TONY NOVAK - Poverty and Social Security. Why the Poor Are Always With Us

London England, Pluto Press, 1984. 1st Paperback Edition, Binding: Soft Cover, Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall 0861046463 Paperback Paperback. One in six of the British people live on, or below, the poverty line. This is no accident, nor is it because the system has broken down. Poverty on this scale exists because of the way we run our society. Ever since the Pool Law of 1834, 'social security' has been used to buy off social discontent and not to meet real social need. Novak argues that it is used, too, to keep the working class divided - between 'deserving' and 'undeserving', between those in work and the unemployed, between young and old, between men and women. In Britain, people who do not work are penalized and yet millions are denied the right to work. In any fight to eliminate poverty we have to see that the state is not entitlted to this double edged sword. In an era of mass unemployment, the question of poverty is crucial. 104 pp.