Common thoughts

We, the New Poor (my friend tells me that addressing ourselves as 'Nouveau Poor' will add style, but I'll stick to English) have fallen off the log of financial buoyancy. Some of us are clinging to flotsam and staying afloat and some of us have that sinking feeling. Some of us are unemployed, but not all. I am, but I wish to address more than the 'bums' on sofas of the Jobcentres of the land. I want to tackle the whole New Poor thing (and occasionally I'll return to writing about the salutory experience of signing-on).

We, the New Poor, often feel alone. We may individually see ourselves as sad sods, as failures. But we are not. New poverty is a consequence of market forces. The UK economy is a service economy. Who makes the better servant? Why, the young, pliable and energetic do. So, too, does cheap labour; some of it from countries not ranked as First World. That leaves us to compete for slim pickings.

Oh, well, life's not fair. As we contemplate that Tesco chief, Sir Terry Leahy, earns £20,000 per week, let's repeat all together now: every little helps.

Helps who?