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Joel Budd

London

Social Policy Editor and Writer at The Economist

I write about British society, and a few other things, at the Economist. Allegiances: Spurs, southern California, hard bop, cats. Increasingly on Bluesky

Articles

  • 3 weeks ago | islingtontribune.co.uk | Dan Carrier |Joel Budd

    Cover image from Underdogs: The Truth About Britain’s White Working Class [John Birdsall / Alamy]A FORM of “ventriloquised xenophobia”, used by those in power to project racism into the mouths of others, is partly one of the reasons the UK’s white working class is sneered at.

  • 1 month ago | bigissue.com | Joel Budd

    Social Justice In our post-Brexit era of populism and culture wars, white working-class Britain has been both lionised and victimised – a convenient shorthand for politicians and media to use to score a point. But who makes up this diverse group, and what do they actually want? Joel Budd is busting the myths by: Joel Budd This is an edited, updated extract from Underdogs by Joel Budd. Britain’s white working class is strange.

  • 1 month ago | unherd.com | Joel Budd

    Broken Britaincar modificationCarsRural EnglandSocietyUKWorking class I often hear them before I see them: the squeal of tyres in a suburban street; the frantic revving in a motorway tunnel. Then the modified cars appear. Not uncommonly, they proceed to do something obnoxious. One strange-looking grey Audi overtakes me on the right, then quickly turns left, trailing a Victorian quantity of smoke.

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Joel Budd
Joel Budd @JoelBudd1
17 Apr 25

This is a heavily trimmed excerpt from one of the chapters of "Underdogs". The modified-car scene was once almost entirely white, working class and male. Today it isn't. The change says something about Britain.

UnHerd
UnHerd @unherd

‘If you spend £40,000, you can make your whole car explode.’ Read @JoelBudd1 on Britain’s modified-car scene👇https://t.co/kUhR56I509

Joel Budd
Joel Budd @JoelBudd1
17 Apr 25

RT @unherd: ‘Car modification provides a rare opportunity for white working-class Britons to flaunt their artistry and skill.’ @JoelBudd1…

Joel Budd
Joel Budd @JoelBudd1
29 Jan 25

On Britain's bubble-tea economy, and a dilemma for the government: https://t.co/pSxF119jJ3