Danny Dorling

A book that made me feel angry about the way things are, frustrated that the solutions are relatively easy, angry (again) that those solutions are derided by those with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo (for which read their own privilege), and hopeful that perhaps things can change for the better. Dorling is a fantastic writer, immensely knowledgeable and able to make his point in an accessible way.

Well, this is a deeply enraging book. I recommend looking at pictures of happy dogs in order to promote calm after finishing it. Housing is an especially vexed issue for me, as I used to work in local government in the time BC (Before Crisis & Before Coalition). I had access to a lot of housing data and worked on issues relating to new housing development, as well as having a wise colleague who taught me huge amounts about the operation of the housing system. Prior to the crisis, it was show more clear that there were major problems with housing in the UK. Apart from anything else, I was living in a slummy shared rental managed by an actively malign rental agency. (That said, my rent was 25% lower than it is 5 years later, despite now living in another slummy shared rental further out of the centre of the same city. At least my current rental agents are only passively malign.) When the crisis hit, there was massive concern in local government about the sudden cessation of new house building, sometimes quite literally in the middle of construction. It was clear that a new approach to housing policy was needed to respond to the crisis and the underlying problems which it exacerbated. Then the Coalition got in and every single housing policy they came up with did the opposite of what was needed. My colleagues and I used to read aloud press releases from the Department of Communities and Local Government, asking each other, “Don’t they realise what will happen?” If Eric Pickles et al did realise, they did not care about the homelessness, housing insecurity, and affordability crises they were encouraging. Moreover, Mr. Pickles’ department cut all funding for my colleagues and I, so we were made redundant en masse. I took refuge in postgraduate education and began teaching undergraduates about housing, not without a certain bitter tone. My PhD isn’t about housing, though, as three years of sustained intense anger would have given me ulcers.

This extensive preamble is to set the context for my reading this book and my lack of neutrality on its subject matter. 'All that is Solid' did not tell me a great deal that I didn’t already know and thus I found the initial chapters somewhat slow and meandering. Personally, I would have structured a book of this kind a bit differently, perhaps based on the housing tenures or the roles played by housing (shelter, real estate investment, etc). Nonetheless, Dorling is a powerful writer and marshals an impressive breadth of information. I wasn’t as impressed by ‘All that is Solid’ as [b:Injustice: Why social inequality persists|8072292|Injustice Why Social Inequality Persists|Danny Dorling|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344745002s/8072292.jpg|12778593], an earlier book of his which I highly recommend. The main theme is the same, though. Dorling traces the current UK housing crisis to the growth of inequality since the 1980s. One of his key points, which I have not seen much discussion of elsewhere, is that there are considerably more bedrooms than there are people in the UK. Thus to speak of a housing shortage conceals the unequal distribution of not just housing but the space within it. He also discusses Britain’s appallingly feudal distribution of land ownership, which I also teach undergraduates about.

The book’s themes coalesced more effectively as it went on, culminating in a powerful ending. Dorling takes a pleasingly pragmatic approach to policy solutions. Rather than relying on small scale change (co-housing projects and the like), he advocates legal changes that would alter people’s rights to housing and the power balance between landlords & tenants. He sees speculative investment in housing as anathema, which should not be so radical a view given the disastrous chaos of the 2007/8 financial meltdown. Major reform of council tax, perhaps including the introduction of a land value tax, is also suggested. The current council tax system is appallingly regressive. Dorling also deplores the punitive and cruel cuts to benefits, such as the bedroom tax. The most upsetting parts of the book discuss how the Coalition has targeted the most vulnerable, removing their safety net against homelessness. Dorling connects this to increasing death rates amongst the elderly, a correlation I hadn’t come across before.

I highly recommend this book and on balance am glad that I read it, as Dorling had a constructive and interesting set of policy approaches to suggest that might improve the situation. Unfortunately, hell will freeze over before the Coalition would contemplate any of them. We must hope for a more humane and less ideologically blinkered government after the coming election. With housing, I find that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. From my academic and professional experience, I understand why my living situations since I left home have been increasingly expensive yet of consistently poor quality. I understand why I’ve lived with mouldy walls, malfunctioning white goods, overcrowding, astronomical energy bills due to absent insulation, arbitrary fees, insecure tenancies, tiny rooms, and worn Ikea 'furnishings'. Yet this understanding is the very opposite of consolation. I don’t aspire to own a home and rent from the bank rather than an absent landlord, as the only obvious advantage would be non-magnolia walls. Dorling makes abundantly clear that the current housing system works in the favour of a rich minority and disadvantages everybody else to a greater or lesser degree. Contemplating all this for any length of time inclines me to become a hermit and live in a yurt somewhere. Or perhaps move to Scotland, where many of the creative fees (contract fees, inventory fees, administrative fees, etc) levied by rental agents are now illegal.

Of course, I am one of the lucky ones. I can afford my rent, as it’s only about 40% of my income. Compared to many, I am well housed. Still, it’s terrible how much the housing situation has deteriorated in past few decades. For my generation, living somewhere with decent insulation, adequate space, and no mould problem is a major ambition. I am two weeks away from my thirtieth birthday and have never rented anywhere that combined those three basic attributes. Such luxury only exists at the most unaffordable end of the rental market. And I don’t even live in London, which takes the housing problems of other British urban areas to hyperbolic extremes.

Although I haven’t said much about the book, if you've waded through my rancor then I can safely recommend it to you. To conclude, here is a quote that sets the current housing crisis neatly in wider context:

What each generation spends most of its money on changes over time. Our grandparents spent far more on food than on housing; our parents often spent more on cars than on housing. We, however, spend more on housing than on anything else. Our children may - on average - spend more on education unless they can stop that particular bubble from forming, but that is a subject for a future book.

show less

A story told through statistics, linked to each stop on a London Tube line. That’s The 32 Stops in one sentence. But as boring as that may seem, it definitely isn’t. I think it’s a great way to talk about statistics, and to demonstrate the inequality of different areas in Britain. It looks at crime rates, GCSE scores, income and percentage of children living below the poverty line. In the space of a minute or two of travel, life expectancy and income can change dramatically.

The story show more of the Central Line is told over one Saturday, with a vignette for each stop. Interestingly, the western and eastern points are quite similar demographically. In between, it’s a mix from the very rich (hello Bank) to the very poor. Incomes, education and ethnicities all change on that one trip. In some places, you might be more likely to end up in prison. In others, your GCSE might be higher. Some areas have a higher number of rich immigrants. Some have great-grandmothers in their fifties. There is an incredible range here, from the expensive apartments to the council housing. Danny Dorling is well appointed to tell the reader the story, being a professor of social science and having published on the inequalities of those in England. The way he knits together the tables of statistics and makes them into little stories of nameless people (some who fit the average and some who are on the ends of the bell curve) really brings the numbers to life. (Plus, if you’re interested in the data, the book is extensively referenced…must read some of those ward newsletters one day).

It’s a quirky idea and may not fit everyone’s tastes. I thought it was a great taster in social geography as well as giving some eye-opening facts in an open way and linking it to people you might see in your travels. (Not to mention the dinner party useless fact that most bankers do live in Bank).

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com show less

It is easy to write a rant about inequality: even I could probably manage that. What is much more tricky, is to write a book that patiently explains the reasons for, the effects of and the possible solutions for income inequality. Danny Dorling manages the latter.

The major economic countries have been in a state of 'Austerity' since the banking crisis of 2008. Western governments have bailed out the rich, by hitting the poor and blaming minorities. Dorling patiently explains this, gives show more cogent argument as to why this has worked and shown the cracks that have appeared in the pretence that the suffering of the less wealthy is the only solution.

I see that some reviewers have been less generous with their rating and, frankly, this amazes me. I presume them not to be the elite 1% and can see no reason for anyone else to dispute, or dislike the conclusions drawn. I am getting tired of being assailed by open racists, who have no understanding of the reasons for austerity and jump on the proffered bandwagon which blames immigration for all our woes.

This book is a must read for anyone with an iota of belief that the right wing "There is no such thing as society" view is questionable. show less