The Squeeze Out: Why Labour Is Crushing Your Living Standards

Through a simple and accessible explanation of the history behind why “Labour are being forced to do Austerity 2.0,” Stevenson offers a suggestion for how best to talk about wealth inequality with ordinary British people: “The Squeeze Out of the working class, The Squeeze Out of the middle class, The Squeeze Out of the government by rich people.” ‘The Squeeze Out’, Stevenson suggests, “is a really powerful way to explain to ordinary people what’s happening and how it affects them.” Our typical language: ‘wealth inequality’, “can sound academic, idealistic, egalitarian, politics of envy” whereas ‘The Squeeze Out’ focuses on “the most damaging and dangerous effect for ordinary people:” as the rich outcompete other groups in society for assets, over time, everyone else has fewer assets and more debt. There are five stages to this process, and we’re not far off the fifth now: “the rich own everything, and the only way they can grow their wealth is by sending you to fight in their wars against each other.” To stop this ‘squeeze out’: “tax wealth, not work”.