3 Years Ago, Something Remarkable Happened

Overnight, JobSeeker and other payments almost doubled. Millions of people were suddenly living above the poverty-line. In some cases, for the first time in years.

In the weeks afterwards, I heard from hundreds of people from across the country about what that extra money meant: women who were able to flee violent relationships; people speaking about the novelty of being able to afford fresh fruit and vegetables; people who could now save up for essential household appliances; a single mother who could purchase laptops for their children, so they could do work from home; someone finally able to get their car registered and insured; no more skipping of insulin shots; no more eating once a day, and surviving on coffee and tea, the rest of the time; no more going to bed every night, stressed about how you would survive, those last few days before your next payment; a haircut, having money for a proper haircut!!

We all know what happened next. 90 percent of that extra money was removed, in 3 cruel cuts.

Millions of people who started COVID on $40-a-day, and enjoyed a few months, finally, of being able to cope, on $80-a-day, now found themselves back in despair and gnawing stress, on $46-a-day. Back below the poverty-line.

Every day, I see living proof of the damage that living on such a miserably-low, dangerously-low income does to people’s health and sanity.

Completely foreseeable. Completely preventable.

Poverty is the life-destroyer, the life-shortener.

But too much in this country, it would seem, depends on millions of people living in a state of constant anxiety

Every tax cut to the rich feels like a personal insult, and makes my blood boil.

What also makes my blood boil, almost as much, is the cowardice of politicians who cannot bring themselves to fight for those living in such severe crisis.

Our job, is to never forgive, never forget, and to keep fighting, for as long as it takes, till no one in this country is living in poverty.