Facing the facts (1996)

From the June 1996 issue of the Socialist Standard

• Inequality - The rich are getting richer. The top 1% of adults — 440,000 people — own more than twice as much as the bottom 50%. We produce, they take
• Insecurity - Only 4 in 10 workers have jobs that are relatively secure. By the year 2000, full-time employment will be a minority form of work. No profit, no work.
• Poverty - In Britain 36% of children live below the poverty line and about 10 million people are dependent on Income Support. There is worse to come. Social Security spending is to be reduced by £5 billion by the year 2000.
• Stress - Office staff in Britain are working longer hours. About 500,000 workers suffer physically as a result of their working environment; stress is identified as a problem in 9 out of 10 workplaces.
• Pressure - 1 in 4 of the population will suffer some type of mental health problem in a year. Poverty and loneliness are increasingly important causes.
• Homelessness - In 1995 about 360,000 people were classified as homeless and repossessions increased to 49,410. 389,780 home owners were in mortgage arrears and 75,258 possession orders were made against home owners. Meanwhile at least 300,000 building workers are currently unemployed.
• Poverty - More than 1 billion people in developing countries live in absolute poverty, and about 13 million children die each year from easily preventable illnesses.
• Hunger - 550 million people suffer hunger and every 3 seconds a child dies of hunger even though the world produces enough grain to provide everyone with a minimum diet Meanwhile crops which can’t be sold at a profit are destroyed and farmers are paid not to grow food.
• War - 25 wars rage over the globe, world capitalism spends $1,000,000,000,000, on armed forces each year with 500,000 scientists in military research. A huge waste of human and natural resources.
• Environment - Globally, forests are being destroyed at the rate of 11 million hectares per year while 6 million hectares of land are lost to deserts and a further 21 million are ruined so badly that they can no longer grow food.