@Tony_Meredith However, the general reader would surely have recognised an allusion to #EdmundBurke, & the contrast to #EarlFitzwilliam & the D’Arcy & Darby families who supported Pitt’s proposals to help the poor. Burke also opposed the meritocracy which enabled the rise of Jane's brothers.

I recommend ‘#PrideAndPrejudice and the #PoorLaws’ by Sheryl Craig, https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Pride+and+Prejudice+and+poor+laws.-a0370031582
- fascinating in the context of current #UKpolitics!

#JaneAusten #FairPay #MinimumWage #SafetyNet #SupportNHS