Poverty in the UK: Forgotten by the Crown

Here’s the revised text: Welcome to the paradoxical world of England. Despite boasting a historically low unemployment rate of 3.6%, the specter of poverty looms large, affecting over 15 million Britons—that’s nearly a quarter of the population! Rampant inflation and surging energy costs in recent months have thrust millions into the throes of poverty. The situation is further exacerbated by the hyper-flexibility of wages and the increasing trend of uberization among hundreds of thousands of self-employed individuals. Add to this the impact of over a decade of severe cuts in social assistance, initiated during David Cameron’s government, coupled with a state disengagement from public services. As a consequence, the United Kingdom, which only had a handful of food banks in 2010, now grapples with over 2,000. Life expectancy is stagnating, even plummeting in the most disadvantaged regions, where residents succumb to the grim realities of the “shit life syndrome“—a lethal blend of multiple pathologies and addictions resulting in premature death, a stark contrast to other regions where people live a decade longer. In response to the government’s shortcomings, millions of Britons have embraced voluntary work to survive. This marks the rise of the “Big Society,“ a concept championed in 2010 by then-Prime Minister David Cameron—the very architect of the austerity policy! Embark on a journey with us as we delve into the lives of England’s working poor, individuals grappling with the challenges of relying on solidarity for survival. From the poverty-stricken seaside town of Blackpool in the north-west to the rural county of Cumbria on the Scottish border—where public services and transport have nearly disappeared—to Ashton-under-Lyne, a factory town paralyzed by the absence of economic prospects, witness the reality of contemporary Great Britain. French version