…

It is commonly assumed that neoliberal governments subject to elections, parliamentary opposition, critical press scrutiny and countervailing institutions do not engage in democidal practices. Think again. Elected government do not normally turn tanks and warplanes against their population, but they intentionally or unintentionally kill thousands of their citizens by inflicting poverty, austerity, low wages and poor healthcare. Recent history of the UK provides some evidence.

Since 2010, austerity and real wage cuts have been the policy choice of the Conservative government. At the end of June 2023, workers’ share of gross domestic product, in the forms of wage and salaries, shrank to around 50%, compared to 65.1% in 1976. The real average wage today is about the same level as in 2005. The state pension is the main source of income for majority of retirees. At 28%-30% of average earnings, it is one of the lowest in OECD countries. Even after adding private pensions, retirees fare badly. In its drive against public spending, the government reduced social security benefits by freezing their value or by increasing them by a lower rate than inflation.

The never-ending austerity has condemned millions to poverty. Out of a population of 67.7 million, 14.4 million Brits, including 4.2 million children, 8.1 million working-age adults and 2.1 million pensioners live in poverty. Poverty reduces access to good food, housing and healthcare. It incubates disease, anxiety, insecurity, health problems, and premature death.

The UK government has failed to make the required investment in healthcare. At the end of June 2023, some 7.6 million people in England alone were waiting for hospital treatment, compared to 2.5 million in 2010. With only 2.3 hospital beds per 1,000 people, the UK is ranked 23rdout of 24 European countries. Due to lack of healthcare, around 2.5 million have become chronically ill and are highly vulnerable.

The human cost of government policies is devastating. A study reported that between 2012 and 2019, government imposed austerity caused 335,000 excess deaths in England and Scotland i.e. nearly 48,000 a year. Replication of the same pattern across 13 years of Conservative rule could have caused 624,000 excess deaths.

…