There is a historical parallel for all this: it's exactly what happened when the spread of "labour-saving" devices transformed the lives of housewives and domestic servants across Europe and north America from the end of the 19th century.
Professor Pearson meticulously notes the widespread moral panic about the collapse of ancient, rural moral codes in the face of rapid urbanisation, the rise of working mothers and the spread of child labour (feared because it put money in the pockets of impressionable youths).
23 Improvement of wages, working hours and workplace safety for these workers may require a gradual transition to formalised employment, and more wide-spread formation of labour unions.
In terms of the direct prevention of the spread of disease, the Labour government recently invested half a million pounds on new programmes targeted at overdose and hepatitis B victims and at encouraging heroin users to smoke rather than inject the drug.
And the never-ending rows of oil palm spread brutally exploitative labour conditions – including child labour and poisoning by lethal herbicides and pesticides.
When childbirth in hospitals became more common in Western countries in the early 20th century, an increase in maternal mortality occurred, much of which was due to spread of infection between women in labour by the attending health professional and use of invasive obstetric procedures [ 7].
20 Studies about joint determination of labour supply and consumption are spread across countries and are very selective.
Participants view on transmission of communicable diseases like malaria during migration is consistent with the findings of Saxena and Devadethan [ 19], who report that seasonal migration of labour has impact on the spread of malaria.
He led through example, and through his writings which "did much to spread knowledge of, and therefore interest in, the field of labour in which he died".
The spread of MRSA is another reason to doubt the wisdom of Labour's obsession with precise but treacherous goals.
