The EU Referendum has served to emphasise the huge divisions which exist across our country. One of the most prominent and significant of these divisions is the disparity between those who are seemingly economically comfortable and those who struggle on a daily basis.
There are some who characterise these struggles as a natural conclusion of the austerity measures pursued by Coalition and majority Conservative Governments. If only it were that simple.
The EU Referendum brought to the surface decades of growing anguish from sections of the country’s working people: wages that never seem to rise coupled with increased pressure on local public services – a double whammy of discontent.
This is not a new phenomenon. Having travelled around the country as Minister for Civil Society, I have noticed the growing sense of a ‘them and us’. This palpable feeling of frustration with the ‘system’ has led directly to a desire to smash the whole thing to pieces.
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