"Policies will always reflect the interests of those who are dominant. If we are going to have effective democracy it has to include everyone." These words come from one of the contributors to the publication launched by the UK Coalition Against Poverty in August. Refreshingly, whereas most studies on poverty are led by academics, politicians and "professionals" in the voluntary sector, this has been drawn together by those with direct experience of poverty. People in poverty rarely find a voice. It is unhealthy for the democratic process to exclude the 14 million people who live in poverty. It is also unhealthy for new policy-making; lack of effective consultation means New Deal policies will have inbuilt contradictions, causing further havoc in people's day-to-day lives.
Participants describe the effects of being poor in an affluent society. "You're like an onion and gradually every skin is peeled off of you and there's nothing left. All your self-esteem and how you feel about yourself is gone - you're left feeling like nothing and then your family feels like that."
"You know who buys the Nikes, the Reeboks? It isn't the wealthy, it's the people who don't have anything because they think they can buy self-esteem and dignity through designer clothes. I know a woman with a shop who targets those people because she knows they'll buy."
It describes ways of uniting around difference and exposes the myths - for example, that if you are in poverty you can't be working hard. The UK Coalition is a unique alliance between representatives of grassroots organisations who have personal experience of poverty with paid employees working on anti-poverty strategies. The organisation has embarked on ground-breaking work to formulate a National Poverty Eradication Plan for the UK, involving more than welfare to work policies.
"One Nation" politics have in the past meant that those in poverty generally get told what is best for them. The UK Coalition acknowledges that those with experience of the problems are best placed to inform measures designed to eradicate poverty.