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Thinking Allowed

Poverty in Britain; Unemployment As a Choice

Thinking Allowed

BBC

Society & Culture, Science

4.4997 Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2015

⏱️ 28 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Poverty in Britain: Laurie Taylor talks to Joanna Mack, Learning and Teaching producer at the Open University, about the largest ever survey of UK levels of economic and social deprivation. Her co-authored book, 'Breadline Britain..' claims that poverty is at an all time high.

Also, claimants who reject work. Andrew Dunn, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy at Lincoln University, has conducted research which suggests that some unemployed people turn down 'undesirable' work, thus choosing to remain in financial hardship.

Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix,

0:06.0

the Science of Happiness Podcast.

0:08.0

For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want

0:14.4

to share that science with you.

0:16.1

And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley.

0:19.4

I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that

0:25.4

calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds.

0:30.3

This is a Thinking Loud Podcast from the BBC and for more details in our terms of use and much, much more about thinking aloud.

0:39.0

Go to our website at BBC.co. UK. B

0:43.0

B.K. Poverty Knock. My loom is a saying all day.

0:48.0

Poverty, poverty knock.

0:50.0

Got us too skinny to pay. Poverty Knox, a song about the working conditions in the textile mills of Britain back in 1900.

1:00.0

A song in which we can readily empathise with the plight of the weavers who had to work away all day at a back-breaking job for wages,

1:07.5

which was so low that they had to buy food on credit.

1:11.0

Oh dear, we're going to be late.

1:14.0

Cather is stood at the gate.

1:16.0

We're out of pocket our wages they'll dock it.

1:19.0

We'll have to buy grub on the slaves.

1:21.0

Balletty, poverty not. Well, poverty, not.

1:24.0

Well, one would have to be an extreme pedant or a graduate in insensitivity to quibble

1:28.0

over the use of the word poverty to characterize the condition of those mill workers, but matters become rather

1:34.1

less clear-cut when that term is invoked to refer to whole sections of present-day

...

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