2011 Webb Memorial Trust essay competition: Runner up – Celia Goodburn
Posted on 27 Mar 2012 Categories: Publications
“If Beatrice Webb was alive today and wanted to develop an index of poverty in the UK what factors would be included, how would they be measured, and how would they be weighted? Also how would you use such an index to promote the issue of poverty in the public and political consciousness?”
If the twentieth century has taught us anything, it is that there are few constants in modern life. For every invention, discovery, and idea of the nineteenth century, the following century brought us thousands more. Rapid change and continuous innovation continues to shape the current century. Amidst these developments, however there remains one major constant – poverty. Descriptions of slums, mills and workhouses conjure up an image of another world, one we have left behind as we continue our march of progress to a better way of life, but antiquated terms such as the “destitute” and the “impoverished” have a frightening relevance in the UK today. Whilst the workhouses and slums might now have been confined to the history books, there is a real, living poverty in the UK which confronts us. Poverty represents a blot on the social and political landscape of “modern” times.
Poverty Index Essay By Celia Goodburn
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Posted on 27 Mar 2012 Categories: Publications