Skip to main content
Prejudices and follies of the elite are fatal
The poor have taken a beating from an elite that understands little, BERNADETTE HORTON writes

AUSTERITY has covered acres of newspaper space since 2010. There has been excellent coverage by journalists who have penned millions of words on austerity from every conceivable angle.

Yet by virtue of their job, not many actually “live” austerity. They don’t spend day-in and day-out experiencing it on the front line, sleep, eat and breathe austerity as a way of life. They can only record the details — the struggles of the poor.

Since 2010 being “poor” has taken on a whole new meaning. We now have our own subsections — the unemployed poor, the disabled poor, the carer poor, the student poor and whole battalions of working poor, of which I am a member.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
CRUNCH TIME: (Left to right) Wales Green Party Leader Anthony Slaughter, Reform UK’s Dan Thomas, Welsh Labour Leader and First Minister Eluned Morgan and Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth
Features / 7 May 2026
7 May 2026

The election offers a critical chance to shape the future of pay, care and community provision in Wales, says Unison’s JESS TURNER

General view of the Job Centre Plus on Benalder St in Glasgow
Economy / 21 March 2026
21 March 2026

PHILIP ENGLISH says military spending will not create the jobs young people need — instead, build an economy based around needs, not profit

People attending the People's Assembly Against Austerity protest in central London. Picture date: Saturday June 7, 2025
TUC Congress 2025 / 8 September 2025
8 September 2025

In the current climate, it is vital to bust the myths and put forward the case for a humane and decent social security system that supports people, argues FRAN HEATHCOTE

Various For Sale, Sold and Let By estate agent signs juxtaposed next to a Dreams store in Clapham, London
Class / 18 July 2025
18 July 2025

Our housing crisis isn’t an accident – it’s class war, trapping millions in poverty while landlords and billionaires profit. To solve it, we need comprehensive transformation, not mere tokenistic reform, writes BECK ROBERTSON