An MP Must-See
Walking in to the museum you are confronted with immediate austerity: bare walls, a couple of chairs and two or three dais seemingly doing nothing except be trip hazards. People stand around like Zombies, staring strangely into bare corners and empty spaces. And then you put the headset on and the museum comes alive with the living dead, writes Michael Holland.
Straightaway you see what the others are seeing, life-size, 3D holograms that you can walk around and put your hand through. They do not look well. They are lying in squalid beds, or on the streets, in hospital, on benches, trying to fill in complex forms that their heads can’t process. These are the people who need care and attention. They need help. They are the victims of the Government’s Austerity Measures.
This exhibition tells of when David Cameron sought votes from the selfish and greedy – who care not about those at the bottom – by promising to cut benefits. He got their votes and he formed a coalition government that made it very difficult to be unwell in Britain.
As you stared in wonder at these disturbing holograms, you listened to heart-wrenching stories of how they had been left behind by society, been caught in a web of bureaucratic form-filling and appointments, of being sanctioned and benefits cut because of not replying to a letter, being left in absolute dire straits – often through an admin error on the DWP’s side.
One woman had completed several forms, each time saying she wanted to die. When asked why she missed an appointment, she told them that, ‘I was busy trying to commit suicide’. She never got flagged up. This was only revealed when there was an inquiry after she did, sadly, kill herself.
The tales of woe came from survivors or the families of victims, and they were from all walks of life. There is no ‘type’ for these situations and problems., they can happen to anyone. Many people are just one payday away from destitution, just like they were in Victorian Britain.
I recently read that the world last year spent $3 trillion on defence and arms, and that the world’s top ten richest people could easily rid planet earth of famine and poverty. And yet here we are in the UK with many agencies, that are supposed to be the safety net for the vulnerable, not hearing the cries for help. When will they ever learn?
We still have our leaders being held back by those not willing to provide aid for the needy while cutting taxes for billionaires as they cut benefits. Each new cut brings an increase in suicides.
Every MP should go and see this exhibition, for it is they and their ilk that lets this crime against humanity continue.
Directed by Sacha Wares.
Young Vic until 16th January.
Booking and full details: https://www.youngvic.org/whats-on/museum-of-austerity
