Down South is a work reflecting on life below the poverty line in South West England, based on my firsthand experiences, observation, and participation over a decade (2017 – 2026).
The main body of the work is likely to comprise two parts : a first will treat the working conditions and living conditions experienced by myself, thematically; the second will present my journal entries for the summer half of 2022 (April to September).
I first decided to keep a diary for a year during 2022 as part of a writing project, primarily focused on material conditions at the time, and thinking about both those I was experiencing and what I could see around me; the response of state and society to someone in my situation; my own response to it as a socialist, and what I considered would be a reasonable standard and way of living at my stage of life (I began that year 47 years old). After a hiatus, I returned to the material in 2026, realising it would be the last year of what has been a very challenging decade for me, but also an opportunity to try to take stock.
I managed to publish the first six months’ worth of entries of the journal in something close to real time, as posts on this website, before falling behind and storing the rest as paper entries very insecurely (these may not be recoverable now). The manuscript will be published here serially, in draft form, starting with the last part, comprising edited entries for each of the six months. I shall turn to part I, and an introduction (and perhaps a conclusion) subsequently, if I have made progress on my journalism and guide.
Click here for title page.
jonathanoates.net 