almost impossible to move to town. Others have found it impossible to find work. The countryside remains an area of high unemployment, and over one-quarter of all rural households live in comparative poverty. The desire of the rural poor for better economic prospects, even at the cost of new housing estates in the village, contrasts sharply with the views of newly arrived middle-class people who do not want picturesque villages spoilt.

However, rural poverty is overshadowed by the far larger problem of urban poverty. Although there is a higher proportion of both rural and urban poor on the periphery, particularly in the depressed areas of the north, the most casual tourist in London can easily find signs of desperate poverty among the homeless who sleep rough in the centre of the city. Most of Britain’s poor live in the run-down areas which exist in almost every large town or city.

Between 1945 and 1979, the gap between the poorest and richest narrowed, but after 1979 it widened significantly. In 1979 the poorest tenth of the population received 4.1 per cent of the national income. By 1994 this had fallen to 2.5 per cent of the national income. Over the same period the share of national income taken by the richest tenth increased from 20 to 26 per cent. In fact, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which has a long record of concern for poverty-related issues, the average income of the poorest 10 per cent of the population fell, after taking into account housing costs, by 13 per cent in the period 1979-94. During the same period the income of the richest 10 per cent rose by 60 per cent. This was a direct result of economic policy and of changes to the tax system which intentionally rewarded the richest most, on the assumption that the highest-income earners were the most productive members of society.

The total number of those living in poverty has also grown. During the period from 1979 to 1994 the number of people living on less than half the national average income increased from roughly one-tenth to one-quarter of the whole population. In fact poverty seems to have increased more rapidly than elsewhere in the European Community. While the number of seriously poor people has undoubtedly increased, the remaining 75 per cent of the population are substantially wealthier than they were in 1979. The real problem is the gap which is now greater than at any point since 1939 and is continuing to grow. There is now a growing belief that society as a whole would benefit both economically and socially from the elimination of acute poverty.

Britain’s diversity is, therefore, a good deal more complex than the range of pleasures of touristic London, the variety of the landscape, or quaint cultural features like Scottish bagpipes, Welsh harps and northern brass bands. During the closing years of the twentieth century the physical landscape has changed rapidly as a result of economic and social change. So have the people. Although these have been discussed in contrasting terms, north and south, town and country, rich and poor and so forth, it will be clear that these themes interact. It is not possible to look at the comparative prosperity of the south without considering its implications for the countryside, or for the decaying cores of its cities. Nor is it possible to consider, for example, the unfortunate impact of modern farming without seeing it in the context of a highly integrated modern society. In many respects the British people find themselves caught between their idealised view of Britain and its institutions and the less comfortable realities at the threshold of the twenty-first century. But in facing these dilemmas a more dynamic and cohesive society seems to be emerging after more than thirty years of self-doubt. These themes are explored further in the following chapters.

Ex. 2. Translate the text into English

В первом столетии до нашей эры и раньше кельтские племена населяли территорию Великобритании. В то время Римская империи была самой могущественной и процветающей страной в мире. В 55 году до нашей эры, после восьмилетней войны с Галлией (Франция), римская армия пересекла Ла-Манш и вторглась на территорию Британии. Кельты отчаянно сражались с захватчиками, и римляне под предводительском одного из величайших полководцев, Юлия Цезаря, вернулись на континент. Второе вторжение Юлия Цезаря в Британию годом позже было более успешным. Однако настоящее завоевание Британии римлянами началось почти столетием позже. Юлий Цезарь первым описал обычаи и образ жизни людей, населявших юго - восточную часть Великобритании.

В 73 году нашей эры римская армия вторглась на территорию Британии и захватила юго – восточную часть острова. Кельты мужественно боролись против оккупантов, которым так и не удалось стать хозяевами всего острова. Римляне остались в Британии в течении четырех столетий. Римские губернаторы правили провинцией, а римская армия защищала ее территорию. Вместе с высокой цивилизацией римляне принесли цивилизацию и рабство на Британские острова. И хотя римлянам не удалось превратить свободолюбивых кельтов в рабов, они должны были платить высокие налоги т работать на захватчиков. Как только римляне поселились в Британии , они начали строить города, великолепные виллы, мосты и широкие прямые дороги по всей стране. Лондон (Лондиум в то время) стал крупным торговым центром. Много латинских проникло в язык коренных жителей. Римляне научили кельтов многому, чего те не знали. Однако римляне и коренные жители так и не стали одной нацией. Только предводители кельтских племен Юга и Востока стали богатыми, приняли образ жизни завоевателей и разговаривали на латинском языке. Все остальные коренные жители разговаривали на кельтском языке и не понимали языка завоевателей. В начале пятого столетия (407 год н.э.) римские легионы ставили Британию, чтобы защищать центральные провинции Римской империи от врагов, и никогда не вернулись назад. В середине пятого столетия германские племена ангелов, саксов и ютов с континента захватили Британию. Они разговаривали на языке, который позже учёные назвали древнеанглийским языком.