Child poverty is obscene today

POVERTY is creeping up across the country and children are paying a heavy price.

Society’s youngest are being brought up in huge numbers on the breadline even when their parents have jobs.

This despicable state of affairs should be at the forefront of the Government’s attention. But under the Conservatives of David Cameron and Theresa May, the trend is entirely the wrong direction.

In Scotland, nearly a quarter of a million children are in poverty. Their voices are not being heard.

But politicians cannot ignore the anger at austerity and bad policies that deny people the support they need.

Outside Holyrood, where MSPs are under pressure to tackle homelessness, children have spelled out the problem.

They are just as appalled as the adults should be that 38 of their peers are made homeless every day in Scotland.

The SNP Government promise to tackle their needs and turn a worsening trend around. But the pace is too slow.

The Tory Government meanwhile need to drag themselves away from the self-indulgent Brexit horror show and focus on what matters to everyone.

It is a sign of abject failure that statements of the obvious have to be made to push forward decent public policies in 2018.

But for any politician who still doesn’t get it, here they come again – no child should live in poverty, and no one should be left without a decent home.