Social exclusion... and the conservative government again...

I posted a few days ago about how I had resolved an inner conflict about philosophy. This post will outline a similar resolution about social exclusion.

Whilst studying social policy, you never hear the end of relative poverty and social exclusion. The textbook policy response to social exclusion is to reduce inequalities in wealth, to raise benefit levels, to create jobs and increase wages.

As a dedicated student of social policy, I support the arguments in the textbooks and journals. However, I find it really hard to support raising benefit levels for the poor marginalised people when I see some examples of the absolute dickheads that exist in our country.

Whilst the press grossy exaggerate their existance and portray them as some organic monolithic bloc, despite my best attempts to deny it in the past, there really are some abysmal people in our country who expect the government to support them. They see it as their right, despite never having paid into the public pot. They contribute nothing but another statistic in the long term unemployed figures.

These people weigh on my mind and there is nothing in the policy journals or textbooks about how to reconcile the revulsion at the individual with the explanations about the social.

This is a problem I have recently solved!

I know it is hard to look at 'benefit scroungers', criminals, addicts, neglectful parents ... and then sign up to policies supporting them with the hard earned tax money you pay... however, we have to look at these people not on an individual level, but on a social level.

Individually, there are many cases where you would feel exasperated. However, when you look at where these cases fall, who these people are, there is a pattern. Social exclusion spatialises where local economies break down, where wealth has made a rapid exit. Social exclusion manifests itself where there are no jobs, rubbish schools, poor quality public services, few positive role models. Nothing to live for. Nothing but poverty and violence.

We do this to people in our country. We create the conditions for social exclusion to happen with our markets and rolled back public services, with our lack of concern of low wages and exploitation, with our marriage to capitalism and our recent divorce with social democracy.

So, I finally have a response to people who critice my 'naive' world view that we should help these socially excluded people. I finally have a come back to people who mention the 'individuals' who are so repulsive and who exist- we did it to them! As a country, we did it. You cannot examine a social phenomena at the level of the individual, you have to look at trends, patterns... and when you do that, you analyse the distribution of it, you see it is not a life people take by choice, but a life that is chosen for them by their situation at birth.

The recent studies demonstrating social mobility is actually on the decline go to show that this has never been more true.

This problem of social exclusion is a problem for everyone too. Two world respected researchers Wilkinson and Pickett have shown how the more unequal a country, the less healthy and happy EVERYONE is. The poor are obviously less happy and healthy, but the richer people in society also have worse health and happiness outcomes. The exact explanation for this is debated, but the psychology of inequality has adverse affects for all.

Maybe the rich actually feel guilty for hoarding their millions, or maybe they are stressed from feeling they have to earn it all, or maybe they are scared of crime from the poorer people trying to do a bit of redistribution of their own?

Anyway... I am arguing we should do something about this inequality. I acknowldge this is essentially a personal opionion. I care about the inequality and the social exclusion, I find it morally repulsive, I think its wrong. I am a leftie. I have loads of evidence to support my point of view, but fundamentally, the reason why I believe this is because I FEEL it.

The conservative government

So. I read their new policies. ACADEMY SCHOOLS? Privatising schools? Oh that is one hell of an idea. Give successful schools the chance to become independent... successful schools that are in the rich areas already. Great. Massively contributing and perpetuating the existing inequalities in education.

And privatising public services really is a rubbish idea. The private prisons have the highest reoffending rates, the most cases of abuse and the highest suicide rates. The PFI hospitals are where most of the outbreaks of infection occur, and where patients have broom cupboards for rooms. Privatising public services brings down quality as companies squeeze every last penny of profit from their contractor- the government- or US.

There is a recognition that there are some things markets cannot provide- Adam Smith thought this, even Hayek thought this. Markets cannot provide public services as there is a irresolvable tension between market competition and public service equality. Public services are collective and universal. Markets are individualised and rely on inequality. They are two different animals!

People making profit from our education system. Thats going to go really well!

I am so frustrated.