Where is the anger over child poverty?

MIRANDA Moore (“People lead the way in dealing with food poverty”, The Herald, November 2) poses the question: “what do you do when your government fails to look after its citizens?”

Her own answer is that in the short term civil society can, and indeed does, provide the necessary support but, she maintains that, in the long term “the solution is political”.

I don’t understand that if there are indeed “fewer emotive issues than hungry children” why there is not a greater groundswell of popular anger. The people’s response as members of civil society is impressive, but the political reaction of the public is much less so. The actions she proposes, “voting in progressive politicians, lobbying”, are indeed essential but politicians are more likely to react appropriately in the face of widespread and sustained voter anger.

I am not suggesting that we “riot” or “have an ugly revolution” but while many are prepared to march for a cause in support of which they feel strongly, the shameful presence of so many hungry children in our midst does not seem to provoke similarly strong feelings. Even our faith communities do not make sufficient “noise”.

The Letters Pages are full of strong feelings in relation to, for instance, independence, but where are the similarly passionate responses to Miranda Moore’s article or to that of Peter Kelly, Claire Telfer and John Dickie “Governments must do more to keep families and children afloat” (The Herald, November 2)?

John Milne, Uddingston.