Oh, isn’t Glastonbury brilliant?! A wonderful festival of energy and live! It’s all over the BBC this weekend and I’m taking the opportunity during my state-imposed exile to lap up so much of it as possible.

There are some people who criticise how Glastonbury has changed over the years and it’s hard to deny the change. However, I would imagine that if you went down to Worthy Farm today and took a poll, everyone would say that it is an outstanding event – possibly the best music festival in the world.

One criticism, though, which is difficult to defend is the cost. Stuck in here, I don’t have access to the exact price (£355 – #6) but I gather they are very high indeed which does rather restrict access and does go against its inclusive ethos – it doesn’t matter your gender, race, religion etc as long as you’re not poor. Even before I was rendered impotent and taken into captivity, I would have baulked at the price of their vegan, free range, organic, fair trade, cfc free, recycled, plastic free quinoa .

I guess it’s a pattern that’s repeated over and over again in society and although money can’t buy happiness, it can open up the possibility for experiences which can dramatically open up the appreciation of living.

I’m sure we’re all aware of statistics about the ultra-rich and we’re all aware of rich people. We know most people fall into a broad band of people who are financially comfortable and occasionally we find ourselves unable to ignore people who are poor although many people try really hard to look the other way. However, whoever talks about the extreme poor? I don’t mean the x million children in the UK living in poverty although this is, of course, dreadful and our decision makers should hang their heads in shame. I’m talking about the people who “only” number in their hundreds of thousands who have fallen into the shadows, may not vote (a perfectly rational choice given how they have been abandoned by society) and who literally can’t afford a tea bag.

The reason I’m writing about this today is because right now I can’t afford a tea bag. Actually, that’s not quite true – I’ve chosen to spend my very limited resources on toothpaste, vitamins, stamps and phone calls home rather than buying tea bags. However, it has given me an insight into what it’s like to be extremely poor. There are guys in here who have no outside support and there are people on the outside who are similarly in severe poverty.

My brothers and sisters of extreme poverty have been abandoned and the sad truth is whatever shade of dung-brown wins the election on Tursday, it will not change. Not for the bottom 1%. And now I need to go out for exercise and beg for a tea bag – having to do that really does focus the mine.

NaN.