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James Bloodworth (journalist)

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James Bloodworth is an English journalist and writer. He has authored two full length books, also writing articles for newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian. Much of Bloodworth's work concerns the struggles of working class people, yet he has been praised by both sides of the political spectrum. He lives in London.

James Bloodworth in 2019

Early years

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Originally from Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset,[1] Bloodworth studied politics at Nottingham Trent University[2] and completed a master's degree in political journalism at City University in London, where he has lived since 2010.

Writing career

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A former member of the Trotskyist group Alliance for Workers' Liberty,[3][4] he edited the left-wing blog Left Foot Forward from 2013 until 2016. Bloodworth previously wrote a weekly column for the International Business Times[5] and wrote for The Spectator's Coffee House blog from 2013 to 2015.[6] His work has also appeared in The Guardian',[7] The Independent,[8] The Wall Street Journal ,[9] and UnHerd.[10] He currently writes a weekly column for the New Statesman[11] and writes features for The Times Magazine.[12]

Books

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Bloodworth is the author of The Myth of Meritocracy: Why Working-Class Kids Still Get Working-Class Jobs (Biteback Publishing) which was published in 2016.[13][14][15]

Bloodworth's Hired: Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain (Atlantic Books) was published in March 2018. To research the oppressive conditions faced by those working in low-paid and minimum-wage jobs, the author spent six months employed in such posts. This included periods working as a care worker in Blackpool,[16] an Uber driver and in the UK packaging warehouse of Amazon. Bloodworth claimed in his book that Amazon workers were urinating in coke bottles because they were afraid to take bathroom breaks.[17] The claim was repeated by US Congress member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2019 when she tweeted at Amazon: "Is that culture of 'strict performance' why Amazon workers have to urinate in bottles & work while on food stamps to meet 'targets?'"

According to one review, the book has been praised "across the political spectrum".[18] In May 2019, Hired was longlisted for the Orwell Prize for political writing.[19] Hired was also chosen by The Times as its current affairs book of the year 2018.[20] In The Observer, Nick Cohen described Bloodworth as "the best young leftwing writer Britain has produced in years".[18]

Politics

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In September 2018, Bloodworth featured in a video for the channel of US Senator Bernie Sanders, in which Bloodworth drew on his book to criticise Amazon. Sanders tweeted out the video as part of the senator's push to introduce a bill that would charge large companies such as Amazon for the federal welfare programs that subsidize their low-wage workers.[21]

Bloodworth has written extensively on low pay and Labour Party politics. He has also criticised left-wing admiration for authoritarian governments in Cuba and Venezuela. In a piece for The Independent in October 2012, Bloodworth wrote of Venezuela: "it's a funny sort of democracy (and certainly not one which can accurately be described as the best in the world) that attracts such harsh criticism from human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch – organisations which can hardly be dismissed as agents of neo-liberalism."[22] In a later article for UnHerd, Bloodworth criticised left-wing supporters of the Venezuelan government, such as Owen Jones, for their silence about government repression and economic collapse. Bloodworth wrote: "Just a handful of years ago the Venezuelan government was praised uncritically by much of the Western left. Today it is an embarrassment – every emaciated Venezuelan a testament to the credulity of those who once lauded Hugo Chavez as the leader of a 'progressive, populist government that says no to neo-liberalism' (Owen Jones)."[23]

Bloodworth described conservative thinker Roger Scruton's book Fools, Frauds and Firebrands as "an impressively lucid take down of some of the most fashionable left-wing thinkers of the past 50 years".[24]

Personal life

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Bloodworth was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 37.[25]

References

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  1. ^ "Left behind – life beyond the London bubble". UnHerd. 14 August 2018.
  2. ^ "The normblog profile 407: James Bloodworth". normblog. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  3. ^ "James Bloodworth: A left-wing case against Comrade Jeremy Corbyn". International Business Times UK. 4 August 2015.
  4. ^ "James Bloodworth is wrong about Jeremy Corbyn - Workers' Liberty". www.workersliberty.org.
  5. ^ "James Bloodworth". International Business Times. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  6. ^ "Author: James Bloodworth | Coffee House". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  7. ^ "James Bloodworth". the Guardian. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  8. ^ "James Bloodworth". The Independent. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  9. ^ Bloodworth, James (12 February 2015). "The Race for Britain's Youth Vote". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  10. ^ "James Bloodworth". UnHerd. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  11. ^ "James Bloodworth". New Statesman. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  12. ^ Bloodworth, James (27 August 2021). "Me, my girlfriend and the woman who has spent two years stalking me".
  13. ^ Wigmore, Tim (10 July 2016). "Does The Myth of Meritocracy show us how to alleviate inequality?". New Statesman. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  14. ^ Patrikarakos, David (14 July 2016). "The Myth of Meritocracy: 'Why Working-Class Kids Still Get Working-Class Jobs' by James Bloodworth". Prospect. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  15. ^ Burchill, Julie (11 June 2016). "Tony Blair is top rotter in James Bloodworth's The Myth of Meritocracy". The Spectator. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  16. ^ Bloodworth, James (20 February 2017). "All the horror stories I came across as a care worker were about employers | James Bloodworth". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  17. ^ "Undercover author finds Amazon warehouse workers in UK 'peed in bottles' over fears of being punished for taking a break". Business Insider. 16 April 2018.
  18. ^ a b Cohen, Nick (11 March 2018). "Hired: Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  19. ^ "the orwell prize 2019: longlists announced". the orwell foundation. 7 May 2019.
  20. ^ Millen, Robbie (23 November 2018). "books of the year 2018: current affairs and big ideas".
  21. ^ Burke, Michael (10 September 2018). "Bernie Sanders renews attacks on Amazon, shares video accusing companie of 'Orwellian language'". The Hill.
  22. ^ Bloodworth, James (16 October 2012). "Don't forget there's a dark side to Hugo Chavez's Venezuela". The Independent.
  23. ^ Bloodworth, James (13 June 2018). "Six types of 'useful idiot'". UnHerd.
  24. ^ Bloodworth, James (23 September 2017). "Here's what to read and watch if you want to understand the 'new left'". UnHerd.
  25. ^ Bloodworth, James (10 April 2021). "I was diagnosed with ADHD at 37. This is my story". The Times. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
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