Social recession

Something profound has happened to society over the last 30 years, as two curious phenomena have come to light. The first is that as we are getting richer we don't seem to be getting any happier. The second is that we feel increasingly empowered as individuals, but increasingly disempowered as citizens. We can choose more of what we want in the shops, but feel more powerless than ever to shape the world around us. These phenomena combine to create a world that feels like it is out of our control. There is a sense that society is lacking direction that is mixed into a potentially lethal cocktail with an apparent inability to do anything about it. It is turning society into a toxic brew of intolerance, inequality, crime and violence.

‘Social recession’ is a useful phrase to describe this as it highlights the newly emerging understanding that society can suffer whether the economy is buoyant or, as at the time of writing, is experiencing an accelerating downturn. Social recession hits all social groupings, except the super-rich. An almost tangible sense of insecurity pervades our lives. Little is certain except an exhausting struggle to keep going on the ‘earn-to-spend’ treadmill of the consumer society. House prices are collapsing, basic food and utility costs are rising sharply and supposedly secure pension schemes are disappearing. It feels like there is nothing we can do. Employment also feels insecure. The concept of a job for life no longer exists. The growing pressure on our working lives is tangible – if the boss or other employees never go home then neither must we. In Britain we work some of the longest hours, yet enjoy fewer public benefits.