The following comments will not be neutral not only because the insightful work of the authors – concerning poverty, social policy and social work – has been for years a source of inspiration for me but mainly because this text was written in May 2012 in Greece, where I live and work. More specifically, two years after the entrance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Central Bank with the alliance of Greek elite, the people are getting poorer and poorer day after day. The unemployment rate has risen to 25%, while there are constant cuts in salaries and pensions as well as the abolition of benefits. The statistics demonstrate an increase of up to 20% in suicides over the last two years alone. Similarly, the incidence of depression, drug use and mental health problems has increased significantly. Poverty, as Jones and Novak highlight, is not only about the lack of money; it is much more and its effects on people's lives are more than apparent in austerity Greece.

Faced with such human tragedy you cannot be neutral. This is particularly true for social work. The commitment of social work to social justice and the well-being of people is a clear indication of which side social work should be on. Jones and Novak make a clear call to social workers to use ‘strong words’ and take action against the human destruction.

However, critical analysis of the general context is a basic precondition before taking action. At this point, the authors describe vividly the situation across the globe and contribute to providing the reader with an insightful understanding.

The following comments focus on two points of the authors’ analysis. The first point that will be discussed is the management of poverty under capitalism and the tactics of the system, using examples from the Greek case. The second point refers to the resistance of the people and the need for social work to take action.

To begin with the first point, the authors highlight how poverty and inequality are clearly connected with capitalism. Capitalism has systematically used a number of ‘tools’ in order to keep its dominance through the management of poverty.