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Sunday, February 25, 2007

Scottish Poverty Report




A report was written by a host of academics from The Open University, Glasgow Caledonian University, the University of Paisley and the University of Strathclyde. Experts on health, childcare, economics, community development, education, law and social policy also helped compile the report. The most damning data used came from Holyrood own official statistics.


One-fifth of the Scottish population, 910,000 people, live in poverty.


One in four Scottish children, 240,000 boys and girls, live in poverty.


Nearly a quarter of all children living in poverty are in households where an adult is working full-time.


77,000 children officially recognised as living in poverty don't get a free school meal.


One in 10 of Scotland's rural population is officially poor.


30% of "poverty pay" - wages which leave the employee below the poverty line - come from the public sector: jobs which are paid for by the government.


60% of low-income families believe they will never have enough to live on.


However , instead of laying the blame on what causes poverty - capitalism - and demanding the real revolutionary change - its abolition , this report The Poverty Alliance by the Child Poverty Action Group, the Scottish Poverty Information Unit and the Scottish Drugs Forum repeats the usual bleating demand from time immemorial - an appeal to political parties to make things all better with parliamentary policies and reforms , a forlorn hope .










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