Euan McColm: Forget about Yes or No and tackle the curse of child poverty instead IT'S customary at this time for political commentators to cast an eye over the year ahead. "Look out for this," we say, "expect to see that," and "above all else, keep an eye on her." But as we see out 2012, there seems little point. Who can see beyond the complete dominance of the debate about Scottish independence continuing in the new year? Who believes other issues will get a look in as Yes and No sides (both already spinning to this effect) broaden their campaigns in 2013? So let us, instead, look at what MSPs could do, if only they could free themselves from the constraints of the constitutional argument. Currently, 220,000 Scottish children - that's one in four - live in poverty. Almost 200,000 of them live in homes with damp or condensation, putting them at risk of health problems such as asthma. These kids are more likely to fail at school, more likely to fall into addiction and more likely to commit crime. Their poverty not only damages them, it damages society. Ask Scottish politicians - as I have this past week - what their biggest political priority is and the issue of child poverty tops the agenda. The solutions may vary from party to party, but all claim a burning need to eradicate this curse. Why don't they do something about it, then? Why don't they make child poverty the central issue of political life in 2013? From a government perspective, the answer to that question is revealed in a recent speech by Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, in which she outlined her vision of a socially democratic independent Scotland. She explained that not only did huge numbers of Scottish children grow up poor, but 800,000 Scots live in fuel poverty. Furthermore, she gravely intoned, Scotland's average economic growth rate has been 40 per cent lower than "equivalent, independent countries." The message was that child poverty was just one of the things that could be properly addressed once Scotland broke from the UK. Those 220,000 kids appeared as pawns in the constitutional battle. From an opposition perspective, the reasons behind a lack of real action are no less cynical. Child poverty is not a vote-winning issue. Turnouts are higher in more affluent areas. Like the government, Scottish opposition parties - with price-match pledges on free university places and council tax freezes - have focused on the middle-class, middle-Scotland vote.Scottish politicians may say they care about child poverty - and I sincerely believe most do - but they've lost sight of it as a priority as they fight a never-ending cycle of elections on the centre ground, and move deeper into the independence referendum campaign. Yet simple measures could be taken. One immediate positive step would be for the Scottish Government to ensure that Scots who qualify receive the council tax and housing benefits to which they're entitled. Almost £250 million in housing benefit is unclaimed each year by Scots who are eligible to receive it, while only two-thirds of people who qualify currently receive council tax benefit, meaning another £200m a year is unclaimed. The Scottish Government has found time for campaigns reminding us it's cold in winter and that pie suppers make us fat, why not then a campaign of awareness about these benefits? The cash comes directly from Westminster, so there is no cost to the Scottish Government in ensuring as much is claimed as possible. In fact, given that responsibility for administering council tax benefit will transfer to Holyrood in 2014, to be supported by a grant of just 90 per cent of the cash claimed at the time of the transfer, it makes sense for the SNP to work on the low rate of uptake now, rather than later when the shortfall will have to come from other Scottish budgets. There are other practical steps, too. For years politicians have been involved in a pointless battle over class sizes. Electoral auctions - fewer than 30 kids! fewer than 25! - miss the point that those who benefit most from small class sizes are those from the most deprived areas, who may not be receiving the support they need at home. Smaller class sizes for those kids first would have the greatest positive impact and it would be good to hear all sides admit this publicly. If we needed a reminder of the importance of education in setting a child on the right path in life, it came with a report last week that revealed 80 per cent of inmates in Scottish prisons are functionally illiterate. The kids who fall through the gap at the very start of life grow up to be those criminals. Investment in childcare and in the number of health visitors available to attend young families in deprived communities are other suggestions raised by a number of politicians and campaigners that seem achievable and desirable. From within the charity sector I hear the accusation that politicians are happy to follow on the poverty issue. We spend time and resources finding out the truth and identifying the problems, then politicians nod and support us. But they don't really do anything," was one take. A confident SNP Government should not be arguing that action needs independence, but that their commitment to the problem of child poverty means action now. Opposition politicians, focusing already on the 2014 referendum, can tell their own story of the United Kingdom through their actions on child poverty, if they must. But alongside that, how about some creative thinking - and honesty - about how we start tackling the problem at its root? If we're the selfless, compassionate Scots we so dearly like to tell ourselves we are, we should demand this focus from our politicians. Otherwise we face a year of exhausting, unproductive argument about what Scotland may or may not be at the expense of addressing the flaws in what it is, right now.