The differential between male and female suicides in the UK is around 3.3, a differential which has almost doubled in the space of 30 years. The government has historically taken virtually no interest in male suicide. We thank H for pointing us to this by Michael Buchanan (a BBC reporter, no relation). Nick Clegg, deputy prime minister, is reported as saying:
Suicide is one of the biggest killers of men under the age of 50 and if this was a physical health problem, there would be a national outcry.
What he should have said, of course, was this:
Suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 50 and if this was a physical health problem, there would be a national outcry.
We cover suicide on pp 46-48 of our election manifesto. Most of the drivers of the high male suicide rate are a consequence of the state’s actions and inactions e.g. denying fathers access to their children after family breakdowns, denying support to male victims of domestic violence, and so much more.
