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Lecture notes

Politicising Poverty - Practicing Sociology (week 2)

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Notes on week 2 of the module Practicing Sociology. This is a Sociology degree module. Topics covered in these notes: Politics of Poverty, Formation of the welfare state (1945 – 1970-ish), Margaret Thatcher, 1979 – 1990, New Labour, 1997 – 2020, Austerity Britain, 2010 – 2015, 2015 – Pres...

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  • April 9, 2021
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  • 2020/2021
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  • Week 2 – politicising poverty
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Module: Practicing Sociology


Week 2 – Politicising Poverty


Structural causes are things outside that enable you e.g. good well-paying jobs,
having access to good quality education.


Politics of Poverty
 It’s very hard to live your full potential if you are struggling to make ends meet

 To solve the problem, we have to think about what causes it.

 Whatever the route of poverty is, it is connected to how our political system
works.

 Different sides of the political spectrum have different opinion of this

 Right wing (Conservative/Tories) – that people should be taxed less, people
should be left on their own two feet to make their way.

 Left wing (Labour party) – a view that the state should be taxing a little bit more
over a certain threshold which leaves the state with more money to provide
services for people.

 Centrist position (Liberal Democrat party)


1. Formation of the welfare state (1945 – 1970-ish)
 Beveridge was tasked with the job of what was going on with social security in
the UK

 There was no compulsory curriculum at this point

 Disease – there was no such thing as a national health service. The formation of
the NHS led to a massive shift – it was funded through taxation. The NHS was
free at the point of access. It improved standards of health across the country.

 Squalor – poor living conditions was known to spread diseases like Cholera quite
rapidly due to living in compact spaces. It led to the move to get people into
houses.

 Idleness – people not having enough work to do. Creating jobs and encouraging
people to take those jobs.

,  During this time, we see a big increase in spending.


2. Margaret Thatcher, 1979 – 1990
 The price of oil rocketed up

 There were periods when the national grid was turned off

 There were strike actions

 The mining industry was heavily unionised – you have workers joining together to
work out what the minimum wage should be and what their hours should be.

 You don’t get paid when you are on strike, but you also don’t do your job.

 The steel industry was being outcompeted

 The Conservative Party were looking to reduce spending and looking to create an
incentive for people to work

 Thatcher introduced a range of policies that were unpopular with the working
class, but was popular with the upper classes. There was a lot of money to be
made if you were in the financial marketing sector.

 Introduced right-to-buy on council houses which led to a rise in housing prices

 Easier to borrow in the 1980’s and onwards

 Credit cards became a thing – people can live in debt. This creates individual
experiences of borrowing.

 Lost the coal, mining and steel industry.

 Thatcher thought we spent too much on welfare and that it needed to be reduced



3. New Labour, 1997 – 2020

 Originally founded by members of the working class

 New Labour is a bit more middle class

 Labour rose to power in 1997 with a landslide general election victory

 Centred on the improvement on the education system

 Academies started to be trialled

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