Blogs from The Poverty Alliance and guests.
Neil Cowan, Policy and Campaigns Manager at the Poverty Alliance, writes on the need for the new Scottish Government to make solving poverty their priority. Election campaigns are big on commitments, on vision, and on rhetoric. The Scottish Parliament election campaign just passed was no different, with promises of recovery, transformation and renewal. But too often after elections … Read more
Tackling poverty has always been a priority for the SNP, as part of our ambitions to build a fairer, more equal country. In the last Parliament we introduced ambitious statutory targets to reduce child poverty and established the Poverty and Inequality Commission through our Child Poverty Act. Our ‘Every Child, Every Chance’ plan outlined our … Read more
Covid-19 has highlighted and entrenched inequalities within our society, so it is vital that the next Scottish Parliament is completely focused on recovery. Fully reopening our economy and getting people back to work is the first thing we need to do to tackle poverty. Next, we must address all the drivers of poverty and ensure … Read more
This is not a normal election. This is a pandemic election. Scotland’s deepest inequalities have been laid bare, and lessons of unity and pulling together have rung out. That is why this election I’m offering solutions not only for recovery from Covid-19, but also for the kind of future society I want to build – … Read more
I could begin by stating that COVID-19 has exposed the deep-rooted flaws in our economic and social security systems, but this would be clichéd and inaccurate. The pandemic only exposed these flaws to those who had previously been able or willing to ignore them. For those with lived experience of poverty, there was no great … Read more
The pandemic has torn through all our lives. Scottish Liberal Democrats will put recovery first. Our offer is a liberal one. We want every individual to achieve their potential. Poor mental health prevents people from getting on in life. I’ve talked about the links between mental health and poverty since I was first elected. There … Read more
Mollie McGoran MSYP explains why the Scottish Youth Parliament support the #EveryoneAboard campaign to extend free bus travel to under 25s and those on low-income benefits Hi! My name is Mollie McGoran! I’m a Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament representing Caithness, Sutherland and Ross and I am also the Convener of the Transport, … Read more
Chloe Goodall, Head of Impact at Children’s University Scotland, explores the impact extending free bus travel to people on low-income benefits and under 25s would have on realising children’s rights. Earlier this month, the Scottish Government passed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) incorporation bill, ensuring young people’s rights are considered … Read more
Suzi Murning, Poverty Alliance Campaigns Officer, discusses our new campaign, Everyone Aboard, calling for free bus travel to be extended to everyone receiving Universal Credit and young people under 25. We all rely on public services – like health and education – to be there for us when we need them. But too often, they simply don’t work for people living … Read more
One of the clearest impacts of the pandemic so far has been rising levels of unemployment, with young people being particularly affected by labour market disruption. Rachel Statham, Senior Research Fellow at IPPR, writes on the looming youth unemployment crisis in Scotland and the steps we can take to prevent long-term damage to a generation’s … Read more
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