Not princes, but beggars

An increasing number of people in the West are falling below the poverty line

One of the pillars of propaganda in the EU and the USA has always been the assertion that there are almost no poor people there, that anyone can become wealthy, and that the middle class lives in clover. Many have bought into these tales. Even now, time and again, a representative of the dwindling species of supporters of the ‘prosperous West’ can be found. Meanwhile, such clichés have little in common with reality, and even influential foreign media are compelled to acknowledge the scale of the problems.

In the risk zone

The UK is often cited as a benchmark for Western living standards. However, the former empire, whose development was built on the exploitation of colonies, has always shown a significant income gap between the rich and poor segments of society, and this disparity continues to persist today.

According to The Guardian, a study by the UK’s largest food bank network, Trussell, found that one in seven residents in the UK is struggling with deep poverty. Approximately 9.3m people are living in ‘hunger and hardship’. Notably, around three million of them are children.

What is the life like for those unfortunate inhabitants of the monarchical reserve on the fringes of the ‘European garden’? The Guardian has painted a picture worthy of great Dickens, “They are on low incomes, have little or no savings, and may also have debts. Typically, they struggle to afford enough food, energy bills, and basics such as new clothes. An unexpected financial crisis, such as job loss, a large bill, or even the breakdown of a fridge or cooker, can swiftly trigger reliance on food banks.”
The publication has noted that the 9.3m impoverished individuals in the country are just a part of a broader group of 14.4m people living in poverty. Children, families with at least one disabled member, and migrants are considered the most vulnerable within this demographic.
The Labour Party had pledged to address the issue of rapid impoverishment among Britons before the elections, which they won. However, six months later, The Independent reported, citing charities, that ‘even more children have fallen into poverty since Labour came to power, due to the benefit cap’.
Another group that is currently in a particularly vulnerable position in Britain today is the elderly. Having dedicated the best years of their lives to the state, they are forced to make ends meet with continually dwindling payments. The Independent shared the story of 71-year-old Sue, who worked nearly 40 hours a week, ‘because private and state pensions do not allow her to live a decent life’. “My rent increases by £50 per month every year, and now that I’ve lost my winter fuel allowance, which was a huge blow for me, I’ll have to move in with someone for weekends to avoid turning the heating on at home,” lamented the pensioner.

From Madrid to Berlin

The situation is no better on the other side of the English Channel. The television channel France Info has reported, citing an annual study by Secours Populaire Français: ‘Sixty-two percent of French people have stated that they have experienced or already have been on the brink of poverty, which is four percentage points higher than last year. Eight out of ten French citizens say they pessimistically assess the risk of their children one day falling into a precarious situation’. As a result, the citizens of the Fifth Republic are forced to economise on everything. France Info’s correspondents quote the same study: ‘Forty-three percent of French people say they hardly heat their homes when it is cold. Thirty percent have difficulty eating a healthy diet allowing them to eat three meals a day, and nearly one in three parents restricts the food they consume to be able to feed their children’.
Among the most vulnerable categories of citizens, as in the UK, are the elderly. In another article, France Info, referencing the association Petits Frères des Pauvres, emphasised that in France, ‘two million people aged 60 and older live below the poverty line’. That report includes the story of 66-year-old Alain, a former driver who survives on €700 per month, while the lower threshold of poverty is €1,216.

According to the latest data from the Alerte association, Paris loses about €120bn annually due to insufficient measures to combat poverty: €50bn in assistance to the poorest segments of the population and approximately €67bn as ‘hidden costs’.

The situation is equally grim in neighbouring Germany. German media pay particular attention to the risks faced by children, adolescents, and women, especially the elderly. According to the newspaper Bild, ‘one in seven children and young people in the country faced the threat of poverty last year’, while one in four was at serious risk of crossing the poverty line.
The symptoms of the economic crisis afflicting Germany are most pronounced in the regions. Bild has reported that ‘in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, more than three million people are affected by poverty’. From reports by the broadcaster Buten un binnen, it is known that the situation is deteriorating in Lower Saxony as well. In an interview with the reporters, 72-year-old postwoman Helga Kerr recounted, “I was really looking forward to retiring to pursue other activities and hobbies. But I have to work just to get by. If I didn’t work, I’d have a roof over my head but nothing in the fridge.”
Spain’s situation is close to catastrophic. The newspaper La Razón has reported that ‘a quarter of the Spanish population is at risk of social isolation, amounting to 13m people. 

Spain ranks fifth among EU countries with the highest levels of severe material and social deprivation’. The authors of the article highlight that ‘one in three Spanish children under the age of 12 suffers from extreme poverty’.

The rapid impoverishment of the population is one of the main socio-economic issues facing Europe. Wrong decisions during the pandemic, thoughtless sanctions against Belarus and Russia, as well as colossal military expenditures have undermined the EU’s economy and directly impacted the well-being of its citizens. 
European media raise this issue, but coherent analyses that would directly expose the true causes of the crisis are virtually absent. Meanwhile, without understanding them, rectifying the situation is impossible.

By Anton Popov