in poverty according to research by the End Child Poverty Coalition.
From BBC Scotland this morning and throughout the day on a drip, the above story from an activist group.
I wrote only yesterday:
We see regularly, on BBC Scotland, that Scotland has the most drug deaths in Europe or the most Covid cases or, today: ‘Scottish bank branch closures highest in UK‘. As you know, we never hear that our A&E service is the best in the UK, that we have more hospital beds and nurses than the others or that crime is far lower than in England & Wales.
https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2022/07/11/comparing-scotland-with-england-but-only-when-it-hurts-scotlands-image-of-itself/
Today, the selective strategy to only compare where that hurts Scotland’s image of itself goes on with the above story of child poverty.
This story is unique to Reporting Scotland, not on the BBC Scotland website, but will no doubt make it to Good (sic) Morning Scotland‘s radio broadcasts. No comparisons, of course, with rUK.
The comparative facts:
Scotland currently has 19% of households living in poverty, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) said. This compares to a rate of 24% in Wales and 22% in England. The Scottish rate has declined from 23% in the mid-1990s to a low of 18% between 2008 and 2013, before rising slightly to its current level.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-51384174
Child poverty in Scotland’s larger families is at half the rate of England. Why?
Two reasons. More affordable housing (https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/poverty-scotland-2021) and the Child Payment:
The Scottish Government’s decisive and compassionate move to bring in the new Scottish Child Payment is the lifeline children and their families need, and is a beacon of progressive policy for the rest of the UK.
https://www.jrf.org.uk/blog/scottish-child-payment-will-turn-tide-child-poverty
What is the Child Payment, unique to Scotland?
Scottish Child Payment helps towards the costs of supporting your family. It’s a weekly payment of £20 that you can get for every child you look after who’s under 6 years of age. You’ll get the payment every 4 weeks if your application is successful.
https://www.mygov.scot/scottish-child-payment#:~:text=Contents&text=Scottish%20Child%20Payment%20helps%20towards,if%20your%20application%20is%20successful.
Why is the End Child Poverty Coalition headlining in the nation with the lowest level of child poverty and with the SNP government doing the most to reduce it via their unique child benefits? Which opposition politician is both close to them and to BBC staff making editorial choices?
Talking-up Scotland 
Do you think this story in the Guardian today prompted the BBC Scotland to mount a distraction offensive?
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jul/12/north-east-england-overtakes-london-as-uks-child-poverty-hotspot
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Maybe
BBC England on this too: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-62127560
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CANNOT WAIT TO GET RID OF THESE LYING DESPICABLE THEIVES
TAKING PUBLIC TAX MONEY FOR WAGES THEN MISLEADING THE HAND THAT FEEDS THEM
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Indeed, this was posted on the Indyref Two channel…
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Good to see Philippa Whiteford challenging the failing education/health service nonsense on Politics Live – we need much more of this
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While the article below says 1 in 5 children in Scotland are living in poverty, it also says
https://www.aberlour.org.uk/child-poverty-remains-high-across-scotland/
“Scotland has lower levels of child poverty than England or Wales. However, campaigners in Scotland say that whilst progress is being made there can be no room for complacency if Scotland’s statutory child poverty targets, which were agreed by all the Holyrood parties, are to be met.
The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act requires the Scottish Government to ensure fewer than 18% of children are living in poverty by 2023/24, on course to achieving less than 10% by 2030.”
So not far from achieving their target.
Although the rise in inflation, including the surge in energy prices, unleashed by the UK government will make it difficult, the extension of the Scottish Child Payment to children aged 6 to 15 by the end of 2022 will help.
In Wales 1 in 3 children are living in poverty.
The interactive map and graphics in the link below show the substantial variation between the nations and regions of the UK.
https://endchildpoverty.org.uk/child-poverty/
It shows which part of the UK has had more success at improving child poverty rates.
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One thing the Scottish government SNP cannot be accurately accused of is c
‘complacency’. It’s such an easy word to use, rarely if ever used about the English government cabal whose assault on the poorest and most vulnerable is nothing short of criminal and they are just complacent, they appear to enjoy their cruel cuts as well. It is of course to divide people, worker vs ‘shirker’ tactics. Criminals running the show at Westminster, very scary indeed.
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Oops typos…
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