From the ale-house drunks of the Victorian era to the obese benefit scroungers of today, civilization has consistently pinned blame and shame for any societal issues on the poorer classes. In reality, the recent dismantling of crucial welfare state sections by both the U.K. s Labour and Conservative governments has resulted in the emergence of a new, harshly disadvantaged layer of British society. Growing numbers of unemployed citizens have been deserted, their voices obscured. In Cut Out, journalist Jeremy Seabrook talks to these silenced communities in order to expose the cruel...

The Refuge and the Fortress offers an account of academic refugees in Britain, including those who fled Nazi Germany, and through their testimonies, seeks to understand the qualities they bestowed on their adoptive country. It provides an honest portrayal of the encounters of people from other cultures with the characteristics of the British.

A rich and varied cultural and social history of an overlooked but ever-present phenomenon, and an impassioned plea for proper care today.