By Laurence Griffin
In times gone past, so it was that the whole sense of community was very different to how it is today. Although communities were often brutally divided because of religious and political struggles (much like today), they were also often far more closely bonded together through religion as it enabled people to all serve a common purpose. The purpose being, that everyone was equal in the sense of having his or her own calling on this earth, God loves you for who you are and you aren’t any less of a person as anyone else.
Yet, in modern times, this philosophy and sense of community has seemed to have entirely burned away and in its place, there is a new kind of society.
What is this new society? Well, if charities were not absorbed into the new society and the incredible work that they do, it would still be a life with many of the grave difficulties that were presented back in the past. Nowadays, rather than just religious struggles, there is regional inequality. The South East of England, commonly known as ‘England’s golden triangle’ (London, Oxford and Cambridge), has held the balance of power for quite sometime. This has meant predominately, this area has been Conservative and right-wing, due the shear amount of profitability and wealth this area of the UK generates. It also holds Westminster/London, where all the political power and wealth is held and holds up the rest of the UK. Because of this, and the wealth creation having not being spread to other parts of the UK, notably: Wales, Northern England, Scotland and some parts of Northern Ireland, this has created a very real ‘North/South’ divide. It is why, one could argue, why socialism has become dominant in many parts of Northern England, Wales and Scotland in the form of Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party.
Of course one could argue that there was also regional inequality back then, but the difference, between now and then, is that communities in all parts of the country had a sense of purpose and spiritual being. Now you’ll find, in 21st century Britain, communities that are segregated, divided, isolated, have a lack of direction and suffer grave anxiety. In my own opinion, I have seen how the UK has become almost a ‘postcode lottery’, where your success in life is determined by where you are born.
For instance, in many parts of North Yorkshire and Cumbria in North West England, you will find paid opportunities are scarce and youth services are lacking gravely. Indeed, much to how the Scottish National Party glorified the Independence Referendum as a ‘means to be a better future’, what about regions just south of Scotland, that don’t have a say just because they happen to be part of England?
For me personally, one of the most dangerous things about socialism is painting a picture that those who are truly worse off in life want to believe, no matter how disengaged from reality it is. It is, one could argue, why the Scottish National Party were so successful in the 2015 General Election, or why Jeremy Corbyn is set to become the next Labour Party leader. People want to believe what seems nice, rather than the brutal truth, i.e. that socialism just doesn’t work in an imperfect world. Politics and the ongoing fragile state of the UK economy/wider EU economy, has created regions of the UK where you are truly worse off unless you relocate.
Although life is far more comfortable, many people in today’s society across some regions of the UK do not feel like they have any sense of purpose or moral compass. This trend is something I personally feel has contributed to the ever-growing problem of mental illness, particularly amongst young people. Indeed, it was recently noted on NCB that BBC News recently reported: ‘Mental health problems among children are a growing problem for schools, a survey of more than 1,000 head teachers has found.
The confusion between capitalism and socialism is in part to blame, particularly when the issue of employment and careers come to mind. There seems a great divide amongst capitalism and socialism; on the one hand capitalism is blamed for growing inequality, whilst on the other hand socialism is blamed for economic downfall.
A prime example of the movement of socialism is the French Revolution of the late 1700’s. The French Royal Family of the day were accused of leaving France’s economy in tatters and leaving the majority of it’s citizens to starve. Custom at the time dictated that the clergy were not subject to taxation, meaning therefore that France’s bankrupted economy fell entirely onto the burden of the poor. The Revolution was one of the most violent and radical revolts in the name of equality.
France has never completely left its socialist roots since it became a Republic. As the greater need for equality rose since this time, as the quality of life improved, there has been extreme sides to what countries perceive as ‘equal’, notably the former Soviet Union (where the government controlled everything, hence making its citizens ‘equal’, as it interpreted it) and the United States (standing for Liberty and the freedom for it’s citizens to create wealth).
This graphic from late 18th century France depicts how the minority were benefiting greater than their ‘lower social class’ equivalents. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
To my mind, at least, one of the most fundamental hurdles we need to cross when addressing this issue is balancing state intervention, freedom of movement and profit (in both the public and private sectors). Indeed, the House of Lords have recently commissioned a committee on Social Mobility.
Of course there is not a straightforward solution in achieving this, but even should this be partly addressed this would allow for a much more sustainable society. I also feel this would in turn would also balance the social divide amongst communities that we have at present (representing both equality on the left and financial stability on the right). It would allow for all communities to be able to far better emphasise amongst one another, as with the religious times gone past, everyone would be on a common ground.
Should this be partly achieved, or even acknowledged, I believe would also enable the present regional inequality gap to close, rather than ever widen. Currently, young people like myself are being driven out of some communities, as there simply isn’t any opportunity for them. It is a fact for many young people, not just an excuse. But sometimes it is not always straightforward to move away (as I found out), in my view you still need a family/friendship circle around you.
So with this in mind, although it is certainly not straightforward to carry out, I believe acknowledging the problem is a first important step when wanting address the issue of regional inequality, the underlying causes (the sense of community) and how it affects young people.
