The violence of austerity

[llap]

"As horrific and as terrifying as the Grenfell Tower fire was, it is part of a much more systemic routine and every day violence, housing violence, that has occurred in London and elsewhere in the UK since, especially since, 2010....."    [note: a later person in the video says it began earlier, under Blair]

The above is a link to a 10 minute YouTube video. It is an interesting perspective. The thesis is that Grenfall is a very visual and markedly dramatic example of austerity; that it is something that has been occurring to individuals and families and it has been worsening for the past ten years; a lot of people have died as a result of austerity measures, so is it a form of state violence. What do you think?

[Declan]

It certainly seems like there are more homeless in British cities each year since 2010. 

I think it could be that the resources to assist those people that hit hard times have been eroded during that time. 

 

[woolley]

Austerity hasn't amounted to very much in reality:

Social protection (pensions and benefits) spending was the largest public spending category totalling £250.6 billion in 2013-14. Spending on social protection was 37.2% in 2013-14, up from 36.2% in 1993-94.

http://visual.ons.gov.uk/uk-perspectives-public-services-in-the-uk/

Certainly not "violence".

[llap]

1 hour ago, Declan said:

It certainly seems like there are more homeless in British cities each year since 2010. 

I think it could be that the resources to assist those people that hit hard times have been eroded during that time. 

 

All of which I think can be translated into people dying. I think an actual body count could be determined.

[llap]

1 hour ago, woolley said:

Austerity hasn't amounted to very much in reality:

Social protection (pensions and benefits) spending was the largest public spending category totalling £250.6 billion in 2013-14. Spending on social protection was 37.2% in 2013-14, up from 36.2% in 1993-94.

http://visual.ons.gov.uk/uk-perspectives-public-services-in-the-uk/

Certainly not "violence".

But where is most of the spending increase going? Like in this shit hole, to the salaries and pensions of civil servants, while front line services continue to be cut.

[woolley]

Yes. It isn't funny when CEOs of health authorities on crazy six figure salaries come on the media to plead poverty on behalf of their hospitals. The irony seems to be lost on them.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/02/nhs-chief-on-record-60000-a-month-as-numbers-off-payroll-soar/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/12077917/NHS-hospital-bosses-given-pay-rises-worth-more-than-a-nurses-annual-salary.html

This is a massive problem throughout the economy of course.

[llap]

1 minute ago, woolley said:

Yes. It isn't funny when CEOs of health authorities on crazy sif figure salaries come on the media to plead poverty on behalf of their hospitals. The irony seems to be lost on them.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/02/nhs-chief-on-record-60000-a-month-as-numbers-off-payroll-soar/

Not lost on me. A senior manager at the Isle of Man Hospital told me they do this tactic here (i.e. hide themselves behind front line services, knowing it's an emotive issue) and they do it tactically, knowingly and deliberately to protect themselves. 

[P.K.]

2 hours ago, Declan said:

It certainly seems like there are more homeless in British cities each year since 2010. 

It seems like that because since the formation of the Coalition Government in 2010 homeless people living on the streets has increased year on year for the last seven years. Basically the numbers have doubled. 

The number of children living in temporary accommodation has now risen to over 120,000. An increase of over a third since 2014.

The number of children living in poverty is now around 4,000,000. That's right. Four fucking shameful million.

The use of food banks is increasing with 1.2m food parcels being issued last year by the Trussell Trust alone. Some 440,000 of those parcels went to households with children.

We are a G7 Nation FFS!

The government of the day have a Duty of Care to ALL of their citizens. That includes the homeless, those living in poverty, those receiving food parcels from an NGO and so forth. Not any more.

Thatcher changed all that. She made virtues out of selfishness and greed and destroyed whole communities - sacrificed on the altar of political dogma. Now all tory governments do is look out for already well-off tory voters for no other reason than they want to stay in power.

The rest can go hang.....

[woolley]

Globalisation to blame for that PK, but I question your figures anyway because they come from organisations with a vested interest in denigrating capitalism and the government. They have an agenda and this suits it.

Poverty is relative of course. There are eleven million children in the UK (people under 18). No way are over a third of them are living in "poverty", unless the definition of "poverty" is perverse. I grew up in "poverty". I had a wonderful childhood.

[P.K.]

2 minutes ago, woolley said:

Globalisation to blame for that PK, but I question your figures anyway because they come from organisations with a vested interest in denigrating capitalism and the government. They have an agenda and this suits it.

"they come from organisations with a vested interest" - so as you know so much about it Woolster which organisations would they be?

Here's an idea to get hold of: I don't tell lies, I have no need to....

Credit where credit is due at least you have responded which puts you head and shoulders above most on here ie a lot simply don't want to know the figures so just kept their heads down.

A committed tory voter I know, when confronted with "four million children living in poverty"  just wanted to know how they defined poverty?  Like changing the yardstick would somehow give all those kids a better standard of living   -    not.

Typical tory thinking. Change the measurement and a lot of those kids living in poverty just magically disappear! So that's all right them....

Every tory supporter I have ever known always voted with their wallet.

The rest could go hang.....

[woolley]

Well, PK. Obviously I haven't voted for years in the UK being as I am in Ellan Vannin, but I've done the full political spectrum in my lifetime. Brought up in a Tory house albeit low income working class, two up two down in what you would now call a slum and total "deprivation". I reckon they would have said I was a poverty stricken kid. I loved it. Kids are extremely resilient and resourceful - and yes, I know because I do charity work too.

Then as a teenager I was a card carrying raving commie. Come the revolution and all of that. I drifted to the right as I got older and I saw the damage caused by unions and socialism in general. Quite a disillusionment it was. Even now though I am not a conventional "right winger". See my pro-abortion choice and anti-globalisation "rants" (as some would have it).

No. I think I am fairly moderate on most things and I know some here will guffaw at that, but all of this "poverty" stuff........ You know if everyone was a millionaire then someone with only half a million would be in relative poverty. That is the logical conclusion of the mechanisms they use to arrive at these soundbites. I wouldn't get too hung up on labels.

[RIchard Britten]

8 hours ago, woolley said:

 I wouldn't get too hung up on labels.

Now that I guffawed at.

You can see the real violence of austerity when anti-homeless spikes were "invented" and homeless people with no money being fined £2,500...for being homeless.

[woolley]

Violence of Austerity. What a ridiculous term when there has barely been any. Look at public spending for the past ten years. Now if you are challenging HOW it is distributed I would agree with you.

[llap]

1 hour ago, woolley said:

Violence of Austerity. What a ridiculous term when there has barely been any. Look at public spending for the past ten years. Now if you are challenging HOW it is distributed I would agree with you.

I think you'll find many people have died as a result of reduced fuel allowance, or being deprived of benefits which they needed to survive despite terminal or serious disabilities which prevented them from working, not to mention the rise in stress and mental health problems causing many to take their own lives, as Richard rightly pointed out the inherently pain-based (aka violent) method of deterring homeless people from sleeping in certain places, and just all round general poverty, all serves to cause people to die to be physically injured. Making people choose between freezing to death or going without food is a form of physical and psychological terrorism as far as I'm concerned and all who have pushed this neoliberal austerity should be up for crimes against humanity.

[woolley]

I don't argue with your assessment of the effects. Shocking. What I am saying is "Where is all the money going?" I think we all know.