The Social Distance Between Us. How Remote Politics Wrecked Britain

McGarvey, Darren

ISBN 10: 1529104084 / ISBN 13: 9781529104080

Published by Ebury Press, London, 2022

About this Item

Dustwrapper, pp.viii, 392. BBC4 Book of the Week label on wrapper cover. Explores the gulf between the living conditions and experiences of the poor and powerless with the privileged individuals charged with solving the issues the former face every day. Dustwrapper clean but has small worn split to foot of spine and some light creasing to top edge. Fine in VG wrapper.

Seller Inventory # 010783

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Social Distance Between Us. How Remote Politics Wrecked Britain
• Publisher: Ebury Press, London
• Publication Date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1529104084
• ISBN 13: 9781529104080
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 2nd Printing
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

*A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK* 'An Orwell for today's poor' - The Times 'This is McGarvey at his best' - Observer 'Breaks your heart and boils your blood' - Big Issue If all the best people are in all the top jobs, then why is Britain such a fucking bin fire? Britain is in a long-distance relationship with reality. A ravine cuts through it, partitioning the powerful from the powerless, the vocal from the voiceless, the fortunate from those too often forgotten. This distance dictates how we identify and relate to society's biggest issues - from homelessness and poverty to policing and overrun prisons - ultimately determining how, and whether, we strive to resolve them. So why, for generations, has a select group of people with very limited experience of social inequality been charged with discussing and debating it? I've sat on cold pavements with beggars, asking them why they would rather wander the streets than live in supported accommodation. I've pleaded with alcoholics to give sobriety one last shot before they end up dead - and read their obituaries in the paper weeks later. I've sat with youth workers at their wits' end as diversionary services are cut amid a surge in gang and knife violence. Too many people remain so far from this nightmarish social reality that even when they would earnestly wish to bring about change, they don't know where to start. So start here. Praise for Darren McGarvey: 'The standout, authentic voice of a generation' Herald 'Utterly compelling' Ian Rankin, New Statesman 'Brilliant' Russell Brand 'An absolutely fascinating individual' Owen Jones 'Offer[s] an antidote to populist anger that transcends left and right... articulate and emotional' Financial Times 'McGarvey is a rarity: a working-class writer who has fought to make the middle-class world hear what he has to say' Nick Cohen, Guardian

About the Author

Darren McGarvey grew up in Pollok, Glasgow. He is a writer, hip-hop artist, broadcaster and campaigner. His bestselling and acclaimed first book Poverty Safari was awarded the Orwell Prize for political writing in 2018.