Chris Baldock, 35, is an app designer from Manchester.
Gary Younge’s article on knife crime, The cause of death that dare not speak its name: austerity, made me reconsider the genesis of a lot of problems faced by poorer people in Britain today. In some ways, it confirmed what I had long suspected. In others, it provided a reasoned argument for why I should look beyond my immediate assumptions.
This article was eye-opening in its detail and compassionate in tone. We all know about budget cuts, but the lasting effects they have throughout society are very under-examined. This piece carefully considers the potential link between austerity and violent crimes among teenagers and, in particular young men, arguing that cuts affect young impoverished people more than anyone else, and those are the people who may carry knives.
Younge writes with a great deal of understanding about how cuts can lead to division, division to frustration, and frustration to crime. It makes sense when you look at it through that wider lens, but it’s so rarely discussed by the media. As a writer he seems, in contrast to a lot of politicians, to speak the same language as those most affected, and moreover, he is willing to look at the problem and ask “but why?”.
He mentions a number of cuts that have coincided with the rise in knife crime: in 2011 the government scrapped the educational maintenance allowance – the grant to low-income students who are in school or college; since 2010 there has been a £387m cut in youth services, and between 2012 and 2016 603 youth clubs closed. In addition, a stretched NHS is unable to adequately provide mental health assistance to the young.
When glimpsed in the wider context, it seems obvious there would be repercussions for young people. Equally, it was interesting to learn that both education and race are ‘false flags’ when it comes to offering an explanation regarding youth crime. As Younge mentions, research shows that once social class is taken into account, black kids are no more likely to be involved than their white counterparts. Indeed, as he goes on to explain, the only common factor between these attacks, the one enduring explanation, is austerity.
This was something of a revelation for me, and really struck a chord. I grew up close to quite an impoverished part of Manchester, before big regeneration projects like those in Salford and Moss Side helped alleviate poverty in the inner city, and I knew people who felt left behind by the government. I also experienced the competition among young, vulnerable males when the main thing they have going for them is their status among their peers.
After reading this article I shared it on Facebook and discussed it with friends. It’s something I have thought about a lot since first reading, and something I am sure will continue to provide necessary context to an ongoing, complex issue.
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If you are interested in reading more on this topic, join Gary Younge and Damien Gayle as they explore the themes behind knife crime in Britain in our Beyond the Blade series.
