The audience gathered for Andrew Sayer's talk. Photo: Judith Allinson.
‘Why we can’t afford the rich’
Andrew Sayer spoke at Settle Meeting
Award-winning author Andrew Sayer of Lancaster University drew a large audience recently to Settle Meeting House for a well-received talk on inequality today.
Andrew, who is the university’s professor of social theory and political economy, addressed a meeting of the Justice and Peace group of Churches Together in Settle and District. He spoke on the extremes of inequality within the UK, of how those extremes have come into being, and of their consequences.
He said: ‘We cannot continue to provide the rich and super-rich with unearned income. Their political power is a threat to democracy, and their excessive consumption and dependence on never-ending growth are unsustainable.’
The lecture took its name from his book Why We Can’t Afford The Rich, which won the 2015 British Academy Peter Townsend prize. The paperback edition was launched at the event and all proceeds from copies sold on the night were donated to the Child Poverty Action Group.
