The Left Behind

176 pages. Temps de lecture estimé 2h12min.
'The Left Behind' is a defining motif of contemporary British political discourse. It is the thread that knits together the 2016 Brexit referendum, the crumbling of the fabled 'Red Wall' in the North, and the pernicious culture war being waged today. But who are the Left Behind?James Morrison goes in search of the reality behind the rhetoric, offering the first comprehensive, historical analysis of the origins, uses and meanings of the term. He interrogates the popular archetype of the Left Behind - as a working class, leave-voting white male from a former industrial heartland - and situates the concept in the context of longstanding, demonising discourses aimed at communities seen as backward and 'undeserving'.Analysing national newspaper coverage and parliamentary discussions, and drawing on interviews with MPs, community leaders, charities and people with direct lived experiences of poverty and precarity, The Left Behind grapples with the real human cost of austerity for neglected post-industrial communities and other marginalised groups across the world, and the stigmatising discourse that does little to serve them.List of tablesAbout the authorAcknowledgementsIntroduction: Inventing and appropriating ‘the left behind’1. Working class, ‘underclass’ and collapsing-class identity: The roots of the left behind2. Politics, the press and the construction of the post-Brexit left behind3. How to solve a problem like the left behind: Condescension or contempt?4. Fear and loathing on social media: Trolling and championing the left behind5. Speaking up for the left behind: The voices of disadvantaged BritainConclusion: Towards a manifesto for ‘unite and rule’Appendix: Research methodologiesReferencesIndex