I don't always agree with Owen Jones. Whilst we share a broadly similar ideology, I find that sometimes he can fall into the trap that I almost always fell into when doing essays at university.
The trap is that of just arguing your point without listening to counter-arguments and just repeating the things that you find most convincing, regardless of where the whole conversation is going.
I found the book extremely useful as an history of politics from the 80s onwards - something I am not too familiar with and Jones' anger has led him to get a few pieces of information and quotes that he might have not got if he wasn't quite so belligerent, including from senior Tories who have admitted that their party is designed to make the rich richer.
As an accountant, I am definitely not working class but my ancestors were. I found out at my nan's funeral today that her wedding ring was from Woolworths and one of the last things she said to my dad was "your father always said: vote Labour."
I think maybe this is where I get my empathy for their plight and it increases my horror at attacks both through the government and through popular culture. This is set to continue over the course of the next five years as:
- Georgey attempts to find £12 billion of welfare cuts, which are largely going to hit those who are the poorest
- Dave attempts to reduce the power of the trade unions
- Westminster Council attempts to ban feeding the homeless
- the BBC creates a show called the Hardest Grafter which will no doubt demonise the working class further.
I am worried about the widening gap between rich and poor, especially when we live in one of the world's wealthiest countries. How far can the Conservatives push it before they have another uprising, like the London Riots of 2011 but on a larger scale?
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