Homeless people: the voters without a voice | Anywhere but Westminster
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- Опубликовано: 18 окт 2024
- In the third part of their election series, John Harris and John Domokos go to Southend-on-sea, and find a coastal town with a homelessness crisis.
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A local charity is making sure that homeless people register to vote, while huge issues scream out for attention: benefit sanctions, abusive landlords, the gap between wages and rents, and the dire lack of mental health services
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#AnywhereButWestminster #Southend #Homeless #Homelessness #UK #Politics
This is brilliant journalism..thank you
Poverty is criminalised in this country. There is no other way around it.
Lots of the people in this video were hardworking and respectable. Any of us could end up homeless. Things like addiction, the govt fails us. This isn't on. We have the ability to end homelessness in this country with ease. So let's end it.
Created then criminalised
@@Chuci24 You cannot wave a magic wand and make it all disappear. This is mostly about choices and personal responsibility, not government coming to help.
@@Chuci24 Thats what i have come to realise about First world homelessness. Mental issues and addictions.
@@martynblackburn1977 but you can make it disappear. The money is there. We are the 5th richest country in the world. Other countries have achieved an end to homelessness and there's no reason why we can't.
The crazy thing is the cost of keeping someone in prison is far greater than simplying paying for them to have accomodation outside. So due to cuts to housing services it's costing Britain more as many end up in prison as, like this guy said, rather be there than on the streets.
Austerity was never about saving money. Its about social cleansing and getting rid of the poor/sick/disabled.
This continues to be a brilliant series.
I know I shouldn't be, but I'm still taken aback everytime someone says they voted Conservative.
It makes sense. These are totally demoralised people who don't think they deserve any better. They blame themselves so punish themselves by voting Tory.
Then you are not paying attention, surely?
no cure for stupidity
@Joe Box True, but only by standing with those who believe in giving us some democracy can this change
@@dantaylor7344 free lifelong education?
I left the UK a week before the 2010 general election as a 17 year old and haven’t been back since (not out of any antipathy, however). Watching this series is incredibly eye opening. I don’t recognize where I am from anymore.
where did you go?
One homeless person is one to many
@@pattate9636 your mum must so proud.
Too*
@@jsmith6974 thank u,
@Truthful Chap Or her personality
Just wait if we stay in the EU homelessness will rise to a quarter of the population as mass unemployment sets in with a Labour government as money and jobs leave the country to go to frankfurt and your jobs disappeared vote labour and liberal to help this get started
The landlords who throw people out without even giving them a chance have a lot to answer for.
This is depressing. I really wish & hope the UK improves.
'Great' video. Really important, upsetting stuff. You did the right thing to stay in southend another night.
*Have i still got a right to vote?*
Tragic. That somehow through poverty...he deserves less rights than the rest of society. Absolutely Disgusting.
Heartbreaking.
Justin, the guy at the start is the personification of how it can happen to anyone- a Tory voting small business owner...
He lost his licence, probably drink driving. Not exactly bad luck
he was ok with the Tories policies hurting others untill it happened to him
@@knockitoffhudson3470 yeah, he said it was his own fault; but here's the thing. Anyone can mess up. The problem is how precarious our lifestyles are and how few safety nets most people have.
It's easy to look at this guy and say that some kind of irresponsible behaviour caused his current problems, but almost everyone does irresponsible things sometimes. We pretend we've got everything under control because we got away with it (whatever it is) but the more we that we get away with things, the more we learn that the risk is minimal: until the day when we don't get away with it. Then we're in the same situation Justin is.
@@MultiMattRogers just don't drink and drive. Consequences exist because we live in reality
@@knockitoffhudson3470 well yes, but maybe I wasn't being clear. When I was talking about people messing upand bein irresponsible I was talking more generally. Not necessarily about drinking specifically.
In this guy's case, from his story, it may well have been drink related (it also might not have been, there are several ways that you can lose a license) but I was actually trying to broaden the discussion it a bit.
And unless you're suggesting that you are safe from homelessness if you don't drink and drive, you probably understand what I'm saying.
My parents bought their council house back in the 80's best thing that ever happened to them. The trouble was Thatcher & co. didn't use the money for more public housing. So it's no wonder the UK has a housing shortage amongst its many troubles. Me, I got the chance to emigrate, so bye-bye blighty. It feels so sad. I admire the way that you 2 manage to keep producing these videos & stay sane. The other strange fact I'd like to mention is that my pension fund owns 12.5% of Heathrow Airport + an airport in Scotland + other UK investments, small world. Please keep up the videos we appreciate your work.
Being Irish, seeing the UK is one of the few places that truly makes me thankful for where I am at the moment. There's a class divide and contempt for the poor that even Irish politicians can't match.
Spot on bro, even though people are able to climb the ladder in terms of traditional class systems they still like to look down upon and despise those worse off. There is no social cohesion in the UK.
@@simonh6371 pity no other words. Where is the British unity????
Just so you know...
“The bottom line is that [through austerity] much of the glue that has held British society together since the Second World War has been *deliberately* removed and replaced with a harsh and uncaring ethos." - Prof. Aston, United Nations
Mr. Tiptopten. Ian Duncan Smith's Utopia, is now on a huge number of our streets. Its there for all to see, and tragically they aren't done yet.
Thank Labour for massive debts still to be repaid and don't worry they only want to borrow a trillion more to spend.
It's my fault I sniffed it all
@borgilskye evidence?
@@davebrennan1509 then why are we in more debt now? More spending, crazy election promises and less services than ever despite the recession and austerity officially ending years ago. Tony's government did overspend but at least everyone benefited instead of just the richest who were barely affected by "austerity" or the banking and financial sectors which continue to break the law and increase profits consistently.
It's harder to find a better advert for voting for Corbyn
With Corbyn's current political ratings you're goign to have to find adverts of people eating their pets as a viable alternative to food.
@Bartosz Bartosz Yeah the country had money problems and so services were cut. This always happens when Labour gets wreckless with public money. As recent history shows, the Tories have to come in each time and sort out the mess.
@@martynblackburn1977 to be fair on the tories they are bringing in a new law which will stop governments from spending more than they have. Hopefully this will stop the cycle
@@martynblackburn1977 They sort out the mess of the financial crisis on the backs of the poor and working class. Thats just immoral and disgusting. Billionaire parties never work for the ordinary person.
martynblackburn1977 you’re clueless. Financial crash began in Wall Street and sub-prime mortgages. Labours spending had no baring on where our money really went beyond the foolish decision to bail out the banks. Stop swallowing Tory lies.
Tory Britain: if you're homeless during winter, you're better off in prison 🙈🙈🙈
or the graveyard
jayms how’s it tory fault? Wasn’t they homeless when labour was in power? If anyone is at fault for homelessness it’s the liberal left. They want to prove how tolerant they are by importing all the undesirables to the point that our infrastructure can’t cope. That’s why there’s so much homelessness.
Mate did you watch the same video? Most of the people in it have become homeless in the last few years. Homelessness has skyrocketed under the Tories, but immigration rates have been the same for over twenty years. What does that tell you? Tory austerity is taking people's homes away, not immigrants.
@@davidjames3125 It's the Tories' fault for destroying this country with austerity. In other words, the Tories took money out of our public services, sold our industry to foreign companies, and hasn't build any new social housing. They did all of that so they can lower taxes and give tax breaks to the wealthiest in society (on top of many companies not paying tax at all). It isn't the fault of immigration - it is the fault of austerity. (Oh BTW, immigration hasn't gone down under the Tories )
jayms the tories did what they had to do as a result of labours mistakes. Unless you know of a place where money grows on trees
I don’t understand why people are not revolting against this level of poverty. English people seem so ready to accept their lot! Start a revolt for God’s sake!
Most homeless people are men. That's why. Men require jobs and they go off the grid after not having a job for so long. A woman can get sympathy and people will riot for them if the numbers grow and politicians will pay special attention to them. Men are basically on their own and its very hard to drum up sympathy or special attention for them since being unemployed for men is a much greater social burden than it is for women.
Socialism mostly is used to keep the revolt at bay. Cars, entertainment, feminism and multinationals killed communities so the group revolt would be much harder to organise. We're at the end of an age. Weeding is the choice for the future because it means the haves will continue to be masters in their minds, at least for that little while longer.
Most people are all right. So they don't even think of those really struggling, let alone care. Some care, but don't feel that they can do anything.
What poverty? Lazy people that refuse to work?
@@selfless6654 No, it is more deep seated than that, the class system is still entrenched in our British mentality, hence the ''I'm alright Jack, sod you'' NIMBY mentality, the haves look down on and also fear the have-nots.
I used to live in Cardiff for university. Now going back there just depresses me because there is a homeless person everywhere. I feel like lots of people just ignore it. It's easier to walk past and not think. Can't blame them, it's hard to be around and know there's very little you can do as an individual. Labour feel like the only hope.
Wales is run by Labour and Plaid Cymru….
'I've always voted Conservative' and there is the root of your problems my friend
No, root problem was loosing his driving licence, probably down to drink driving.
@@TVsez personally yes, societally no. Tories always undermine the social safety net when they get into power - labour strengthen it. We all have failures and weaknesses, labour governments allow us to get back up easier when we fall down.
DukeofJam the man is more likely to get back on his feet simply because he is taking responsibility for his situation.
If you look to the government to take complete care of you there is a ceiling you will never ever be able to elevate yourself out of.
There should be a careful balance of social services to help the most vulnerable e.g. the disabled that are completely unable to work.
The state is able to control your life (e.g. where you live) the more you are reliant on them.
@Truthful Chap I guess, you have no access to information or rather it stopped about 15 years ago. Otherwise you’d be aware that neither Blair nor Brown & their lot are in charge of the Labour Party nowadays.
So, Truthful Chap, you may want to UPDATE your knowledge of the truth or change your username.
Nonsense
Britain is a really ugly class-riven society. We in Europe went thru the worst of the neoliberal phase too, but nowhere is it as bad as in the UK, and we've won many more battles for rights and decency than the British I think... A broken society, Brexit might almost be the least of your worries.
This make me tear up man, homeless people voting libdem and conservative ffs man
Do unemployment rates rise or fall under Labour governments?
@Dale Haygarth I already know the answer to it lol. I was very clearly asking a rhetorical question, hopefully to prompt the guy who wrote the original comment into realizing why even homeless people won't vote Labour now.
Wow, this is the most depressing video I've ever seen in my life. I'm gutted.
@Cowardly Custard I'm not married.
What has this country become? We've left so many people behind. So many suffering.
Perhaps if we didn't have to compete with the whole world for a job and a house, there would be less suffering.
I was homeless for couple of years,trust me it’s hard.you got no help from local council,if your lucky you can get into a night shelter.but if your on universal credits & homeless,you will get sanctioned.but any way I managed to get social housing,so I’m one of the lucky ones.the local council will go around and take your tent if they find it.so your always worrying if your tent get pinched or council takes it.its a VARY HARD LIFE LIVING ON STREETS IN THIS COUNTRY 🇬🇧⭐️💕☮️
As always watching a John Harris' video - I always end up in tears.
As one of the richest collection of nations in the world - we just don't care really, which is very, very sad.
When will England realise that the Tories are absolute sociapaths.
The UK will break up, which is no bad thing - I just hope England will find/invent a party that cares for them. We're lucky in that respect in Scotland.
People know what's going on, and yet they still vote Conservative.
@valencia hargrave man I use to remember when I thought conservatives were the good guys
Look at the alternative a socialist anti semite who would make the middle class pay for his lunatic spending spree when everybody with any money goes away and business investment dries up.
Any 1 that believes corbyn is either thick or nieve.
@@highdefinitionstanleytm9614 Only businesses trust Corbyn more than Johnson.
And you'd rather people suffer and die than experience some socialism?!
@dave Stanley I may be thick but at least I can spell naive...
This series is really great, it's hard to come across such raw and relatable questions that get human answers out of people as well as seemingly balanced and fair editorial decisions
The end products of neoliberal economic policies - the poor and the working poor become poorer, the wealthy become wealthier, the middle class struggles and corporations make more profit and pay less tax.
This series is recording a greater societal problem in the UK, Brexit is just a frippery on a tidal wave of misery.
Brexit is these people's cry to be heard.
I voted Conservative and now I'm homeless.
** Surprised Pikachu face **
Great story is is so important these people have their voices' heard too
WHAT ABOUT THE VOICES AT RED ICE TV THAT THE SCUMBAGS AT GUARDIAN GOT BANNED?!
Wellcome to conservative Britan
m. brookes. We are now right back in the Victorian era. The only difference is, we have smart phones now.
I live in Sunderland and it pretty much like Southend's northern twin.
And they say the south is ‘rich’
I went to Sunderland because that is where my partners family is from. I've been to some bad places, but Sunderland was just a new low
It absolutely disgusting, it makes me so angry what the Tories are doing to people in what's meant to be a 'civilized society'
impeccable journalism
I fully understand the guy saying he will rather go prison ... I would do the same ... so now the goverment has a crime case that has not even happened yet but it will have to in order to survive ...
THIS amongst other hings is what I love the Guardian for. Thanks!
Glad to see you in my hometown run by a MP for longer than I've been alive.
Southend has high rent, but no jobs with high enough wages to rent.
Well done the two Johns. Nobody else is doing this. SHoud be prime time viewing.
The work you do is vital and its a shame your RUclips videos are not central to mainstream broadcast.
Maybe you should blur out the vulnerable person's name, address and DoB?
0:20
Yikes
Hi Pete, thanks for flagging. We've done this now.
Another great film, John & the crew, that brought tears to my eyes. Way more people need to see this sort of reporting that shows real people and the situations they are in. It's good for Guardian readers, but a lot of us/them don't need to be urged to choose a progressive party. However I wonder just how in touch some Party leadership teams are with what is going on. I suspect the answer is "not enough".
Thanks for bringning this to our attention
I have family that live in southend-on-sea about 10minutes walk from these interviews in a house worth over a million pounds.
Maybe if we had a party with socialist ideals and an national identity, we could solve the homelessness problem. We could have pride in who we are with a reason to care for each other, and the practices to put those feelings in place. Both Labour and Conservative voters could get behind this party.
Peacecraft so your ideal party would be national and socialist 🤔
@@Pierrick2009 nothing wrong with a bit of nationalist socialism lad
Bad here in Hastings as well, looks very grim up there in Southend. Most of the problems stem from the Right To Buy (1980 Housing Act) and the abolition of the Fair Rent Act (1988 Housing Act), coupled with the coalition and Tory Governments dogmatic destruction of social provision since 2010, pure evil.
My god this is so sad and harrowing.
Mental health should be the top priority for any Government. Many of these problems that lead to homeless are to do with addictions and mental health. There simply isn't any help out there for people suffering from depression. You could be waiting for 1+ year to see a psychiatrist and if you want to go privately, you'll pay hundreds for a single appointment.
Raised sometime in Thurrock and Grays, Essex growing up, I always surprisingly was sheltered from all of this. Seeing it years later it's heartbreaking and frankly disturbing. This is not my Britain, this is a tragedy. Could only imagine Cornwall being so economically deprived as well?
Colchester had it pretty rough too, remember the number of homeless people on the high street growing a stupid amount over a 6 month period.
Bless you, John and John! It’s so sad to me that we have these people facing these problems in both USA and UK (really only two countries who seem to care that there are homeless on the streets), when are the 1st and 5th largest economies in world.
"Next year will be our year, I can feel it." - Little did she know it would be even worse...
This is the most important video the Guardian has ever produced. Share widely.
"Coming up next..." looks to camera, audience cries.
when i said come to southend last video, i didnt think you actually would lol
😉
As someone who spent most of my childhood around Southend im glad to see someone covering the homeless population here. I was a tory supporter before Brexit but overseeing the results of their policies first hand im having my doubts this time around.
The best thing about this program is it does shine a light on the forgotten parts of Britain.
The cost of an austerity loving government is staggering. We need Corbyn to win now.
I really don't know how to describe it but:
This whole series carries a kind of comforting melancholy... or is this a British thing in general?
A lot of it is the UK weather
It's systemic and purposeful. The Tories just don't care about the poor, ill and disabled.
I'm from the Netherlands and it's crazy to me to hear that guy say the UK is overpopulated. Man, you have no idea what overpopulation looks like.
I grew up near Southend and this saddens me. It really wasn't always like this.
You should have shown the council taking their tents away in the freezing winter. Shocking. It's all they've got. But thank you so much for showing my home town as it is under Tory Britain.
That's the Tory solution, fix the problem by taking things away so we the public don't see it.
Such a comfort to know that when Mrs Thatcher got dementia in her last years, she moved into the Ritz Hotel no care home for her.
English libraries are a god send for the homeless during the vary cold months of winter.rain is like water to a gremlin.if your homeless you can’t dry your cloths out.
Fantastic series
2:12 The sad tragic irony of it all
Its nice of jesus to ignore the homeless in his garden....
almost shed tears watching this, and i'm in a rather similar position to these people. what world are we building for ourselves eh?
this is the best vox pop john h and john d have done so far. it is so gut wrenching to think we are about to head into yet another tory govt
three undeniable truths in life, Death, Taxes and Tories giving zero fucks for people that ain't rich
I would rather vote for Kermit the frog than a Tory. Because our backward 1st past the post system the only candidate that can beat the Tory is labour..so no option.
Labour has yet to explain why FDI will vacate UK if Jeremy Corbyn wins this elections.
Tories our. Vote Labour and end homelessness.
Oh I do like to be beside the seaside... One irony - the houses in the conservation area behind where he was interviewing the last few people are all about million pound houses. Pretty shit state of affairs to have that disparity of wealth existing within 100 feet.
Poor man
The first guy said it best tbh. How he was to blame because of drink. Voting labour is not going to suddenly stop drug and alcohol addiction.
I lived in Australia, a country with higher minimum wages, an economy that has never been in recession, welfare that is one of the best in the western world. Yet they have a homeless population that is higher than ours (percentage of population). We in the UK have a heavily ingrained drink & drug culture, thats the problem.
You are doing a great job, John. Making a lot more of us aware of the reality of life in England right now. I predict a Labour landslide.
A narrow Tory majority I think. Labour are too left-wing at the moment.
@@ajs41 'fraid to say that you appear to be too much of a centrist at the moment Andy. I see no problem with making the UK's services work for the people and not just the elite.
@@ajs41 Labour are not radical enough with their social policies
Lol this comment aged like milk
I keep hearing "we used to vote TORY" Hope they won't be going back. Ironic really and sad
...and then there's the self serving over-fed self electing Eurocrats stuffing their faces with our money, no-one got any gripes with them?
United kingdom I don't think so..its a tale of two cities...
So soul destroying. What has this country come to? I started crying watching this :(
Over 40 years of cruel neoliberalism on the poor .
I haven't watched it yet, but I fear most homeless people will vote tory if they could. Let's see if I'm right. see you in 16 minutes.
Well, 1 Con, 1 LD, 1 Lab. This is hopeful.
@@bluceree7312 it is Essex mate. As blue as it can be.
Wow I feel so bad for Justin
Ends with "I'm a celebrity get me out of here" 🤔
People trust this channel 🤦♀️
I mean, that was very deliberate. Too many people see politics as the same as watching someone eat a kangaroo testicle...
Thay first guy put such a human face to homelessness.
When the council sold a house they should have then built 2 more with the proceeds. What happened to the money?
Maybe you should invite Mr. Johnson to accompany you on your trip for some days including rough sleeping for one night maybe even on a graveyard. He was once recently asked _"how he can relate himself to the british people"_ ... no answer. He tried 5 times to begin with an answer and failed ... after the trip with you guys maybe he can.
Not just Johnson, Sunak as well. They play dress up but won't play homeless and when you're as rich as they are, these problems don't exist.
A tent or Milton Keynes, tough call...
VOTE LABOUR
I would prefer to spend the time in jail instead at least get 3 meals and warm bed
a nation as rich as ours should not have people living on the streets. tory greed has done this.
This is real journalism
And labour for simple humanity as to win
ivo Salvador no politician will ever be your saviour, I’m afraid. Only the individual can better themselves. Even if Corbyn wins (which is looking unlikely), he’s not gonna have the numbers in parliament to get anything radical through.
@@andrewf4623 i know but for more 15 days i can hope that people aree better then what they really are
Do they care for the homeless? Or are they helping these poor people to register just for them to vote the way they want?
Take a guess
Instead of Parties paying consultancies for view they should watch this series there are lessons for all parties and all viewpoints in this series..
This is superb series life at the raw end and is very relevant whether you support Tory Labour or Lib Dem..
Shows the importance of self help which is how Labour started, and better prison than rough..
Please please please look at the results of Allan Carr (not the comedian) books, audio, clinics! It should be on NHS as he wished for!!!!
i thought you were talking about alan carr the comedian and was so confused
After loosing his driving licence he lost everything? Please after using toxic substances he lost everything!
workers are like everything else - if you have plenty you choose the best and discard the rest.
2:23. is that a security guard in a homeless shelter?
Lady @ 4:03: "Next year is going to be my year"
Narrator: In fact, it would not be anyone's year
I wonder how the UK's homelessness situation is viewed by the general voting public? sympathy? unsightly nuisance? its there own fault? I'm tending to think apart from socially conscious older women its perceived as a self inflicted situation...
thx again to all the team found it a particularly moving episode