By Maeve Cohen, Project Lead at The Social Guarantee
With a new government came new hope. We know that to repair the damage done to the country over the past 14 years of austerity, we need serious investment in the essentials we all rely on; housing, healthcare, transport, energy, education and more. But the message from the new government chimes closely with that of the last. “We can’t afford it”, “there is no money”, “once the economy is back on track, we will invest in public services”.
This way of thinking is not only disastrous for those of campaigning to end poverty, it is also bad economics. Since free education was introduced in England and Wales in 1880, we have understood that an educated population is essential for a strong economy. Over the subsequent decades governments recognised that the same is true for good health, housing and connectivity, and so invested in essential public services like the NHS, social homes and public transport.
What’s good for us individually is good for the economy, this is because we are the economy. It is the sum of everything we do. Travelling to work, going out for a birthday meal, taking our kids to a play group – this is what life’s about, and this is what the economy is made up of. When we’re able to work, learn and play, the economy thrives. When we’re not well, then neither is the economy.
Too many of us are struggling. It’s hard to get a doctor’s appointment, there is no local bus, our houses are cold, damp and draughty. None of this is inevitable. It’s happening because governments have chosen to implement austerity policies. For 14 years they have starved the very services that enable us to be healthy, active and productive – our NHS, schools, childcare, energy, water and much more. And meanwhile the economy has grown weaker and weaker.
When we are ill, living in poor housing, or disconnected, it’s harder to do well at work, get to school or do things which make life brighter. We suffer. And so does the economy. The prevailing narrative – that there’s not enough money and we can’t afford to pay nurses properly, make our schools safe, insulate our homes or revive our public transport network – is back to front. A strong economy can only be achieved when a strong, healthy population can work together to create it.
Britain has the lowest investment of any G7 country. No wonder our economy is spluttering, poverty and inequality are increasing, and life is so hard for so many of us. We must change the narrative on what good economics looks like. And that is exactly what our campaign ‘We Are The Economy’ is trying to do. We are a coalition of organisations who are coming together to call for more investment in our public services.
Our key messages are:
- We are the economy. It’s the sum of our work, purchases and social interactions.
- When we are ill, poorly educated, living in precarious, poor quality housing and unable to get around due to poor transport links, our lives suffer, our communities suffer – and we are less productive.
- These services (in particular transport, energy and housing) are essential for greening the economy and meeting our climate targets.
- We will never have a strong economy unless we invest in public services now.
To find out more about the campaign and how your organisation can get involved, get in touch at maeve@socialguarantee.org. Together we can change the public discourse on what ‘good’ economics means and create an economy that works for all of us.
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This article is featured in our 2 October newsletter.
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