Contemporary Social Evils
by Jen Lexmond
20/7/09 Jen Lexmond writes on York, Fruit Pastilles and the JRF's latest publication.
Last week I went to a conference in York hosted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. After completing three walking tours around the city exploring the life and times of Mr Joseph Rowntree and realising that he is responsible for the creation of fruit pastilles, I decided that I am definitely a fan, which I suppose was their aim.
I was also lucky enough to receive some of JRF’s newest publications, one of particular interest called Contemporary Social Evils that was published and launched last month. I haven’t read the whole thing, but am already – again – a fan based on the first chapter, descriptively titled: 'Social evils' and 'social problems' in Britain since 1904, by Oxford University’s Emeritus Professor of Modern History, Jose Harris.
The chapter essentially outlines the linguistic shift in Britain from social evils to social problems over the 20th century. The term ‘social evils’ conjures up a sense of despair and inevitability about 19th century ills like poverty, slavery, drunkenness, intemperance or gambling. Throughout the Victorian era, the consensus was the while we all have a moral obligation to work to alleviate social evils, reality is that they will never go away.
The rise of Edwardian positivism – social research based on empirical study – in the 20th century exemplified by the work of Joseph Rowntree, brought a huge attitude shift. People began to see social evils less like an inevitable part of life and more like problems with solutions waiting to be discovered. The withdrawal of the Poor Laws, the development of evidenced based social research, and the eventual rise of the welfare state are all a testament to that shift.
Today, it feels like that positive attitude towards overcoming social problems is beginning to fade away. Many point to the fact that social problems are essentially the same as they’ve always been despite a century of investment to the contrary: poverty remains, drunkenness is renamed binge drinking, intemperance is replaced by anti-social behaviour, and slavery with a new underclass of the underpaid and powerless. As the welfare state is rolled back under the banner of ‘localism’ or the ‘marketisation of public services’, will social evils once again describe our attitude towards our most pressing social concerns?
Robert
After an accident at work, I'm disabled, when Labour came to power and stated work was the only way out of poverty I joined up the idea that I could find work. I've been in labour for well over 40 years and in my time have never claimed any benefits, when Thatcher closed down my employer in the steel works I walked from Wales to Scotland and found a job on the Oil rigs.
Then still working on Oil I had a massive accident which left me in a wheelchair.
So when labour said work was the only way out of getting £86 a week I joined the fight in 1998, it's now 2009 and I've found only short term work picking up litter, or handing out baskets at a superstore, mostly being ignored and looked at like a freak.
I applied for a job on the tills but was told sorry we do not let people do this job unless they are able bodied.
I've done everything from looking for jobs to doing work I'd never have done before like one great job was while in a wheelchair picking up dog mess.
But I noticed my money was getting less and else even though I was working the reason of course on benefits I do not pay tax or NI. when working getting £5.73 an hour tax and NI was eating away my earnings I was actually getting less a week working for example to get to my job I had to have a taxi, the job center paid for this for one year then I had to pay for it, this alone cost me £50 a week.
I ended up deeper in debt for working, I was told to work long work harder get better jobs so I've been trying with 645 job applications and three interviews , but I never saw anyone at the interview because they did not wish to see me.
New Labour the party of the what rich or spin not sure yet but spin comes high up on the list.