Ɖ Obzrvr vy on iniqoḷti in ɖ YC
(Transcription of an editorial published in the Observer on Sunday 5 June 2022)
Onli p’liticl rnywl wl rībild trust n criet a fẹrr ssayti
Súnde, 5 Jūn 2022
Britn hz bcm a betr cuntri in ẃć t liv on olmst evri meźr in ɖ 70 yirz sins ɖ Qīn s’xidd t ɖ ʈron. W r a wlʈịr neśn, wɖ lowr levlz v abṣlut poṿti n hayr lîf xpctnsiz. Mni mor cn aford t inrić ɖer livz wɖ inṭnaśnl travl. In ɖ 1950z, fy ppl ǒnd teḷviźnz or frijz; tde, tecnoḷji v ẃć ɖe cd onli hv drīmd hz bcm a prṃnnt fīćr fr ɖ vast mjoṛti. Wimin’z ptiṣpeśn in ɖ wrcfors hz mor ɖn dubld n Britn z tde a far les resist cuntri ɖn it wz ɖen.
Bt ɖ naśnl mūd z difṛnt fṛm 20 yirz ago at ɖ goldn jūḅli, or īvn ɖ dîmndjūḅli in 2012. In ɖ rli 2000z, Britn apird at last t b on an upwdz tṛjectri aftr ɖ rseśn v ɖ 1990z. Ɖr wz an er v confidnt opṭmizm, fyld bî boynt groʈ acumṗnid bî mć-nīdd riinvstmnt in public srṿsz, a blūmñ crietiv inḍstri ɖt xportd Britiś culćr arnd ɖ wrld n ɖ istabliśmnt v ɖ minimm wej n a mor jenṛs welférsetlmnt, ispeṣ́li fr pnśnrz n fr faṃliz wɖ ćildṛn. Pīs wz aćivd in Norɖn Îrḷnd n pǎr dvolvd t Scotḷnd n Wêlz. Ɖ ćanslr, Gordn Brǎn, īvn dclerd ɖ end v “būm n bust”.
It hz tecn ɖ beṇfit v hîndsît t unḍstand jst hǎ preṃtyr ɖt wz. Frst, ɖr wz ɖ 2008 fînanśl crîsis ɖt rvrḅretd arnd ɖ glob n set in tren mor ɖn a deced v stagnetñ livñstanddz fr yuñ ppl n ɖoz on lo incmz; ɖen, a reḟrendm vot t līv ɖ YY ɖt suct in ol p’liticl eṇji fr fîv yirz, līvñ litl fr enʈñ els; n a pandemic ɖt clemd ɖ livz v ʈǎzndz v Brítnz n snt ɖ naśnl dét sōrñ t levlz nt sìn sins ɖ 1960z. Globl ôlśocs n ɖ wor in Ycren hv snt infleśn sōrñ t historic levlz ɖs yir.
Ć v ɖz crîsīz hz bn met wɖ a p’liticl rspons ɖt hz fōḷn far śort v ẃt ɖ cuntri dzrvz. Cnsrṿtiv ćanslrz yzd ɖ fînanśl crîsis az a justiḟceśn fr cutñ bac fînanśl s’port fr lo-incm faṃliz wɖ ćildṛn, īvn az ɖe dlivrd xpnsiv taxcuts ɖt dispṛporśṇtli beṇfitd betr-of faṃliz. Winñ ɖ Brexit reḟrendm onli dlivrd mor pǎr t îdịlogz wɖn ɖ Cnsrṿtiv parti, hu spent yirz ajtetñ fr a hard ic̣nomic, az wel az p’liticl, brec wɖ ɖ YY ɖt jeṗdîzz ɖ p’liticl stbiḷti v Norɖn Îrḷnd n wl drîv p rījnl dspaṛtiz in a cuntri ɖt olrdi hz sm v ɖ wrst levlz v jịgrafic iniqoḷti amñ wlʈi neśnz. Boris Jonsn md sirịs n dedli errz in hiz hanḍlñ v ɖ pandemic, ẃl unḍmainñ public trust in dmocṛsi bî brecñ lwz h himslf intṛdyst t pṛtct lîvz jrñ a naśnl imrjnsi.
Ɖ product v ol ɖs z ɖt ɖ opṭmizm v 20 yirz ago hz bn rplest wɖ unhlʈi levlz v siṇsizm in ǎr guṿnñclas; a sns ʈñz wl cntiny t impruv hz bn éjd ǎt bî ɖ glūm v stagneśn. Ɖs z ɖ frst jeṇreśn v yuñ ppl hu lc set t b wrs of ɖn ɖer peṛnts. Britn’z hǎzñcrîsis mīnz ɖt mni ppl in ɖer 30z wl nvr ǒn a hom, līvñ ɖm cnsînd t ɖ inṣkṛti n xpns v prîṿtli rentñ. Bt ǎr adix́n t groʈ fyld bî cnsymrdét n inebld bî rîzñ hǎsprîsz mīnz no poḷtiśn hz derd implimnt ɖ ifctiv s’luśnz t ɖ hǎzñcrîsis ɖt wd rît ɖs inṭjeṇreśnl roñ.
A deced v unḍinvstmnt in public srṿsz mīnz ɖt wêtñtîmz in ɖ NHS r at record levlz, wɖ ɖoz hu cn aford it rzortñ t gwñ prîṿt in ordr t axes tîmli cer. Ɖ Royl Colij v Imrjnsimeḍsin hz wornd ɖt un’xptbl wêts fr ambyḷnsz in Ñgḷnd r ptñ lîvz at risc. A śortij v NHS dntists mīnz sm ppl r rzortñ t pŭlñ ǎt ɖer ǒn tīʈ t alīviet ɖer pen. Rets v mntl-hlʈ dsordrz hv incrist fṛm wn in nîn t wn in six ćildṛn in ɖ last fîv yirz, bt srṿsz r in crîsis, wɖ mni ćildṛn rjctd fr trītmnt bcz ɖe d nt qoḷfî az il inuf. Poḷtiśnz hv dojd ɖ dificlt qsćnz abt hǎ t fund dīsnt oldr cer in a ssayti wɖ an ejñ popyleśn n in ẃć oldr ppl r uņessṛli cept lanḡśñ in hospitlwordz fr wīcs or īvn munʈs bcz ɖr z nẃr t disćarj ɖm t.
Mnẃl, rets v ćîldpoṿti r incrisñ aftr a deced v welfércuts hv left peṛnts rlaynt on fūdbancs n ćaṛti in ordr t enśur ɖer ćildṛn r worm n wel féd. Ɖ rūl v lw hz bn unḍmaind bî cuts t fruntlîn p’līsñ n cort dlez mīn sm crîmvictimz r wêtñ mor ɖn tū yirz fr ɖer ces t rīć cort.
Ɖt lîf in Britn tde z far betr, on aṿrij, ɖn it wz in 1952 dz nt mīn sitiznz śd pt p n śut p. Ɖ last deced hz bròt ćaḷnjz v a scel nt sìn sins ɖ Secnd Wrldwor, bt ɖ YC z a wlʈi cuntri betr iqipt ɖn evr t mīt ɖm, f onli ǎr līdrśp wr īql t ɖ tasc. Britn in 2022 z a cuntri ɖt hz nvr bn mor despṛtli in nīd v p’liticl rnywl.
