“DIGNITY” is a strange term. Often associated with the upper classes, it can conjure up images of royalty or aristocracy. Indeed, until the mid-19th century “dignity” usually carried some connotation of “merit” (in both senses of the word). It has also been applied to the poor, bravely enduring their deprivation, perhaps in a care home, or in one of those TV adverts (paid for, of course) by charities appealing for our donations for the “wretched of the earth.”

Dignity is important to all humans, argues the Marx Memorial Library and Workers’ School, but it does not come about automatically. In a less than perfect world, dignity can accompany suffering, but the collective dignity of working people is achieved through acting together to change the world.

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