U.K. Recession Drives More Than 1,000 To Suicide: Study Reuters | Posted: 08/15/2012 4:49 am Updated: 08/15/2012 4:46 pm * Rising unemployment rates seen taking heavy suicide toll * Study looked at historical trends to find excess deaths * Men more likely to commit suicide, women tend to seek help By Kate Kelland "LONDON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - A painful British economic recession, rising unemployment and biting austerity measures may have driven more than 1,000 people in England to commit suicide, according to a scientific study published on Wednesday. "The study, a so-called time-trend analysis which compared the actual number of suicides with those expected if pre-recession trends had continued, reflects findings elsewhere in Europe where suicides are also on the rise. "This is a grim reminder after the euphoria of the Olympics of the challenges we face and those that lie ahead," said David Stuckler, a sociologist at Cambridge University who co-led the study, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). "The analysis found that between 2008 and 2010 there were 846 more suicides among men in England than would have been expected if previous trends continued, and 155 more among women. "Between 2000 and 2010 each annual 10 percent increase in the number of unemployed people was associated with a 1.4 percent increase in the number of male suicides, the study found. "The analysis used data from the National Clinical and Health Outcomes Database and the Office of National Statistics. "Keith Hawton, a professor at the Centre for Suicide Research at Oxford University who was not involved in the study, said its findings were "of considerable interest and certainly raise concerns", but that they must be interpreted carefully. "It is also important that they are not over-dramatised in a way that might increase thoughts of suicide in those affected by the recession," he said in an emailed comment. "Stuckler, who worked with researchers from Liverpool University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, stressed while this kind of statistical study could not establish a causal link, the power of the associations was strong. Its conclusions were strengthened by other indicators of rising mental health problems, stress and anxiety, he added. "He also pointed out the study showed a small reduction in the number of suicides in 2010 which coincided with a slight recovery in male employment. "DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, ALCOHOL ABUSE "A survey of 300 family doctors published by the Insight Research Group on Tuesday found that 76 percent of those questioned about the effects of the economic crisis said they thought it was making people unhealthier, leading to more anxiety, abortions and alcohol abuse. "Data this month from the government's Health and Social Care Information Centre showed the number of prescriptions dispensed in England for antidepressants rose 9.1 percent in 2010. "A study published last July, also by Stuckler, found that across Europe, suicide rates rose sharply from 2007 to 2009 as the financial crisis drove unemployment up and squeezed incomes. "The countries worst hit by severe economic downturns, such as Greece and Ireland, saw the most dramatic increases in suicides. "In Britain, there's little doubt times have been getting harder. The economy has shrunk for the last nine months and now produces 4.5 percent less than before the economic crisis. "Many Britons have had the worst squeeze in living standards for 40 years and the crisis has hit young people hard, with youth unemployment soaring above 20 percent. "Stuckler's BMJ study found that the number of unemployed men rose on average across Britain by 25.6 percent each year from 2008 to 2010, a rise associated with a yearly increase in male suicides of 3.6 percent. "Much of men's identity and sense of purpose is tied up with having a job. It brings income, status, importance..." Stuckler said in a telephone interview. "And there's also a pattern in the UK where men are three times more likely to commit suicide than women, while women are much more likely to report being depressed and seek help." "Hawton noted that increases in suicides at times of economic recession had been reported before - for example in the Great Depression of the 1930s and in the economic downturn in South-east Asia during the 1990s. "The World Health Organisation estimates that every year, almost a million people die from suicide - a rate of 16 per 100,000, or one every 40 seconds. It also estimates that for every suicide, there are up to 20 attempted ones."
What's Kenneth Rogoff's Problem With Small Increases in Economic Growth? By Matthew Yglesias Posted Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012, at 10:15 PM ET "The headline here is about economists who previously endorsed the Cameron/Clegg/Osborne austerity agenda in Britain changing their minds, but this statement from Kenneth Rogoff strikes me as actually quite stingy and odd: I have always favoured investment in high-return infrastructure projects that significantly raise long-term growth. "Many economists seem to be so fearful and fussy about endorsing public spending that they find themselves retreating into odd rhetorical corners. Suppose I brought to the table a smorgasboard of meh-return infrastructure projects, each of which is likely to provide a small increase in long-term growth. Wouldn't that be awesome? Is the United Kingdom in such amazing shape that it can sneer at modest increases in long-term growth and hold out for only things that "significantly" improve the outlook? Is America? Is anywhere? "In ordinary times, you don't necessarily want to fill the tree of useful infrastructure projects because you might be crowding out even more useful private sector investments. But when borrowing money is cheap and resources are idle, why not settle for good enough? "
I read about this issue a few years ago when several other prominent sports figures were involved as well. If I remember correctly, at the time, they may have granted special exemptions once they realized the major impact it would have on marquee events such as Wimbledon and The British Open. On the other hand, I seem to remember that alot of prominent musicians got caught in the crosshairs of the "taxman" back in the 60's/70's. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, etc, etc...were figuring out ways to get out of the UK as much as possible to avoid the 90+% tax "rape".
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Oyu5sFzWLk8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
if the govt is going to spend... it should be on infrastructure... you and I agree. The question is... how is the govt going to pay for it and should they.
Heck, if 101% tax is good, why not 4000%? Wow, they could really raise some revenue that way! A hundred years from now, people will be scratching their heads about liberalism and wondering just what level of hallucination and cognitive dissonance was required to reach such lunacy.
How many of you guys here have ever actually set foot in the UK? As someone who actually lives here (and pays that 50% tax rate), I find the overwhelming majority of comments on the issue in this thread (along with the quoted article) absolutely laughable. Such righteous conviction, based on such shocking ignorance. Astonishing, but, I suppose, not entirely unexpected...
Let's say in a micro economy w/o a government that you and I, businessmen, decide to build a bridge to open a new market across the river. We agree to pool our resources, drawing on our credit of course, and we find we both "coincidentally" get a line at -0.5% (yes, that's a minus sign) interest per decade! So, how are you and I going to be able to pay our loans? Will we have to be more than typically aggressive to make the interest payments?
It's good to hear from you, actually. Can you tell us, at 50% taxation, do British men and women still get out of bed in the morning and go to their work?