Westminster Government Accused Of "Social Murder"
"The study, by Lancaster University's Dr Chris Grover, observes that the Tory government's policies are designed to force people into low-paid work by means of a 'structural violence' – and observes direct results of government austerity measures and deaths among vulnerable people, including:
an additional six suicides for every 10,000 work capability assessments done
increasing number of people Britain dying of malnutrition
increasing numbers of homeless people dying on the streets or in hostels
The study also states that the government cannot claim any ignorance of the effects of its policies, describing them as 'known and avoidable'."
https://skwawkbox.org/2018/12/28/govt-accused-of-social-murder-in-peer-reviewed-study/
Pregnancy And Baby Payments To Offset Tory Austerity In Scotland
It's clearly still a disgrace that we have such levels of poverty in one of the world's most affluent countries. We saw in the last budget, the lack of concern for the poor in the current UK government, in the recent budget, as they used wealth that could have reduced poverty to, instead, reduce taxation on middle and upper-earners. That poverty is less common in Scotland seems due in large part to Scottish government initiatives. This has been confirmed in a report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/2018/11/21/new-pregnancy-and-baby-payments-to-offset-tory-austerity-in-scotland/
40% Rise In Foodbank Use In Orkney
Local MSP Maree Todd, SNP, has slammed the UK government's cuts to welfare, after new figures revealed that foodbank use in Orkney has risen by a massive 40% since last year. This significant hike in numbers visiting the foodbank in Kirkwall has seen a jump from 263 in the period April 1 to September 30, 2017 – made up of 174 adults and 89 children – to 368 for the period April 1 to September 30, 2018 – 225 adults and 143 children.
https://theorkneynews.scot/2018/11/14/40-rise-in-foodbank-use-in-orkney/
Poverty Is A Political Choice
Professor Philip Alston has been on a visit to the UK. It's not been for pleasure but for work as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. He has toured all parts of the UK: Scotland, Wales Northern Ireland and England and spoken to politicians and those directly affected by the UK Government's austerity policies. He was shocked at what he found and his report clearly communicates this.
https://theorkneynews.scot/2018/11/17/poverty-is-a-political-choicethe-alston-united-nations-report-on-poverty-in-the-uk/
Philip Hammond Can't Get The Most Basic Economic Facts Right
"Philip Hammond cannot get his facts, or his logic, let alone his fear-mongering right. It's really rather depressing that a man with so little comprehension of macroeconomics is in notional charge of our national economy. For now."
http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2018/10/31/why-cant-philip-hammond-get-the-most-basic-economic-facts-right/