To William Beveridge’s five giant evils we must add a sixth – loneliness

an article by Rachel Reeves published in the New Statesman

Many of the ties that bound society together in the middle of the last century have fallen apart.

It is 75 years since William Beveridge set out his vision of a welfare state, in a report that profoundly changed the shape of Britain. He identified what he called the five “giant evils” – Want, Disease, Squalor, Ignorance and Idleness. I believe that if Beveridge were alive today he would add a sixth evil – Loneliness.

Today’s world is very different to the one Beveridge sought to improve. His giants have yet to be brought down. But many of the ties that bound society together in the middle of the last century have been so weakened that they barely function any longer. Trade unions, churches, the local pub, the workplace – these institutions are now marginal or they have changed out of recognition. We are living in a disconnected society.

When the culture and the communities that once connected us to one another disappear we can be left feeling abandoned and cut off from society.

The modern economy has generated great wealth, but it has been at the expense of our connection with others. Inequality divides us by wealth and status. Globalisation fragments our communities. Markets turn relationships into transactions. Technology replaces people with machines.

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