The return of Britain’s slums

The return of Britain’s slums

History, declared the liberal commentator David Brooks recently, is running backwards. He’s not the only one to remark on this: others point to similarities between our era and the Gilded Age, while others worry about the emergence of “Weimar America”. The most concrete evidence in Britain is the return of slums. Local press in Essex reports that a campsite near Thurrock, originally licensed for 50 showman’s caravans, has expanded by degrees and…