For me any comparison with miners in Bolivia is utterly meaningless. I make no pretence to understand what their lives are really like, or that there is any meaningful comparison between my income or lifestyle and theirs.

Having said that, it's important to recognise when you're damn lucky - and I am. Then someone drives past in a Porsche and you get jealous! In other words, it's all relative - but important to try to keep perspective.

To me the reality of Britain is that it is increasingly stratified, with a sufficiency of money counting for more than it used to in terms of access to education, housing, life chances and ability to provide for the next generation (although not so much, thankfully, in terms of access to healthcare). We're lucky enough to own several properties and the divide that is opening up between us and other friends who own property at sensible salary multiples and those who are still renting is just one visible part of this effect.

My father went to university with grammar school boys on scholarships. I'm no fan of damning the people who don't pass the 11+, but I can't help thinking that journey - using brains and hard academic work as a route up - is harder to make nowadays if you don't have money. I was in the last year that didn't pay tuition fees. If I have children, I know we'll have substantial bills to pay for them through university. Hence the property ownership need. And so round we go, somewhat back to the 19th century despite the vast sums the state spends in various ways supposedly redistributing income (but actually just redistributing money, rather than the ability to earn income).