Scotland: SNP progressive claims to be tested
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- Created: Saturday, 28 November 2015 16:56
- Written by Michael MacGregor
‘Both Labour and SNP point left in rhetoric but neither do in action or deeds’
(Gerry Hassan, Scottish Sunday Mail 8 November 2015)
On the first anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum of September 2014, the Child Poverty Action Group, the Trussell Trust and Oxfam Scotland drew attention to the continuing rise in foodbank usage linked directly to problems with welfare benefits and tax credits. The Scottish government’- that is the Scottish National Party - were urged to do more to address the situation.
A further report in early October by the Child Poverty Action Group showed that 210,000 children across Scotland live in poverty. Each of Edinburgh’s 17 council wards has child poverty rates of more than 10%. Across Edinburgh 21% of children – 15,000 – live in poverty as defined by being in households where income is less than 60% of median household income. In Glasgow’s Easterhouse 40% of children grow up in poverty while 27% of people live with a disability. 940,000 families were living in fuel poverty in 2013, 39% of households.
We condemn the attempts by Strathclyde police to intimidate and undermine Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!(FRFI) in Glasgow. So far this week, three of our supporters, including a 14-year-old have been arrested. A further two anti-cuts activists, both aged 17, have also been arrested this week in relation to the anti-cuts protests in Glasgow which took place on 9 December 2010. All have been charged with breach of the peace for entering a Vodafone store. They have been released with police bail conditions which prohibit their attendance at ‘at any assembly of two or more persons’ and which exclude them from parts of Glasgow city centre. This is a breach of their human rights; it shows the extent to which the police will go to attack effective opposition to the cuts.
