The last time the UK went into recession, the books were 'balanced*' on the shoulders of the poorest, the most vulnerable, the elderly, childrens centres, people with disabilities, women's refuges. 120,000 disabled people died. 1.2m people a year have ended up using foodbanks.

That was an austerity ideology manufactured on the back of inequality, of bailing out the banks for some kind of national good that's still yet to be apparent. How much worse could it be this time around when we are all made to feel collectively responsible for it?

Meanwhile the architects of that deadly ideology have scurried off into the sunset.

Nick Clegg works at Facebook.
Dave Cameron does something in his £26k shed thing.
George Osborne edits the Evening Standard.

And women and children are disproportionately still paying the price.

We know the value this Government places on human lives - or doesn't - amply demonstrated by their first telling responses to COVID19. There was a backlash to that, because we were genuinely all in it together. Keep that backlash rage handy when they come for the vulnerable again

Anyway I'm off to write something longer, this was just a drive-by shouting really. Was fizzing after reading recession headlines and the cat didn't give a shit so I came here to offload

I should also say that I'm currently writing a book about the human cost of austerity ten years on for this Spring so if you have any leads or are willing to be interviewed, it can be anonymised, ping me on justjackmonroe[at]gmail[dot]com with subject HUNGER HURTS. Thanks.