Smith wrote five books, about life in the Great Depression, the Second World War, and post-war austerity,[8] and columns for The Guardian, New Statesman, The Daily Mirror, International Business Times, and the Morning Star.

His eldest sister Marion died of tuberculosis in 1926, aged ten years; as there was no cure for the disease at the time, nor did the family have enough money to see a doctor.

[13] Smith made a career in the Oriental rug trade, as a buyer and salesman for Eaton's,[14] specialising and importing new designs from the Middle East, the former Soviet bloc, and Afghanistan.

[8] He attracted attention in November 2013, writing that he would not wear the remembrance poppy in future years because he felt the symbol was being used to promote support for present-day conflicts.

[20] Smith said that it was the global financial crisis of 2008 that inspired him to take his "last stand",[11] writing and campaigning on income inequality, public services and what he saw as the diminishing prospects for young people.

[21] In October 2015, Smith appeared on the BBC Three documentary We Want Our Country Back, where he sharply criticised the far-right anti-immigration political movement Britain First.

In November 2017, he appeared on the Sky One comedy The Russell Howard Hour, where he briefly recalled his trip to the Calais Jungle, discussed his new book and the increasing dependence on food banks in the UK.

Smith wrote of the political situation in 2017:I am one of the last few remaining voices left from a generation of men and women who built a better society for our children and grandchildren out of the horrors of the second world war, as well as the hunger of the Great Depression.

Sadly, that world my generation helped build on a foundation of decency and fair play is being swept away by neoliberalism and the greed of the 1%, which has brought discord around the globe.