This week we take on the language of ‘vulnerable people’ and explore what it means for how we live, work and care for each other. We’re joined by Bryony Shannon, author of the Rewriting Social Care blog and the book - ‘Rewriting Social Care: Challenging and Changing Language and Practice for a Better, Brighter Future’. She has almost 20 years’ experience in adult social care information, communications, and practice development in local councils, and is now working with several organisations who want to challenge and change their own language and practice.
Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan.
You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our Patreon.
You can find out more about our guest Bryony Shannon on her website.
And, you can find out more about hosts Care Full on our website.
Our music for the episode is Bobby Bertoli’s Rebirth (thanks Bob x).
This week we’re talking about the ‘housing ladder’. We explore how the idea of a ladder keeps our attention on home ownership over other tenures, and whether the metaphor stands up in the midst of today’s housing market.
Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan.
You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our Patreon.
You can find out more about hosts Care Full on our website.
This week we talked about:
Steve Hilditch’s essay More Snakes than Ladders for Red Brick
Nick Bano in the Guardian on the simple solution to the housing crisis
Tenants unions like London Renters Union, Acorn and Greater Manchester Tenants Union
Deutsche Wohnen & Co enteignen campaign and referendum for public ownership of housing in Berlin
Our music for the episode is Bobby Bertoli’s Rebirth (thanks Bob x).
This week we’re talking about ‘taxpayers money’ and exploring how such a commonplace phrase leans us towards less public spending and creates a dividing line between who public services are and aren’t for.
Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan.
You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our Patreon.
You can find out more about hosts Care Full on our website.
This week we talked about:
This Mother Jones article on the history of tax and biases of ‘taxpayers’
Tax Payers Alliance’s BBC guide
Research from Carnegie UK on public perceptions of the tax system
Margate residents turning out in opposition to UKIP this month
Our music for the episode is Bobby Bertoli’s Rebirth (thanks Bob x).
This week we talk about the language of crisis and ask whether it enables or prevents us from moving towards a fairer economy.
Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan.
You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our Patreon.
You can find out more about hosts Care Full on our website.
This week we talked about:
Adam Tooze on the polycrisis for the Financial Times here
The use of metaphors when talking about economic crisis here
An exploration of crisis, value and hope here
Social Care Futures work on how to build support to transform social care and the language of crisis here
Zohran Mamdani and his treasure hunt
Our music for the episode is Bobby Bertoli’s Rebirth (thanks Bob x). And thank you to Robyn Moffat for supporting the podcast with a professional studio and our best sounding episode yet!
This week we’re joined by Jason Bunting to talk about fairness in the economy and explore what it means for how we live, work and care for each other.
*We had a few issues with Ruth’s sound so apologies for some crackling sounds whilst she’s talking. It’s all good stuff she’s saying so we’ve kept it in!*
Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan.
You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our Patreon.
You can find out more about hosts Care Full on our website.
And about Jason’s work at fairnessfoundation.com.
This week we talked about:
Issues of tax justice
Solidarity Economics including this report from the Good Ancestor Movement and Decolonising Economics
Our music for the episode is Bobby Bertoli’s Rebirth (thanks Bob x).
This week we deep dive into the 'benefits system’ and ask what using this language means for our shared understanding of what benefits are and why they exist.
Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan.
You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our Patreon.
And, you can find out more about hosts Care Full on our website.
This week we talked about:
Our music for the episode is Bobby Bertoli’s Rebirth (thanks Bob x).
This week we take on ‘social mobility’ and explore what it means for how we live, work and care for each other. Does a focus on individual mobility obscure structural inequalities? And what would a more collective guide for our economy look like?
Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan.
You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our Patreon.
And, you can find out more about hosts Care Full on our website.
This week we talked about:
Rebecca Solnit’s essay on centrism as bias
Sutton Trust’s overview of social mobility’s past, present and future
Jeremy Corbyn’s move from social mobility to social justice
This article on the loss of entry level jobs and the role of ChatGPT
This article on the closure of the Abrdn Financial Fairness Trust
Community Wealth Building in Preston (“the Preston model”)
CLES’s work on Community Wealth Building
Citizen Network’s Neighbourhoods of Care
Our music for the episode is Bobby Bertoli’s Rebirth (thanks Bob x).
This is a preview from our Patreon bonus episode! To listen to the full episode sign up to be a supporter of Words of Affirmation: https://www.patreon.com/collection/1523755
After the vote on the Welfare Reform Bill we take a look at the language shaping the terms of the debate. From supporting the most vulnerable to moralising work, what can we learn about the future of our social security system and our economy more widely.
Our next full episode will be out next week!
This week we explore our collective obsession with GDP and ask whether we need an alternative or to move away from simplistic stats altogether.
Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan.
You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our Patreon.
And, you can find out more about hosts Care Full on our website.
This week we talked about:
Emma Holten’s book Deficit: How Feminist Economics Can Save Our World
Adrienne Buller’s book Value of a Whale
Creativity in capitalism inspired by a Margate Sounds event
This documentary Can Degrowth Save the World on the BBC
Oxfam, JRF and the UN on a world beyond GDP (here, here and here respectively)
Our music for the episode is Bobby Bertoli’s Rebirth (thanks Bob x).
This week we take on ‘hard-working families’ and explore what it means for how we live, work and care for each other.
Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan.
You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our Patreon.
And, you can find out more about hosts Care Full on our website.
This week we talked about:
Keir Starmer’s essay ‘The Road Ahead’ featuring 10 principles and the commitment to “always put hard-working families and their priorities first”
Rutger Bregman’s book Humankind and in conversation on the Guardian’s Today in Focus
David Graeber’s book Bullshit Jobs
Notes from Below’s Workers Inquiry (including the ‘Under London’ episode)
Reading on the Rochdale Pioneers
Emily Kenway’s work on the Commons of Care
Our music for the episode is Bobby Bertoli’s Rebirth (thanks Bob x).
This week we take on ‘economic inactivity’ and explore what it means for how we live, work and care for each other.
Words of Affirmation is a podcast from Care Full, hosted by Hannah Webster & Ruth Hannan.
You can support the podcast to continue by signing up to our Patreon.
And, you can find out more about hosts Care Full on our website.
This week we talked about:
Emma Holten’s book Deficit: How Feminist Economics Can Save Our World
Helen Hester and Will Stronge’’s book Post-work
UBI research Levelling the Mental Health Gradient Amongst Young People led by Northumbria University (co-authored by Hannah)
Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar discussing feminism on Novara Media’s If I Speak
Bridget Christie’s comedy series The Change
Our music for the episode is Bobby Bertoli’s Rebirth (thanks Bob x).
Welcome to Words of Affirmation, the new podcast from Care Full, where we demystify and dismantle the words and phrases propping up our economy. Each week we’ll take on some of the language swirling around the political and economic discourse; exploring where it comes from, what it means and how it’s holding us back from a fairer economy for all of us. From hard working families to economic activity, skilled labour to the benefits system, we’re coming for you!
Our first episode lands in May - so subscribe now to be the first to hear it!