Robert Verkaik; Exploring social inequality. (Audio)

The Locked up Living Podcast: Surviving and thriving in prisons and other challenging environments

Robert Verkaik, author and journalist, discusses his passionate interest in social inequality and the impact of poverty on communities. He shares his personal experiences and observations that have shaped his interest in the subject. The conversation also touches on the difference between being rich and being wealthy, the ethics of wealth, the impact of the austerity agenda, and the portrayal of poverty in the media. Robert suggests solutions such as tax reform, a universal basic income, and addressing the issues surrounding private education. The conversation concludes with a discussion on Robert's latest book, 'The Traitor of Arnhem', and the lingering effects of World War II on Russia's political culture.

Bio

Robert is an author and journalist specialising in security and social mobility. His journalism appears in the Guardian, Independent, i newspaper, Sunday Telegraph and Sunday Times. Robert was the home affairs editor and law editor at The Independent, where he worked for 12 years. After leaving the Independent he joined the Mail on Sunday as security editor. Since the 9.11 attacks on America, he has covered the 'war on terror' and has visited the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay and interviewed victims of torture in Syria. He has also headed media campaigns against ‘secret justice’ and in support of greater press freedoms. More recently he has been writing about the causes of extremism and social immobility. His reporting has been long-listed for both the Orwell Prize and the Paul Foot Awards. He was a runner-up in the specialist journalist category at the 2013 National Press Awards. He is also a non-practising qualified barrister called to the Bar in 2007. Robert is the author of six books: The Traitor of Arnhem (2024); The Traitor of Colditz (2022); Why You Won't Get Rich, how capitalism broke its contract with hard work (2021); Defiant: The Untold Story of the Battle of Britain (2020); Jihadi John: The Making of a Terrorist (2016) and Posh Boys: How English Public Schools Ruin Britain (2018) His reporting has been long-listed for both the Orwell Prize and the Paul Foot Awards. He was a runner-up in the specialist journalist category at the 2013 National Press Awards. His latest book is The Traitor of Arnhem which demonstrates why Putin is threatening the West today.