Wessex Scene Poverty & Class Issue

EDITO R Charlotte Colombo editor@wessexscene.ac.uk editor@wessexscene.co.uk DEPUTY EDITOR Megan Crossman deputy-editor@wessexscene.co.uk H EAD O F PRI NT DES I G N Sop hie Peach design@wessexscene.co.uk H EAD O F I MAGERY N ina Pa nno ne image@wessexscene.co.uk WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER K ayleigh Littlemo r e HEAD OF OUTREACH Simran Mann publicity@wessexscene.co.uk H EAD O F EVENTS Nathaniel Oluwadamilola Ogunniyi events@wessexscene.co.uk SUB-EDITORS Joanna Magil

Jordan Truong Kai Chappell FE ATURES EDI TO R B e t h Ablett features@wessexscene.co.uk CREA TIVE WRITING OPINIO N EDI TO R Linnea Lagerstedt EX E CUTI VE opinion@wessexscene.co.uk T illy Ro ber ts features@wessexscene.co.uk POLI TICS EDITO R Patrick Lowe OPINIO N EDI TO R Linnea Lagerstedt politics@wessexscene.co.uk opinion@wessexscene.co.uk SCIENCE & TECH EDITORS POLISo TICS Lea ler EDITO R Patrick Lowe science@wessexscene.co.uk politics@wessexscene.co.uk SCIENCE Jordan Tr& uoTECH ng ( DEDITOR e p uty) Lea So ler science@wessexscene.co.uk LIFESTYL E EDI TO R Marco Pr eta ra LIFESTYL Ewessexsc EDI TO R e ne . c o . uk lifestyle@ Marco Pr eta ra IN T ERNATIO NAL E D I TO lifestyle@ wessexsc e ne . cRo . uk H e n r y S ha h international@wessexscene.co.uk IN T ERNATIO NAL E D I TO R H e n r y S ha h T RA VEL EDI TO R international@wessexscene.co.uk Hazel Jonckers travel@wessexscene.co.uk T RA VEL EDI TO R Hazel Jonckers SPO RTS EDI TO R travel@wessexscene.co.uk Luke Ebbs sport@wessexscene.co.uk SPO RTS EDI TO R Luke Ebbs sport@wessexscene.co.uk PAU SE EDI TO R Tom Ford pause@wessexscene.co.uk PAU SE EDI TO R Tom Ford N EWS & I NVESTIG ATI O N S pause@wessexscene.co.uk news/investigations@wessexscene. co.uk N EWS & I NVESTIG ATI O N S

news/investigations@ wessexscene.co.uk Ben Dolbear

With the current Covid-19 pandemic looking set to thrust us into the worst financial recession since 2008, some might say that such a magazine theme couldn’t be more timely. Of course, I wasn’t aware that this last magazine would be produced from home in the midst of a national lockdown, but that’s the thing about journalism: you should always be prepared for the unexpected, for surprises.

Although the content you see here was produced before the pandemic came to light, it is difficult to ignore how poverty and class issues have even played a role in how the Government deals with the pandemic. With homeless people being completely off the streets and housed in empty hotels for the first time probably in history, it seems almost absurd to ultimately kick them out back into the cold, when the Government have clearly proved they have the ability to completely eradicate homelessness if they really wanted to.

Further to this, it has become clear how the most valuable ‘key’ workers in our country - retail workers, healthcare workers and bus drivers - are the ones on the lowest wage and the groups most likely to be living in poverty.

Also, when the Prime Minister said it was time for industries that could not function remotely to open up, it was interesting to note how more traditionally workingclass industries like construction and decorating were more impacted than a cushty, middle-class office job, which arguably shows how those in working-class industries are more likely to have to put their life on the line in order to survive, whilst those of higher classes can afford to avoid this.

Gaby PulestonVaudrey

Emily Dennis

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE...

Imy Brighty-Potts

We’ve also seen how the Government have completely ended Freedom of Movement in the UK in the favour of a more stringent point-based system. How will this impact refugees or current immigrants living on the breadline?

What these last few months have shown me is how poverty and class issues are intertwined in every major part of our life, and higher education is no different. As this magazine will show, there is still a long way to go before universities can truly call themselves accessible to working class students. Maybe one day, students will be able to progress based on their intellect rather than their backgrounds.

To you, the readers, thanks so much for sticking with Wessex Scene this year. It’s been challenging, exciting and a little bit unexpected, but I’ve enjoyed every second.

I hope that this magazine succeeds in opening up a dialogue, but I probably won’t be here to see that happen. It’s up to you guys to use the material here to open up a discussion and lobby for the vitally important social change we need for society to be the best place it can possibly be.

So, for now, it’s a peace out from me and the rest of the 2019/2020 Wessex Scene committee! Enjoy your summer break.

Your Editor,

CHARLOTTE COLOMBO Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this magazine belong to each author alone - Wessex Scene is a neutral publication which aims to publish views from across the student body. All articles under the ‘Pause’ section are satirical in nature. To respond with an opposing opinion, please contact opinion@wessexscene.co.uk or join our Opinion Writers’ Group.

Further to this, please be advised that all articles in the ‘Pause’ section are designed to be satirical and tongue-in-cheek in nature.

FRONT COVER IMAGE BY FRANCES ROSE

FEATURES

OPINION 14 THE CASE AGAINST PRIVATE SCHOOLS 16 SHOULD BILLIONAIRES EXIST? 17 WHY IS THE IMPACT OF GRAMMAR SCHOOLS ON CLASS INEQUALITY IN THE BRITISH EDUCATION SYSTEM SO OFTEN OVERLOOKED? 18 WORKING TORIES AND CHAMPAGNE SOCIALISTS

SCIENCE & TECH

IT WAS NEVER ABOUT THE GIRL, WAS IT, JARVIS? RECLAIMING CHAV ARE CLASS DIVIDES PROMINENT AT UNIVERSITY? WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE FINANCIALLY STRUGGLING WESSEX SCENE INVESTIGATES

04 05 06 07 08

POLITICS POLITICS SIMPLIFIED: AUSTERITY IN 21 THE UK WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THE WHITE 22 WORKING CLASS?

23 WHAT’S THE COST OF GOING CASHLESS? 25 MONEY DOESN’T GROW ON TREES, BUT IT DOES DESTROY THEM

LIFESTYLE FROM RAGS TO RICHES? THE 26 APPROPRIATION OF ‘HOMELESS CHIC’ IN FASHION

INTERNATIONAL 27 DEMOCRATS: THE FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY

TRAVEL GAP YEAR VS GAP YAH 30

SPORT 32 HOW SPORTS CAN HELP UNDERPRIVILEGED GROUPS

PAUSE BENEFITS: DO WE NEED ‘EM? 34 FOLLOW US COMRADE KARL, IN 35 TERMINATING UGLY POVERTY

WESSEX S CE NE . CO . UK @ WE S S E XS CE NE

F B . C OM / W S C E N E @OF F IC IAL W E S S E X S C E N E 3

POVERTY & CLASS

It Was Never About The Girl, Was it, Jarvis?

WORDS BY IMOGEN BRIGHTY-POTTS

Priced out, pushed out, Sing our hearts out.

In basement bars, Full of Insta “stars”.

Zero hours Joe pouring pints £6 a pop, As bearded hipsters crowd the sinks with bags that come non-stop.

See, this neighbourhood was different what feels like years ago, With people who grew up here, people you don’t know, The object of your romantic sympathy, While you sit down to “bottomless” brunches and afternoon teas.

Not a girl from Greece with a thirst for knowledge, But gentrification forgetting the kids in college, Who can’t get help, Can’t find their place, And how can you see that at commuters pace?

So don your tracksuit and throw around the word ‘chav’, Make people’s lives the themes of parties you have.

Because Jarvis’ words ring true, As areas get tidied, People priced out, There, Good as ‘new’.

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POVERTY

FEATURES

Reclaiming Chav WORDS BY MORGAN MCMILLAN IMAGE BY TILLY ROBERTS The word ‘chav’ was birthed in a town in Kent called Chatham and became mainstream in the 1970s as locals would refer to the working class residents of Chatham as chavs. It was a derogatory term used against the working class for their mannerisms and outfits. When researching what a chav is, you will often find it defined as referring to someone who is working class, wears branded sportswear, exhibits loud and violent behaviour, and also uses Jamaican patois in their slang.

‘chavs’. The McCanns, however, were from a ‘respectable’ background - they were both doctors and middle-class, and were enjoying a holiday in Portugal with their middle-class friends. The media deemed this child more newsworthy than Shannon Matthews, whose mum was constantly under spotlight in the media for her appearance. In the nine days following their disappearances, there were 465 press stories on Madeleine, compared to only 242 about Shannon, proving the classism in the media. More evidence is shown in The Sun’s offered award for the children being found – £20,000 for Shannon, compared to £2.6 million for Madeleine. These children were both abducted, but due to their class their lives held different values. Even when it was discovered that Shannon’s mother had staged the whole abduction, the media still focused upon her class and how it was a prime example of a ‘chav’ trying to con the system, despite the fact that the McCanns have made thousands of pounds from the disappearance of their child.

The word chav is frequently used by the media with seemingly no repercussions, despite it being a derogatory term to describe the working class. Sketches like Little Britain’s Vicky Pollard exemplify what the public perceive a chav to be. Pollard is a young working class woman who has had ‘6 kids with 7 different men’. Whilst watching Little Britain, we are confronted with the use of the word chav and laugh at the expense of serious working class issues. Vicky is violent and had her first child at “12”; we laugh at this, despite knowing that the idea of a 12-year-old having a child These examples show the harmful nature of using the is worrying. word ‘chav’. The more we use the word. the more antiworking class sentiment we are spreading without realising.

The word chav diminishes the fact that working class Allowing the term ‘chav’ to flourish only enables the upper individuals are more prone to teen pregnancies and violence classes to laugh at the expense of the working class, whilst due to the direct link between poverty and a poor education. also making the lives of those who are not working class This is most evident in a recent survey which showed that by more important than the lives of those from working class the age of 11, only 3/4 of children from the poorest fifth of backgrounds. families reach the expected level of education by the end of Primary school, compared to 97% of children who reach this level from the richest fifth of families. Though this statistic is worrying and shows that children in poverty have fewer opportunities than the rich, we still laugh at the expense of the working class.

The media helps to further push the chav caricature, as demonstrated by comparing the media’s response to the Madeleine McCann disappearance with the response to the disappearance of Shannon Matthews. The Shannon Matthews case has now been solved, but the media’s portrayal of Shannon was vastly different to their portrayal of Madeleine. When the story of Shannon’s disappearance was released, the media paid an excessive amount of attention to her background, focusing on how she was from a council estate and her mum had multiple kids with multiple different men. Her mum and her family were deemed

CLASS

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POVERTY & CLASS

Are Class Divides Prominent at University?

When sitting in lectures or seminars with your peers, or seeing

where. Again, as overheard in a lecture, one student bragged about

others walk about campus, class doesn’t particularly stand out.

their holiday to the Caribbean Islands, quickly adding that it was

Perhaps if you were to attend a more explicitly liberal uni, like

‘very, very expensive’. Many will spend their summers volunteering

say Bristol, or one that’s predominantly for those who are wealthy,

abroad (which typically costs over £1000), and their winters on

like Oxford or Warwick, then class may stand out more. But

the annual family skiing holiday, whilst those of lower class and

Southampton University doesn’t particularly scream rich or poor,

wealth will spend most of their breaks working. Though this is not

as everyone here tends to dress either ‘indie’, sporty, preppy or

the fault of students whose families have such disposable incomes,

bland; none of these choices making clear their class.

it is an easy way to spot the difference between those who are only a ‘poor uni student’ and those who are genuinely from a poor

However, though there may not be an explicit divide through

socio-economic background.

appearance, conversations do make clear which tax brackets peoples’ families belong to. For instance, one student exclaimed

Finally, an instant indicator of class at uni is how someone got

around election time that Labour couldn’t win as their family

in to university. For instance, those from poorer areas may have

would be ‘too heavily taxed’. Another complaining that their fairly

been offered the lowest 5% acceptance, whereby grades are

new Ford Focus was a gift from their parents, who forced them

dropped from AAB to BBB or similar, whilst those from richer

to decide between getting either a new car, or a second ‘pony’ -

backgrounds were required to meet the AAB offer, but somehow

they still seemed torn up that they were only allowed one. These

still got in with only BBC. Obviously intake is impacted by the

comments certainly make clear that said individuals’ are from

number of applicants, with the university accepting lower grades

wealthy backgrounds, but this only become explicit once they

if less people have applied, but even so, someone receiving

spoke rather than it being instantly observable.

remarkably lower grades than needed, and still being accepted, probably had some family clout or financial sway.

A major way in which class can be established at uni is if someone is able to play a sport, particularly if they partake in multiple sport

Overall, class is not immediately noticeable at uni, or not

societies. Though this may sound a little far-fetched, when you

at University of Southampton at least. However, through

consider the cost of a sport and wellbeing pass, joining fees for

conversations, how students spend their uni breaks, whether

the sport itself, uniform, match/travel expenses, the cost of weekly

they’re part of a sport, and how they got accepted into uni,

socials, and so on, the initial costs add up to roughly £200-300

divisions of wealth crop up and become evident the more people

for most sport societies. Of course, there are cheaper ones to join,

you meet.

or more casual sports that you pay a small weekly fee for, but in terms of sports that would compete in Varsity, prices are extremely high. For students whose families can lend them money, or have a large disposable income, joining a sport is no issue. But for those who struggle with battling their overdraft each month to try to pay rent, joining a sport would force them to choose between eating and paying bills that month or becoming part of a sports team.

Another massive sign of wealth at university is how each student spends their Christmas, Easter and Summer holidays, or rather

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WORDS BY MADDIE LOCK IMAGES BY TILLY ROBERTS POVERTY

FEATURES

What to Do if You’re Financially Struggling WORDS BY LINNEA LAGERSTEDT PHOTO BY MIKAEL KRISTENSON ON UNSPLASH We all know that university can be expensive, and, with surprises around every corner, most of us will have found ourselves from time to time in a sticky situation when it comes to money. This can be incredibly stressful, which in return has a negative effect on our studies, but fret not, there is a support system out there set in place by the University to help those who are financially struggling. Depending on your situation and what has put you in it, there are two different approaches you can take in applying for financial help.

Student Support Fund Firstly, there’s the Student Support Fund. This is described as ‘a pot of money that has been provided by the University to improve student success and progression.’ This fund is specifically designed for students who have experienced unforeseen events that have negatively impacted their finances. The fund is not supposed to be seen as a long term solution but rather a helping hand on the way to finding financial security. In order to apply for the fund, you must first request a Student Support Fund Application Pack through the University’s website.

How long it will take to receive this depends on the current interest in the fund, as they can only send out a certain amount of application packs a week so as to ensure the service is not oversubscribed.

When you have received the pack, you must then fill out two questionnaires where you must supply a personal statement explaining your situation, bank statements and other supporting evidence. Once the form is completed, any and all supporting evidence should be sent to stufunds@soton.ac.uk. How long the application takes to be processed varies, but for a member of Wessex Scene committee, the application took approximately 10 days. Hereafter you may be contacted for further questions before a decision is made. If the fund decides in your favour, it takes approximately two weeks for the funds to be deposited into your bank account. If you wish to apply for the Student Support Fund and CLASS

have any questions, please either email the Advice Centre at advice@susu.org, phone the Student Services Centre at 02380599599 or email the fund at stufunds@soton.ac.uk The University of Southampton Bursary Alternatively, you may be able to qualify for the Bursary. This is a means tested cash bursary of up to £2,000. You may be eligible for the bursary if the following criteria fits you: - a UK/EU student - paying full undergraduate tuition fees - applying for a means-tested student loan from Student Finance (England, Scotland or Northern Ireland) and under the assessed household income threshold of £30,000.

You may also be eligible for this bursary if you are returning from a period of suspension. If this is the case, please contact Student Services Centre on 023 8059 9599. Applicants for the bursary who have a household income of under £16,000 will receive £2,000 and applicants whose household income is under £30,000 will receive £1,000. If you have been accepted to University through the Access to Southampton programme, you may be elegible for a bursary specific to this programme. To find out more, visit www.southampton.ac.uk/schoolscolleges/access-to-southampton 7

POVERTY & CLASS

WESSEX SCENE INVESTIGATES: STUDENT POVERT Y AND CLASS DIVISIONS Although there is a lot of dialogue around the impact poverty presumably was not a barrier to their academic of student debt, there is comparatively little about the success. With 2.4 million families in the UK being reported poverty students face on a day-to-day basis. as separated in 2017/2018, it is interesting to note that, in contrast to this, 64.2% of respondents reported that Whether it be the flawed rationale of defining students’ prior to university, they lived in a dual-parent household/ maintenance loan entitlements on their parents’ nuclear family setting. This dissonance between national income, the fact maintenance loans are loans at all or the statistics and our own survey in turn suggests that students continuous barriers working class students face even when from single parent households are less likely to study at in higher education, one thing is clear: class divisions are Southampton. rife, especially in redbrick, Russell Group universities like Southampton. This investigation considers how poverty and class divisions specifically impact the student community of Southampton, as we try and gauge the different student demographics and their perceptions on certain class issues. Over 300 students in total responded to our survey. Here are the findings.

Our first question centred around where students went to secondary school. The most popular answer was state school, with 39.3% respondents reporting they attended there. In comparison, only 12.9% of respondents reportedly went to private/independent schools. Although this is a fairly high number, state school being the most popular options suggests that despite Southampton being a Russell Group, they do not frown upon students who have had a state education - or, at least, not to the same extent as universities like Oxford or Cambridge.

However, with 73.9% of students reporting they were not entitled to school meals in comparison to the 20.1% that were, it is clear that despite their state education, the vast majority of students surveyed did not experience financial hardship or poverty during their early years, meaning that 8

It can be suggested that the reason for this is rooted in finances, with less than half of single parent households nationally paying child support in 2017/2018, which then suggests that students brought up in a nuclear family setting have a slight financial advantage. Subsequently, it is likely that factors associated with having a nuclear family setup - such as two incomes coming into the household - contributed to a higher overall income for these families and thereby making it easier for such students to attend university in comparison to those from single parent households. Although, it is worth noting that over a quarter (25.4%) of respondents also reported that they live in a single parent household, suggesting that this barrier is not necessarily impossible to overcome depending on students’ individual situations.

Backing up the idea that the majority of students surveyed come from financially privileged backgrounds is the fact that over half (52.7%) of those surveyed live in a mortgaged property, whilst a further 27.1% of those surveyed live with families who own their own property.

POVERTY

OPINION

In comparison, only 9.9% of those surveyed grew up in council-owned properties, whilst only 9.6% grew up in rented accommodation. With most families of the students surveyed being in the position to make these long-term financial investments, it follows that 63.4% of those surveyed did not have any live-in family members who were in receipt of Universal Credit or Jobseekers Allowance.

However, despite these students having a lot of middleclass qualities and a presumably large income at home, a large percentage of them (37.6%) identified themselves as being from a working class background, although the most popular option by a slim margin at 39.3% was to identify as middle class.

Summing up the issue seen above, one student commented that they’re ‘not sure working / middle class are clearly separated anymore.’

Adding to this interpretation, another respondent suggested that ‘income and the class you perceive yourself to be don’t always correlate’, noting that they come from a family ‘with a working class income and middle class priorities’.

Furthermore, another student commented that they were ‘not sure what social class [they] would fit in to’, arguing that ‘going to university makes your class level increase.’

A further student raised the interesting point that ‘class may be linked to race and ethnicity as well as income’.

They said that: ‘I find the question about being a first generation university student interesting, given that both my parents are university educated, but because their qualifications aren’t recognised (they’re from Nigeria) I’m counted as a first generation student. In addition, although they would be considered middle class in Nigeria due to their ideals, this is simply ignored in the UK due to assumptions about my ethnic background.’

What these student opinions and the dissonance between class-identification and financial backgrounds in this survey show is that the question of how a student’s financial background contributes to their class identity is much more complicated than it appears at first glance.

Financial factors alone are not enough to suitably identify a student’s class, although what is abundantly clear is that from a solely financial perspective, a lot of the students Yet, on the flip side of the coin, it is worth noting that 46.9% of surveyed are considerably privileged in that regard. students surveyed reported that they were First Generation students, meaning that they were the first in their family to Furthering this investigation, we decided to look at go to university. This then suggests that the label of working students’ current financial backgrounds.

It can be argued that the large proportion of students identifying themselves as working class despite the middle class qualities of the majority’s financial background implies a lack of knowledge about class definitions and what it means to be working class.

class, despite the wealth a lot of these students come from Unsurprisingly, the majority of students - 86.5% to be exact is justified based on their parents’ occupations and own - had financial support from Student Finance England, but what was peculiar was the fact that the most popular backgrounds. maintenance loan amount according to our survey was the maximum student loan, with 25.1% of students saying that they got £8,944 per academic year.

CLASS

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POVERTY & CLASS Taking into account the fact that these loans are usually means-tested based on parental income, this result being the most popular is surprising to say the least, as it implies that a large proportion of students come from families with lower levels of parental income, which then clashes with previous data patterns that suggest students at this university mostly come from financially secure backgrounds. With this seemingly anomalous result, it can be argued that the issue of class is a lot more nuanced than it seems on the surface.

Meanwhile, 15.2% of students were on the other end of the spectrum, claiming that they received no maintenance loan.

This could be for a variety of reasons, including coming from abroad to study, living in the local area or simply not needing it. As expected, other students taking the survey congregated towards the middle of the scale, suggesting that they get somewhere between the minimum and maximum amount of means-tested student loans.

However, when it comes to means-tested bursaries such as the Student Support Fund, 64% of those surveyed said that they had never used the fund before. This then suggests that, at least in this sample, whilst Southampton students may not necessarily be ‘well off ’ (which is why some of them receive the maximum student loan), they aren’t in dire financial straits: an argument supported further by the fact that 94.7% of those surveyed confirmed that they had never taken out a short-term/payday loan to support themselves.

Indeed, the second part of this survey makes it clear that the majority of those surveyed are almost completely financially independent from their parents, with most seemingly living off their student loan alone (41.6%) whilst a smaller demographic worked to support their studies (33.3%). Most students surveyed also seem to have minimal issues in meeting their financial obligations, with the majority of them never being late with paying bills (69.3%), never borrowing money from loved ones to make ends meet (49.8%) and never having to skip meals due to financial issues (52.5%).

Combining these findings with the first part of this survey, it is clear that the majority of Southampton students surveyed, both in their past and in the present, have not experienced significant financial barriers or issues related to poverty in either their past or their present. Whilst the findings suggest that a huge factor in their current financial stability is a reliance on the maintenance loan system, they equally imply that the demographic surveyed mostly come from financially and personally advantaged backgrounds.

The fact that we have such minimal data on students from more diverse, working class backgrounds suggests that this is either a very small demographic at the University or one that isn’t reached at all due to the financial barriers associated with higher education.

However, some students with significant financial struggles did make their views known to us, with one student explaining: ‘If I didn’t have a job I wouldn’t be able to afford food and pay my bills’.

Another student explains that they had to take a gap year ‘purely because I was unable to afford university since my loan only covers the very cheapest accomodation and leaves no money for food. I had to work full time for the whole year to save whilst still giving money to family to pay bills’.

Noting the dissonance between their own experience in comparison to other students, they add that they ‘still have to work alongside my degree to have enough money to live whilst flatmates receive £75 a week from family.’

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POVERTY

FEATURES Summing up the issue of how student poverty can get in the way of university studies, one student argues that ‘realistically, there isn’t enough time to work and get a decent grade. It’s a struggle.’

As well as struggling to strike the balance, survey respondents discussed the flawed processes of institutions like Student Finance England and the Department of Work and Pensions. On the latter, one student noted that ‘if DWP had done their job, I would have had more support.’

Meanwhile, on the former, another student had this to say: ‘My mother’s living situation changed dramatically in my final year of study, resulting in a lack of application for my student finance. So they could only offer me the lowest amount, even though 2 years prior I had the highest amount and £3000 bursary each year and have worked all throughout my studies since I was 14. Although student finance wouldn’t help, the student support fund allowed me to have a lot less stress in my final year. Although it’s still a huge amount of money less, my student finance and SSF now only just about covers my rent. So any food, uni or living costs come straight from my wages, which is hard pressure in third year.’

Although a lot of students rely on student finance, they are also vocal about the misgivings of the system, with the student’s story above being a prime example of why the maintenance loan system needs reform. Indeed, with most of our respondents (66.3%) agreeing that the ways in which maintenance loans are calculated needs rethinking, it is evident that many students believe that the current financial support system for students does not fully take into account the nuanced nature of family lives. So, whilst struggling students may not be the majority, the comments we receive do highlight the fact that more students than we know of have had to make considerable sacrifices in order to achieve a University degree, whether that be through taking a gap year or working alongside their studies. A lot of these students also allude to some of the failures prevalent in the systems that are meant to be put in place to support them, such as the DWP and SFE. We will consider student opinions on some of these issues as well as getting further insight into how class dynamics have an impact on one’s university experience in the final part of this survey.

CLASS

When it comes to feeling discriminated against for their class, over half of those surveyed (54.6%) said they had never felt discriminated against due to their social class.

For those who did experience discrimination, they revealed that they were most likely to face it from those their own age such as friends (27.4%) and academic peers (26.4%). With most students being of a fairly fortunate background/social class, the fact that discrimination levels are fairly low is not surprising. However, what is most surprising is that classism appears to be most prevalent amongst people their own age, especially since university is meant to be a time of expanding your mind and becoming more politically aware. The fact that classism appears to be most prominent amongst young people suggests that more compassionate education around these issues in early life might be needed, and further suggests a correlation between a lot of these students’ lack of exposure to real hardship and their restrictive attitudes towards those of different backgrounds.

In terms of tackling this class-based discrimination, 34.7% said that the University do not do enough to solve this problem, with a further 40.9% of respondents saying they do enough ‘somewhat’, with scope for more to be done.

The same question was asked about the Student’s Union, with 37% arguing that SUSU do not do enough to tackle class-based discrimination, with 40.9% again taking a middling approach to the question.

Further to this, 33.7% of respondents said that they believed that there are class divisions in regards to opportunities at the University, whilst a further 35% said that they believed in such divisions ‘somewhat’.

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POVERTY & CLASS Adding to this feeling of a lack of accessibility in

The three most popular options for respondents were

opportunities at the University (albeit to varying extents)

1-3, with the most popular, at 25.4%, being 1. This then

is the widespread feeling that the University does not do

cements the growing idea throughout this investigation

enough to help students who live in poverty, with 40.9%

that, according to our sample, the vast majority of

agreeing with this statement completely whilst a further

Southampton students cannot be defined as working

42.2% agreeing with this statement ‘somewhat’, which

class or as having any significant financial hardship.

suggests that nonetheless, there is definitely still work to be done.

Combined with data supporting the idea that there are flaws in the Student Finance system and a significant desire for the University and Student’s Union to give more support to students in financial difficulty, it is clear that for Southampton, at least, a lot more needs to be done to make the student body more diverse and inclusive. For the University, the task is simple: they need to work harder to reach students from more fiscally diverse backgrounds.

With 66.7% saying their financial situation had zero impact on their academic performance/grades, one could argue that this is further evidence of Southampton students generally being more financially fortunate in

WORDS AND GRAPHICS BY CHARLOTTE COLOMBO

comparison to the general population. However, a lot of those surveyed nonetheless expressed a desire to close the gap between working class students and higher education, with 42.9% of those surveyed stating that they were in support of affirmative action within the context of class.

In response to the final question, which asked students on a scale of 1-10 whether they believed that their socioeconomic status had prevented them from achieving their potential.

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POVERTY

PAUSE

A WOLRD IN MOTION

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POVERTY & CLASS

The Case Against Private Schools WORDS BY MEGAN CROSSMAN IMAGE BY TILLY ROBERTS Education is a basic human right and all children, no matter

The sad reality of the private school system is that it leaves

what class they were born into, should be entitled to free,

the less fortunate behind. Without a family who have been

good quality education. Private schools make this difficult

to a good school, it is hard for the next generation to work

as they often have the best teachers and the resources whilst

their way up. Just like it is easy for private school families to

state schools often fall behind. Whilst there certainly are

remain private school families throughout generations.

good quality state schools, most do not compare to the

As well as having received a superior education, simply the

education received at private schools. The schools can afford

private school name gets these kids further in life. Private

enough resources to ensure all their children get the best

school educated students are six times more likely to attend

education. It sounds amazing, right? So how is it fair that

Oxford, Cambridge or another Russell Group University

the top percentile of the rich can afford to give their kids

compared to state school educated students.

this education, while everyone else has to hope they’re lucky enough to have a good state school in their catchment area.

Following plans to make the most selective universities most

Children do not necessarily have to be achieving top grades

accessible, leading private schools have challenged this. They

to get into private schools, if their parents can afford to pay

believe that this could mean discrimination against young

for their education then they can rest assured that there is a

students ‘on the basis of the class they were born into’. The

top quality private school for them to attend. Not to mention

private school sector is discriminatory against those from

that in many cases parents will be able to provide their child

disadvantaged backgrounds, and their acceptance is based

with a top-notch tutor, on top of paying for their fees.

on the class that children were born into. These institutions do not mind when it is them that benefits from a system that

Even grammar schools favour the rich. While they are free to

benefits the rich and privileged. There is a certain superiority

attend it is undoubtedly a privilege to go to one. The pressure

to having had to pay for your education, as though they are

to maintain top grades at these schools often means paying

somehow better for being born into a privilege that allows

for tutors. Moreover, children who are able to go to grammar

them these advantages.

schools often come from privileged families who have also had good education and resources and so are able to push

Why do we consider it to be a fair system that those who

their children in that direction. Grammar schools are also

can afford to pay for their school education get to go to the

more likely to be found in more well-off areas that leaves

better universities, and end up in higher ranking jobs that

those living in further out disadvantaged areas to worry

allow them to continue this system on? The system benefits

about the cost of actually getting to the school.

the rich and our government is run by the rich. On the

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POVERTY

FEATURES 13th July 2016 Theresa May in her first speech as Prime

mean a child will be a distracted slob. Private school

Minister even acknowledged that ‘if you’re at a state school,

children will go onto top class universities and top class

you’re less likely to reach the top professions than if you’re

jobs, whilst those from disadvantaged backgrounds have

educated privately’. The Conservatives are aware that this

to work significantly harder to get to the same place as they

system is benefiting them, and so it remains. There have

do not have the money or the token of a private school

been no calls by our Conservative government to abolish

name to get them through.

private schools. In his 2019 General Election campaign Jeremy Corbyn said he would abolish private schools, at

It is no secret to anybody that the private school system

which these institutions were outraged.

continually benefits those who can afford it, and leaves those who cannot behind. All children should be entitled

Private schools maintain a massive gap between the rich

to a top quality education, regardless of their background

and the poor, and it is extremely hard to climb that ladder.

and their parents’ affluency.

But that ladder shouldn’t exist. All children should be given the same education no matter their families wealth.

A child’s education should never be based on whether or not their parents have the money to be able to go to private school. And this amount of money does not automatically make a child motivated to study and work-hard, just like not being able to afford to go to a private school doesn’t

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POVERTY & CLASS

Should Billionaires Exist?

When 26 of the world’s richest people own the same wealth as half of the world’s population, should there be a limit on how wealthy people can be? In a society where an estimated 39% of the worldwide poor have no formal education at all, it’s worth thinking about this question.

businesses, bank deposits and so forth. Taxing billionaires on their wealth would give the public a right to decide on how the money should be spent. By hoarding their wealth, billionaires are permitting social inequality which undermines the principles of democracy and freedom.

When asked if billionaires should exist Senator Bernie Sanders said it was ‘a moral and economic outrage’ that the three wealthiest Americans control as much money as half the country. Labour MP, Lloyd-RussellMoyle stated that billionaires shouldn’t exist at all in a radio interview. What has led to these political figures expressing such a strong disregard for the top 1% of the world’s population?

It is possible for people to have a vision and come up with an extraordinary invention, but the important question is what makes it acceptable for certain people to have such influence and power in the world? What makes these people worthy of possessing so much wealth when there are issues like homelessness, world hunger and poverty that they could help solve? Billionaires have the capacity to improve thousands of lives; is it right that they can choose to keep so much wealth which they cannot possibly spend in a lifetime?

The most obvious answer is income inequality, which seems increasingly incompatible with the idea of democracy. The structure of the economy allows disproportionate amounts of wealth to be distributed.

Some people think billionaires deserve their wealth as they have worked hard for it. Individuals like Bill Gates have contributed greatly to our society by building the world’s largest software business which created modern technology we still use today.

Are billionaires really self made though? It’s debatable whether some of the richest people in the world have accumulated all of their wealth single-handedly. An example is Kylie Jenner, now labelled as the youngest self-made billionaire at 21 years old, beating Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for the title at 23. Jenner’s claim that she set up her successful makeup company Kylie Cosmetics with her own money earned through modelling has stirred some controversy. As someone associated with such a successful family growing up in a affluent neighbourhood and being promoted on a popular reality television show, her fame and socioeconomic status has clearly contributed to her success.

The concept that rich people succeed merely because of hard work and their own merit is not the central issue, it’s the benefits they reap that makes global income inequality a pressing matter. Wealth tax and redistribution schemes are both potential methods of tackling social inequality but what changes could they bring about? Wealth tax is essential to end the extreme divide between the rich and the poor, it is not just a matter of wealth concentration, it’s a matter of power.

This tax is based on the market value of personal capital which includes real estate, ownership of unincorporated

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The truth is that no one really needs that amount of money.

The fact that the wealthiest 1% can control 50% of a nation’s wealth suggests that society is heading towards an oligarchy.

This money could be invested in areas like healthcare and education so that people can have the quality of life they deserve.

The simple reality is that billionaires are not required in society. They reflect an imbalance in the order of things.

Limits should be imposed on wealth, everything has a limit and inequality is certainly no exception to this.

WORDS BY SIMRAN MANN IMAGE BY PHOTO BY CHRISTIAN WIEDIGER ON UNSPLASH

POVERTY

OPINION

Why is the Impact of Grammar Schools on Class Inequality in the British Education System so Often Overlooked?

Often when the issue of class inequality in English education is discussed, private schools and university fees are at the heart of that conversation. Sadly, more often than not, grammar schools play a very small role in that discussion. Regardless of this, it remains that the existence of grammar schools and the archaic 11+ system is most certainly a class issue that should be acknowledged.

Grammar schools were introduced under the 1944 Education Act, which introduced a tripartite system of grammar schools, technical schools and secondary modern schools. Grammar schools are selective. As such, pupils have to pass a test called the 11+ in their last year of primary school to gain a place at the school. Grammar schools differ from private schools because you do not have to pay fees and they are in fact state funded. The 11+ test is free to take, and anybody can request to take it. All things considered it would be possible to argue that this seems like a relatively fair system. However, this is most certainly not the case.

For most working-class parents their child attending a grammar school isn’t even something that crosses their mind. Firstly, the 11+ test is a difficult exam that requires study and preparation. For many children that take it this preparation comes in the form of private tutoring, a costly and impossible expense for working class parents.

Along with this, there are only 169 grammar schools in the UK, so for most people their ‘local’ grammar school isn’t particularly local, especially if you live in the north of England. The daily travel costs to most grammar schools is not something most low-income families can factor into their budget. Of course, grammar schools typically being ‘better’ schools means there’s a wide range of extra-curricular activities and trips, which would suffocate the budget of a poorer family. At the base of it, most areas of grammar school life are not, and never have been, accessible to poorer people.

Of course, we can assess how inaccessible areas of grammar school life are for poorer students, but we have to remember that the percentage of poor students in grammar schools itself is particularly low. A 2020 study by the House of Commons Library perfectly illustrates the class inequality present in grammar schools. For example, in terms of free school meals (an important way

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to measure class in education) in 2019 only 3% of grammar school pupils were eligible for free school meals, whilst the rate at non-selective schools was 15%. Additionally, only 4% of pupils in grammar schools have Special Educational Needs, in comparison to 11% at non-selective schools.

In recent decades there has been a crackdown on the unequal grammar school system. During Blair’s New Labour government, a law was introduced banning the introduction of any new grammar schools, however pre-existing grammar schools have also grown in size since then and thus been able to take on many more pupils. Also, May’s recent Tory government has sought to tackle income differences in education with a plan that, strangely enough, hopes to introduce more grammar schools.

It stands that selective schooling has no place in modern society. Grammar schools only exist to benefit middle class pupils who have access to the money and knowledge to benefit from them. Our education system should not be attempting to make new grammar schools and should instead stop overlooking the impact they have on class differences in educational achievement. All our efforts should be put on improving the education in overcrowded and underfunded state schools, which the majority of English pupils attend.

WORDS BY MACEY MCDERMOTT IMAGE BY TILLY ROBERTS 17

POVERTY & CLASS

WORKING TORIES AND CHAMPAGNE SOCIALISTS - IS THERE CLASS DEALIGNMENT OR HAS POLITICS MOVED ON? WORDS BY THOMAS COLLYER IMAGE BY TILLY ROBERTS In the aftermath of the 2019 General Election, the issue of class dealignment has been put back on the table. With the loss of much of Labour’s ‘red wall’, the historically red constituencies in the Midlands and North of England, combined with the high proportion of the metropolitan middle-class rallying in favour of a shift to the left, it certainly looks as though class and party endorsement have never been more confused. While this may seem compelling, we might be framing it wrong. Have we moved into a new era of single-issue politics? Have Brexit and social convictions usurped traditional economic divisions or has the fundamental nature of the classes changed?

Let’s start by looking at Labour. It’s been no secret that for the last few years at least, running Labour has been an awkward balancing act between satisfying the traditional core of working-class, urban, Northern voters and the more recent addition of a progressive, middle-class cohort.

This divide has been further stretched by Brexit, an issue the two groups voted oppositely on. The red wall ranged from 60.3% to 71.4% in favour of Brexit. Meanwhile, Momentum, the flagship pressure group of the progressive side of Labour- campaigned avidly against it. This exposes another key difference between the two. There is still a strong nationalist sentiment within the traditional section of the Labour party, much like there was in the early to the mid-20th century when the strongholds were forged.

On the other hand, there is advocacy for cosmopolitanism and a ‘global citizen’ attitude at the other end of Labour.

So, maybe despite the party going back to the left, it is on social issues that the traditional base feels turfed out.

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On the other side of Parliament is the very inviting endorsement of Brexit to those who feel ignored by Labour. Despite the inner turmoil of the Tories, the party’s strong stance on this issue is thought by many to be what swung so many workingclass voters to their side. But was it simply just an issue of ruling out a second referendum? No. The Conservatives have framed the debate as between the people against the chattering ‘metropolitan elite’, somehow managing to make people overlook the presence of Etonians and Harrovians in their own party. This is interesting because of how differently the Tories have worked to convince the working class compared to recent history. While an appeal to aspirational voters has been common since Thatcher, the Conservatives may now be winning due to two identities. First, of solidarity with the word of the people, a fair enough argument given their sticking to the vote, whatever the motivations. Second, a more traditional and patriotic appearance without trying to appear ‘woke’ and cosmopolitan like much of the Labour party may have helped pull voters across.

So, what does this mean for class and its alignment with party affiliation? Looking at economics, despite the Conservatives being dragged a bit over to the left, it is quite clear that to shift such a huge swathe of the Labour core is a historic change.

However, on the social side it can be argued that the people have not moved but the parties, and to a greater extent Labour, have shifted instead. While class-based inequality is still, of course, of the utmost importance to the Labour party, a shift to a more intersectional view of inequality may have left people feeling alienated. Moreover, the reluctance of much of the Labour party to accept Brexit looks at best opinionated

POVERTY

OPINION and at worst paternalist. While the Tories may only be running with public opinion for the sake of it, the votes they won were from people who likely felt ignored by Labour. Class dealignment, therefore, may be on the party of the parties, while the people stay aligned with their class in general on social issues at least.

Taking another angle, might there be a change in voting behaviour due to a fundamental change in the nature of the classes? What once was made up of miners and factory workers is now a group characterised by call centre workers and other ‘unskilled’ and ‘semiskilled’ service industry workers. The general standard of living has improved since class divisions were first defined.

There are historic levels of first-generation university students. One could argue, at a stretch, that class divisions are fading. But none of this gradual change explains the recent shift of the red wall.

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Maybe the real fundamental change is in the nature of politics today. Rather than dividing across class lines and economic stance, increasingly we are seeing a single issue take hold of the discourse. In the most recent election, this was Brexit and Corbyn tried to take debate elsewhere. This may well have been the source of his failure. In America, it has been general anger and at least perceived failure of the state that Trump has managed to harness. With countless other examples around the world, people don’t seem to rally together around class anymore but around a single issue or sentiment. Maybe today’s turmoil will all blow over and I will have just been projecting. There’s nothing to say the red wall won’t return and remain for another century but there’s also plenty to suggest we may be entering a new age of politics. A somewhat oxymoronic distrust of the ‘political class’ may be the power that is harnessed by successful leaders or it may be another public feeling but it’s looking increasingly like class won’t be it.

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POVERTY & CLASS

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POVERTY

POLITICS

Politics Simplified: Austerity In The UK Since 2010, when the Conservatives were helped to power by their coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats, the government has pursued deep public spending cuts known as austerity. The government argued that these cutbacks were the only way that the UK could recover from the 2008 financial crash after bailing out the banks.

However, unlike the economics textbook definition of austerity, these public spending cuts have not been accompanied by tax rises, instead, taxes have been cut for individuals and businesses.

Whilst the government celebrates employment growth it fails to acknowledge that wages are comparatively lower than before the financial crisis. £40 million a year has been cut from the welfare budget since 2010. Central government funding for local councils has been slashed in half, whilst demand for services such as adult social care has risen. Even former Prime Minister David Cameron whose government brought about this austerity wrote to his local council in Oxfordshire.

Cameron complained about the impact of these cuts to libraries, museums and services for the elderly. In the poorest areas of the country where councils rely more heavily on central government funding, the effects have been worse.

Shelter estimates that at least 1 in 200 people in Britain are homeless. In November 2018 the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights reported that 20% of the UK population live in poverty.

As a country with the fifth-largest economy, the report’s author argued that ‘poverty is a political choice’.

From the start of the twentieth-century life expectancies in England rose each year. However, since 2011 this progress in English life expectancies has slowed dramatically to a halt, with women in the most deprived areas having lost 0.3 years. The more deprived an area, the greater the proportion of the population’s life is spent in bad health

and this has been to a greater extent since 2010. Professor Marmot, who discovered the scale of health inequality in the UK, argues that this has been caused by cuts to sure start centres, the education budget, poor housing quality and insecure employment contracts.

Is austerity over?

Some theorise that the effects of austerity drove the British public to ‘take back control’, voting to leave the European Union in 2016. Ironically the uncertainty surrounding Brexit could lead to further economic stagnation or depression.

During the 2017 General Election Theresa May repeatedly announced that there was no ‘magic money tree’. That was her reply when she was asked whether it was acceptable that nurses were being forced to use foodbanks as a result of wage drops. However, at the Conservative Party Conference in 2018, Theresa May declared that austerity was over.

In February 2020 the fiscally conservative Chancellor Sajid Javid departed from Boris Johnson’s Cabinet. This followed clashes with the Prime Minister’s aide Dominic Cummings, signalling that public spending would increase.

WORDS BY PATRICK LOWE IMAGE BY NINA PANNONE CLASS

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POVERTY & CLASS

What’s the Deal with the White Working Class?

When you hear the term ‘working class’, what do you think of? Perhaps an angry flat-capped Brexiter or a mum-ofthree living paycheck to paycheck… But not so often do we think of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities.

Black and brown people have been painted as classless and the working class identity has been white-washed… But what does this erasure of identity mean? 75% of Britain’s minority communities live in 88 of Britain’s poorest wards (there are 9,456 wards in the UK), yet the ethnic diversity of the working class is all too often overlooked.

Recent headlines like these from The Sun and the Daily Mail cast the white working class as victims of diversity and equality measures, as if minority groups are cutting the queue, yet the same concern is not seen, or even reported, when black students under perform in schools, which are riddled with documented institutional racism.

The segregation of class struggle is not a new phenomenon.

The trade unionist movement pushed ahead the rights of white workers while leaving behind black and brown workers. The Grunwick strike was an industrial dispute led by black and brown workers, mostly women of Indian and Pakistani backgrounds, between 1976 and 1978. It was unsuccessful, but the intersection of race, class and gender made it instrumental in putting the spotlight on subjecting South Asian women to unjust labour conditions and discrimination. According to the Trade Union Congress, the Grunwick strikers changed the face of British trade unionism.

The Leave campaign during the lead up to the 2016 referendum was accused of racism and xenophobia.

However, since then, there has been no real conversation about this - other than the repetition of ‘not all leave voters are racist’. I think it is high time we do start talking about the increasing underlying racism and bigotry in this country. About how widespread social issues and political disenfranchisement were exploited by nationalists and islamophobes, who framed them as a threat to (white) British culture and identity. About how ‘reasonable concerns over immigration’ are becoming justification for anti-immigrant sentiment and hatred. We must tackle the perceived threat to national identity. The UK will always be a white majority country but “there is no Black in the Union Jack” is an outdated racist lie that we cannot let become legitimate political discourse once again.

More recently, some people say Labour’s defeat in the recent election was because they ‘lost touch with their working class base’. It seems to me that the so-called ‘working class base’ is doublespeak for white voters with

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no regard for race, throwing black and minority ethnic communities under the bus. There was virtually no talk of racial issues during the election campaign. Black people have been excluded from the conversation in both the political and media establishments and amongst their white voter counterparts. If I were given a pound every time I heard someone say ‘stop making it about race’, I’d be far less worried about my student loans. At the same time, I’ve also heard white people complain that black people are not allowing them to speak their minds. Excluding us from the conversation, and dismissing or undermining or discounting our perspectives when we do participate, will mean that we have our conversations amongst ourselves. And when you demand to be heard in our conversations without respecting that we are people who can and do experience racialisation, you should not expect to be mollycoddled.

The term ‘white working class’ is designed for alienation and division. Making the majority identity for the UK population exclusionary only serves the purpose of justifying bigotry.

White working class has become dangerous shorthand for the real working class. When we become too afraid to have difficult conversations in good faith on racial topics, it is Britain’s black and minority ethnic communities who ultimately suffer. So, the next time someone refers to the ‘white working class’, I encourage you to ask them ‘what do you mean? And why are you excluding non-white working class people from the conversation?’ Because the truth of the matter is that there is no white working class, only the working class.

WORDS BY KENNY FIELD IMAGE BY SPENCER DAVIS ON UNSPLASH POVERTY

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

What’s the Cost of Going Cashless?

It’s 2020. Asking ‘Do you take cash?’ is becoming more common than ‘do you take card?’. With the rapid pace of technological advances of contactless and mobile payment or ‘e-Wallets’... are we moving away from cash too quickly? Or perhaps to ask a more ominous question… is going cashless classist?

I relish in the convenience of contactless every time I do a three second swipe instead of having to use the Chip and PIN card reader, and I’m sure you do too. It’s pretty much guaranteed that all students have an active bank account given student finance and the various savvy student accounts that banks now offer. So then, it should come as no surprise to see that our Students’ Union and Sports Centre are trialling a cashless reception desk. It’s clean.

It’s efficient. It’s simple.

I’m a STEM student, I geek out over news about quantum computing, I make nerdy jokes in seminars, I should be excited about moving to a more futuristic society!

So what’s holding me back? Why can’t I embrace this upgrade? Am I turning into a dinosaur unable to move on from the good ol’ days? Well, physical cash is still a big part of how we collectively live our lives. The so-called shadow economy of cash-in-hand payments cost the UK Government £1.8 billion in unpaid tax in 2016/17.

According to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC): This consists of ‘ghosts’ (whose entire income is unknown to HMRC), which accounted for £0.9 billion and ‘moonlighters’ (who have at least one source of undeclared income to HMRC), which also accounted for £0.9 billion.

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So there’s an ethical and economic argument to be made about clamping down on tax-avoidance by going cashless. But things still don’t sit right with me. I still feel sentimental about holding onto my piggy bank.

When I walk to uni, go to the city centre, or travel through London I always walk past rough sleepers and charity collectors. I’ve noticed over the past year or so I have slowly developed the habit of saying ‘sorry, I haven’t any change’. For the most part that’s the truth - I usually only carry card and rarely need to take out cash - though recently I noticed that I automatically apologise even when I do have change in my pocket! As a person who doesn’t live paycheck to paycheck, I believe it is only right to offer up any help I can when I have the opportunity, yet due to this technological convenience I am becoming more selfish than I’d like to admit.

Charity aside, there is also a selfish case for halting the cashless transition. The ease of paying by card that I’ve talked about is a double edged sword. I find it hard to resist an ‘impulse buy’ when I get the urge and I don’t feel like I’m really parting with my money until I check my bank balance - which as a student I rarely do. Simply put, we spend less when we have the cash in our hands even if it adds a few extra seconds to our shop. Maybe keeping our coins will make us more mindful, and perhaps more compassionate, spenders.

WORDS BY KENNY FIELD IMAGE BY FRANCES ROSE

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POVERTY & CLASS

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POVERTY

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees, But it Does Destroy Them In my opinion, poverty is due to a selfish distribution of wealth. However, it is not just the lower classes that take the brunt of that exchange as it also seems that the rich keep getting richer at the expense of the environment.

The link between poverty and the decline of the natural world is evident. Those with money have the opportunity to make a positive change, but seemingly have little interest in it. It has actually been argued countless times that the best thing that the wealthy can do for the environment is to not exist at all. Oftentimes, it is found that those who possess billions end up spending their money trying to make even more. Ways that this is done is by engaging in climate-destructive activities. Fracking, which involves drilling into bedrock formations to remove gas that can be used as fuel, has been argued to be devastating for the planet and is supported by companies that are headed by hungry billionaires. The drying out of non-renewable energy sources means that these caves of useable gases are truly a gold mine, which are opened and extorted simply for momentary cash at the expense of the natural world that it pollutes. This is similar again to the destruction of the rainforests, where politicians have their silence bought by people with more money than sense.

The richer are often found to have bigger carbon footprints as getting to more places quicker with a wider variety of material objects tends to use a lot more energy than those who do not have the same options. However, poverty also takes an effect on the environment in another way.

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Pioneers for environmental improvement have been creating different energy sources for a long time. However, it costs a lot of money to create or change a current energy station for one that is better for the environment. In this way, poverty is helping to contribute to the climate destruction as it is simply not economically feasible for some areas to reduce their negative expulsions. Similarly, many companies whose focuses are on sustainable products are usually more expensive than those that are not, which again makes it harder for those with less wealth to do what they can, even if it is small. This means, for some, that even if people want to help the environment rather than hinder it, they just do not have the means.

Poverty is perhaps the main underlying reason for climate change. It is not simply a lack of knowledge that makes people choose a somewhat destructive lifestyle, but instead in most cases, it is a lack of care. Those with the wealth to make huge changes do not. Those who would easily accept small lifestyle changes to help the planet often find themselves unable to financially. In this case, money truly is the root of all evil and, while it cannot buy happiness, it could help reverse the destruction of the environment.

WORDS BY EMILY DENNIS IMAGE BY HUGO WEBBER

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POVERTY & CLASS

From Rags to Riches? The Appropriation of ‘Homeless Chic’ in Fashion WORDS BY MARCO PRETARA IMAGE BY MATHEUS FERRERO ON UNSPLASH It has become something of a strange trend in the fashion

subject matter that he had in a way leeched off of to

world to glamorise society’s poorest members in order to

create his 2000 couture collection, and instead was much

appeal to the wealthy - a trend which has been labelled

more excited by the less important reception that it had

‘homeless chic’. Why has this appropriation even become

received. Thus, in a way, those suffering in poverty were,

a thing? Is it because a ‘run-down’ or ‘urban’ style is

and still are, being used as a commodity for the fashion

considered edgy? Has fashion lost touch with the reality

world to receive praise and make money from those who

of poverty as a social issue, and is it this lack of knowledge

are blinded by such terrible social issues. It’s terrible

that allows poverty to be reborn as just another ‘reference’

to say, very often the most exciting outfits are from the

for designers? Or is it simply that appropriating poor

poorest people - Christian Lacroix to Vogue.

people’s ‘style’ of dress is another way to highlight their social status as something lesser? Whatever the case might

In 2005 and 2006, fashion designers and child actresses’

be, it has a long history.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s’ love of wearing extremely oversized clothing in shoddily-assembled layers led

Though he was not the first designer to appropriate poverty

many tabloids and fashion magazines to wonder if they

as a stimulus for their designs, John Galliano’s spring 2000

too were adopting a kind of ‘homeless chic’ style, or just

couture collection for Christian Dior is the commonly-

trying to escape the cutesy public image that they had

given point of origin for the ‘homeless chic’ trend. The

developed from their childhood careers in the spotlight.

designer explained that he had drawn inspiration from

In either case, they were probably the only people to

street people that he had noticed along the banks of the

earn comparisons to bag ladies whilst toting Chanel and

Seine after taking up jogging, and he incorporated these

Botkier, showing the explicit appropriation and ignorance

findings into his seventh couture collection for Dior.

involved in having a ‘homeless chic’ style among those

The collection was crafted from a specially-designed

with substantial wealth.

newspaper-printed silk, as well as other luxury fabrics that were ripped and aged so that they would appear dirty.

Television personality and model Tyra Banks pulled a number of stunts on her since-cancelled talk show, but

Columnist for the New York Times Maureen Dowd

perhaps the most questionable decision came in 2006

once quoted Galliano as saying, “It’s the most spoken-

when she dressed up for a day as a homeless woman. Tyra

about topic at dinner parties in Paris.” He did not mean

said “I did a lot of research on the homeless epidemic in

homelessness, but instead the positive reception of

this country, and I came across these crazy, terrifying

his couture collection. “One can’t go into a restaurant

facts.” Following this, the then ‘homeless’ Tyra and her

without hearing fantastic young ladies talking about the

camera crew learned about how drugs were sold and

fraying of tulle of the Christian Dior show.” This suggests

smoked from two homeless teenagers. This is a clear

that Galliano cared less about bringing awareness to the

example of the exploitation of homeless people. Tyra

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POVERTY

LIFESTYLE returned to the theme in 2008, when for Cycle 10 of her

In September 2018, luxury London department store

modelling reality show America’s Next Top Model, she

Selfridges and designer brand Balenciaga were forced to

had the contestants pose with real homeless women for

apologise following a backlash over a window display for

a poverty-themed fashion shoot. It is not only the fashion

clothes that critics branded “homeless chic.” They were

industry, but also the media, that has drawn upon poverty

accused of “trivialising” rough sleeping with the window

and homelessness for money, and even entertainment.

display which included hooded mannequins in slumped positions. The display was deemed “insensitive”, with

In January 2010, Vivienne Westwood unveiled a

many feeling it used “homeless chic” and imagery of the

‘homeless chic’ collection in Milan. The show saw models

poorest in society to target the richest, something that

using props that a stereotypical homeless person might

seems to be a trend across most of these cases.

own, including shopping trolleys and bedrolls. Another model emerged from a cardboard box with a sleeping bag,

Most recently, the row over glamorising poverty was

showing the questionable lengths that the show took the

reignited when in early 2020 French designer Maison

theme to, especially considering that it was likely more

Margiela released black Fusion leather mesh sneakers

celebrated for its fashion than for bringing awareness to

that were described as having a ‘deconstructed aesthetic’.

an important subject matter. The collection was another

The shoes were covered in drips of ‘glue’, something that

example of a fashion house being triumphant in using the

social media users blasted as glamorising poverty. The

hardships of poverty to create something ‘beautiful’ and

interestingly designed shoes had the hefty price of £1,125

celebrated. “Homeless chic?” said one magazine editor.

attached to them. It thus seems that this trend is one that is

“It is a little close to the bone. The clothes were fantastic,

failing to die out, but hopefully the fashion world will soon

though.”

learn that it is not ok to glamorise real life suffering.

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POVERTY & CLASS

Democrats: The Fight Against Poverty

The Democratic Party in the United States is generally perceived as more socially liberal, left-wing and champions for the lower classes. With the Democratic primaries currently on-going (and led in polls by self-proclaimed Socialist-Democrat Bernie Sanders), let’s look at the economic plans proposed by the candidates, including those who have since dropped out of the race, that they hope will help prevent poverty.

Bernie Sanders Bernie Sanders is personified by his socialist leanings, with plans promising free education and healthcare, as well fighting to provide housing and jobs for all. By providing these services for free, Sanders appears to believe that this will make a significant impact against poverty in America.

In order to pay for all of these aims, Sanders has proposed a tax on the super wealthy (those who have a net worth of $32 million or more) which he has claimed will bring in $4.35 trillion in the next decade, as well as significantly minimizing the gap between the incredibly wealthy and the middle class.

Sanders is the most left leaning of all the candidates, with the aim to make all opportunities equal for everyone.

Joe Biden The former Vice-President likes to mention that he was the one working with Obama to institute the Obamacare and other initiatives whilst he was in office. Like all Democrats, his goals focus on housing, education and minimum wage.

However, Biden’s focus appears to be on boosting the middleclass, hoping that by encouraging their earnings the economy will improve as a whole, therefore helping those in poorer situations.

Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar has similar aims to the other candidates, and, like Bloomberg, a focus on rural communities. She also aims for shared prosperity and preventing a monopoly on the economy. Like Buttigieg, Klobuchar stands more centrist but hopes that these plans will combat poverty.

By the 6th of June we will know which one of these candidates will be going head-to-head with Donald Trump for the presidency, but it’s only if they get elected that the real fight begins – to keep their promises and truly try and combat poverty in America.

Elizabeth Warren Like Sanders, Warren’s plans to combat poverty in America is rooted in raising taxes for the very wealthy. One of her flagship proposals is the fight against corruption in Washington as well as taxing large corporations in order to raise money for her own plans for healthcare, housing and raising the minimum wage. Warren stands out from the field for her thorough grasp of economics and detailed policies.

Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg is much more centrist than Warren and Sanders but his website still has a page dedicated to an economic plan to help the working and middle-classes get ahead in America (complete with its own footnotes). Like others on this list, Buttigieg is focusing on lowering the cost of education and housing and raising the minimum wage, however, he doesn’t appear to plan to raise taxes for the wealthy as much as Warren and Sanders. His health plan is also more conservative, balancing in the middle to try compromise between the left and right.

Michael Bloomberg Bloomberg appears to focus more on rural communities than his competitors, emphasising the need to prioritise education and claiming that he will make more jobs for Americans in order to help people escape poverty. Bloomberg has been criticised for being out of touch with the majority of the American population, with his estimated net worth of $52 billion making him one of those that Sanders would tax heavily if elected.

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WORDS BY HAZEL JONCKERS IMAGE BY FRANCES ROSE

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THANK YOU!

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G A P Y E A R V S G A P YA H The gap year. It’s a really popular option for a lot of people, typically depicted as a year out between the end of your A Levels and the start of university.

People take a year off for so many reasons. To travel.

To earn money. Because they don’t know what they want to do with their life. Because they want to wait for their grades. Because they didn’t get their grades.

Because they aren’t ready to move out. Because they want cool social media pics. Because they want to explore and discover new things. Sometimes, it’s just because they want to.

It is estimated around 5% of people deferred their university places for a year in the U.K. The concept of a gap year originally emerged in the 17th and 18th century, when young’uns from the wealthiest families started taking a year to travel all over the world. In fact, to be considered a true gentleman at the time, this experience was entirely necessary. In the 20th century, it became more of a military thing as boys were essentially forced to take a two-year break from education at the age of 18 to complete time in a branch of the armed forces. In the 1970’s it was seen as an opportunity to gain life experience, a chance to grow up a bit before completing education.

However, in modern times it’s become associated with the upper-classes, reinforced by the likes of Malia Obama and Prince William publicly taking gap year. It’s also become much more popular, but as taking a year out has become more normalised, a strong stereotype has grown along with it.

The idea of the ‘gap yah’ originated from a comedy sketch performed by an Oxford graduate, in which boys exchange stories of their travels prior to attending university. The concept of the video is centered on mocking the English upper-middle class younger generation, who typically previously attended public schools. ‘Yah’ is likely derived from the term ‘rah’ used to describe these particular members of society as well as poking fun at the distorted way ‘year’ can sound in a exaggerated 30

posh accent. The idea is that these individuals visit typically third world countries with the view to ‘make an impact’ or ‘give back’ but realistically end up throwing up after each night at the local watering hole. As a result of this sketch, there have been subsequent releases of different media types (videos/songs) which have allowed the term to grow in prominence, and therefore use.

I’m sure as you read this you are picturing an individual wearing elephant trousers at sunrise in Angkor Wat. I’m right, aren’t I? (Or at least something similar.) And when someone mentions their gap year, the first question is usually a slightly mocking, ‘did you find yourself?’. The second question is probably ‘so, it was actually a gap yah?’.

And you can probably bet they went skydiving, bungee jumping, hiking and ate some obscure creature from a street cart at the side of the road.

But so what? If they did, they did. Why all the judgement?

The idea of the gap yah, in my opinion, is utterly ridiculous. It’s all a bit of a joke isn’t it? No one actually takes it seriously. On my year out, I worked in a school for a year before going solo travelling around Australia and New Zealand. So yeah, a lot of people say, well you had a gap yah then, didn’t you? And I usually respond with ‘Yes, obviously darling’, and then I laugh. Because its a joke. In actual fact, I earned my money, and traveled around running completely off of my own resources, bar the odd drink someone bought for me! If someone doesn’t know that, but wants to say I’m a stereotype because I went to Australia, I don’t care! I had the time of my life. So I laugh and joke and we move on.

What’s the problem?

Let people judge you for what you did. Where you went. Who you spoke to. Let people assume it was your parents money and you stayed in private rooms or whatever. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is POVERTY

TRAVEL that you have no regrets. The gap year vs gap yah argument is so irrelevant. People can stereotype all they want - remember those who do probably didn’t take a year out themselves - it doesn’t mean you have to listen.

If you’re lucky enough to be in a position where you can take a year out and you want get away, maybe because the idea of travelling a bit before going to university appeals to you, or because you need a year to figure out whether you want to go to university at all, you should.

Don’t let what people may say about your experience put you off; just try and enjoy yourself.

At the end of the day, the term ‘gap yah’ started as a joke; someone’s gap year alter ego on their YouTube channel. So, let’s leave it as a joke. Gap year, gap yah. Tomato, tomato. Who cares? Seize the day, regardless of what other people think or say.

WORDS BY OTTILLE YOUNG IMAGE BY TILLY ROBERTS

WORDS BY OTTILLE YOUNG IMAGE BY TILLY ROBERTS

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How Sports Can Help underprivileged Groups

Sports as a whole stresses the values of fair play and sportsmanship; both are key tools into making a better life for yourself. Sport programs, for adults and young people, play a major role in preventing gang violence, crime, and drug abuse, all prevalent in poverty-stricken areas. Sports allows individuals to learn hard-work, dedication and team working skills, all skills that will benefit any individual in life.

The teaching of these values in sport has been known to have many positive attributes to many communities with research indicating that areas that provide after school or community sports activities tend to have a lower level of crime.

deals before his cousin convinced him to try boxing in 2008.

Before this, between 2006 to 2010 Joshua had been in trouble with the police multiple times, this included him being on remand in Reading prison for a physical altercation. Joshua has described in many interviews that boxing saved his life and gave him a “second chance at life�; through boxing he learnt all the skills mentioned above that helped him get off the streets to becoming two-time world heavyweight champion. Joshua was a kid who grew up in an estate in Watford, but sports was able to help him move away from a life of crime and poverty which many others fell victim to.

This direct link between sports and crime does not go unnoticed, boxing champion Anthony Joshua is a prime example of the great impact sport can have on an individual.

In his teens Joshua was involved in street fights and drug

Charities such as Street Games bring sports to poor communities encouraging a better life for young people within poorer communities in Britain. Street Games was founded in 2007 and provides 800 projects weekly across

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SPORT England, Scotland and Wales to teach sport to children most impacted by poverty. Street Games was founded as a reaction to The Sports England Active People Survey which showed that impoverished young people participated in sport half as much as those from prosperous backgrounds. Which is why the core values of the charity is to promote the importance of sports and how it is critical to addressing the issues of those living in the poorest communities. Their own statistics have shown they have encouraged 69% of young people, who have taken part in their program, to get involved in more regular sports activities.

As a result of their ‘Doorstep Sport’ programme which former boxer Amir Khan is an ambassador for, Khan proclaims the programme is about “keeping the kids off the streets and giving them a bit of discipline”. These campaigns have been successful in encouraging poor communities to get involved in sport and has taken many kids off the streets, as in poorer areas there is less productive activities for children to do, which has been known to encourage crime. Sports brings a sense of belonging and stability to young people’s lives, therefore taking them away from a life of crime they could have fallen into if it weren’t for sports.

Sports helps underprivileged groups by giving a sense of hope and belonging, but also by teaching life skills of sportsmanship, teamwork, and discipline. Sports schemes throughout Britain have worked hard to give a better life for those who are in poverty by giving them a fun activity to do instead of going down the wrong path of crime and addiction, which tends to be more prevalent amongst poverty-stricken areas. Cases such as Anthony Joshua and Alphonso Davies highlight the impact sport can have on a young person’s life and how it can transform it. Without boxing, Joshua claims that he would have been in prison, whilst for Davies a life without football may have diminished any hope. Sports thus encourages underprivileged groups by promoting a better quality of life.

WORDS BY MORGAN MCMILLAN IMAGE BY ROBERT COLLINS ON UNSPLASH

Sports can immensely improve the lives of individuals, which is palpable in the story of Alphonso Davies. He was born in a West African refugee camp in 2000 and is now a footballer for Bayern Munich, instrumental in their 3-0 victory against Chelsea last month. Son of Liberian refugees who fled Liberia due to the ongoing war, for the first five years of his life he grew up in a refugee camp, in a hut smaller than a minivan where everyone had to fight for water and food. Davies has labelled football an important part of social life in the camp, uniting families in the refuge and making life more bearable.

Football gave inspiration and a glimmer of hope for the people in the refuge camp to make a better life for themselves, though they were living in horrible conditions no one could envisage. Davies’s family eventually passed an interview for a resettlement programme and moved to Canada, where Davies enrolled in the ‘Free Footie programme’, an after-school initative for poor inner-city kids who cannot afford registration fees or transportation to games. This programme aided what has become the greatest football player Canada has to offer, as stated by Canada’s National Post newspaper. Davies’s story is an inspirational one which shows the immense impact sports has on the lives of the underprivileged; the sports programme he signed up to was able to give him the better life he is living today and shows that with sports comes hope.

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POVERTY & CLASS PAUSE

Benefits: Do we Need ‘em?

After we delved deeply into the ongoing discourses surrounding foreign nationals on our shores, join us for another round of asking the questions that really matter.

Some people, including many featured in this magazine, may well be fully supportive of the social welfare system that supports the vulnerable. Yet, is anyone actually thinking about this? Is state-sanctioned financial help an economically viable function as we push on to potentially rocky roads? Quite simply: benefits, do we need ‘em?

There are reportedly just over two million people on a form of benefits. That is a lot of lazy people. That’s what they are, aren’t they? A bunch of good-for-nothing layabouts. Well, at least that’s what I believe as I read it so often on the front pages of the Daily Mail. I like to think of the benefits system as an inverse Robin Hood. Instead of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, hard-earned working taxpayer money is taken and splurged relentlessly on people who are out of work. But where does this money actually go?

George Osborne claimed that some dastardly chumps received as much as £100,000 for their (lack of) troubles.

It turns out, if you can believe it, that he was exaggerating.

Yet, when you hear what this monetary assistance is used for, you may well have to turn off Loose Women in disbelief.

Many recipients, apparently, need this money to ‘live’ as it pays for ‘essentials’ like ‘food and water’ and ‘heating for my house in sub-freezing conditions throughout the winter, preventing the potentially deadly onset of pneumonia’. Pfft, pull the other one.

If you’re telling me that people really need money to get a fridge, you’re having a laugh. A working television and/ or radio? Come off it, mate. Why can’t all these people just do what I did and move into a fully furnished student flat?

It comes with the full lot and what benefits did I use? My student loan didn’t even cover my housing, so I did what most people would, could and should do; I asked my parents to relentlessly throw money at me and tah-dahh – problem solved.

disabilities, lack of family support, homelessness, childhood trauma, substance addic- ‘. I’ll stop you right there. I’ve heard it all before. But whenever I have walked to Uni, along the main road of Southampton, past all the nice houses, with my rose-tinted glasses on, I have never once seen any of these ‘vulnerable’ people, who you claim to be trapped within their own circumstantial nightmare, out working. See what I mean - they’re all too lazy.

I don’t have much advice for those currently receiving welfare payments. Strangely, I am yet to be asked for my opinion. Like most members of the public, I’ve tried to give it anyway in the most (un)informed sense as possible. What I will say is, it’s not hard to be born into a middle-class family where basic day-to-day needs are not a worry, so perhaps people could try that.

Next time you hear there are ‘years of austerity to come’ as ‘wages plunge’ and ‘austerity’ continues, and people inevitably look to the state for their salvation, just ask yourself; benefits, do we need ‘em?

WORDS BY MARCUS MATTHEWS IMAGES BY FRANCES ROSE

I know what you’re thinking. ‘Hey you politically volatile simpleton, what about the factors preventing people from getting a job such as; mental health issues, physical

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POVERTY & CLASS PAUSE

Follow Us Comrade Karl, in Terminating Ugly Poverty Facing the poverty line is something that many people have to endure. It’s not fair, and it shouldn’t happen. Naturally, people want to do something about it, but often don’t know where to start. Alas, if only there was a delicate list of tips and tricks for people who wish to help combat poverty.

Idea Number One: Give people equal amounts of money Unfortunately for literally everyone, the concept of money has been in existence since roughly 5,000BC. For those ancient peoples who had a little bit less than their neighbour, their livelihoods would have been completely different. Whilst this is no longer the case, this leads to a good idea for combating the age-old problem of poverty: give people money. If everyone had equal wealth, poverty = solved. This method, however, does require a lot of maths. It also assumes that all people are willing to achieve complete equality. Ha.

those who are in charge of it. Rioting and protesting against what is not right can lead to the desired outcomes if done correctly and thoroughly enough. A key way to combat poverty is through demanding change. For those who have been a committed fan of this article from the off, you will have been subliminally influenced, via the extremely well-written title, into picking idea five. I suggest you do so immediately.

Idea Number Two: Destroy all money In contrast to the last idea, poverty would be completely nonexistent if all money were destroyed. However, there are a number of implications that indicate that this may not be the most appropriate way to combat poverty. For example, where would all the money go? It can’t be owned by anybody, because then it wouldn’t be a very fair way of removing all money.

Maybe it would have to be evenly distributed between everyone in order for it to be burned? However, this could lead to possible environmental damages.

Idea Number Three: Work entirely in trades Before money was invented, there was thought to be some kind of trading system in place. The concept of money was made to replicate this system by adding something to give value to individual items, however an idea to combat modern-day poverty is to cut out the unnecessary middleman and work entirely by trading. While this is a creative way of destroying money without actually destroying it, there is the potential for trading to be replaced with money again. That, evidently, does not always work out fairly. Also, trading requires everyone to have something that someone else will want. That is a very questionable thing to sort out, and also requires a lot of maths.

Sigh.

WORDS BY EMILY DENNIS IMAGE BY HERMIONE REGAN

Idea Number Four: Eat the rich I apologise. This was meant to be on my to-do list.

Idea Number Five: Riot One of the most effective ways to get what you want is to annoy CLASS

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