ABSTRACT
The divisive and increasing prosperity is one fundamental starting-point. But the division between that large majority and the minority of others left behind is increasing. It is worth again underlining that most members of the underclass, most 'sink' estates and areas, have not, in the nature of things, a strong sense of community, of neighbourliness. If poverty had not been put first here, then that place would have had to be given to the sense of family and the language for expressing it; the hold of that is inextricably bound with the knowledge of being poor. A major change here has been the increasing consumption of wine; starting in the middle classes and working its way down. Though wine-drinking is increasing, beer-drinking still crowds many pubs even on weekdays. The nature of work, employment, is undergoing some of the greatest of all recent changes. The word 'community' is still warmly over-used and misused.
