The New Statesman | UK politics and culture “It’s inequality, stupid.” With Armando Iannucci | Westminster Reimagined
Nov 4, 2022
Armando Iannucci hosts a compelling discussion with Dominic Watters, a social worker and food insecurity activist, and Adrienne Buller, a progressive think tank director. They tackle the alarming rise in income inequality in the UK, with food bank usage doubling and many low-income families unable to heat their homes. The trio critiques trickle-down economics while exploring systemic biases in the welfare system. They advocate for serious reforms, including considering a minister for income inequality, to address the urgent crises of food and energy access.
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Daily Life On A Food And Fuel Desert
- Dominic Watters describes living on a council estate as a single dad relying on benefits and pay-as-you-go meters.
- He shows how local shops sell only low-quality food and limit access to fuel top-ups, creating both food and fuel deserts.
Food Bank Donations Used As Control
- Dominic recounts taking children in care to food banks and receiving near-expiry donations like Greg's Bakery items.
- He observed staff using food as behaviour control, which mirrored his own food insecurity experience.
Hostility To Poverty Is Systemic
- Adrienne Buller argues systems are deliberately hostile to the poor, from food pricing to prepaid energy premiums.
- She frames this hostility as baked into institutions, not accidental policy failure.
