SSP BUDGET RESPONSE:
TINKERING ON THE MARGINS, NO SOLUTIONS TO POVERTY

The Scottish Socialist Party today condemned Gordon Brown’s budget as merely tinkering on the margins and failing to address the real issues of poverty and inequality in our society.

Alan McCombes, SSP election co-ordinator said,

“Gordon Brown boasts about economic growth in Britain, but my question is where has it all gone? The numbers in poverty in Scotland have gone up to 23%, one third of children in Scotland and 25% of our pensioners live in poverty. None of his measures today will alter that.

The SSP say that our pensioners should get a basic state pension of £150 a week. We also need a £7.32 an hour minimum wage to end poverty wages plus a big uprating of Social Security rates. Students should have the full grant reinstated. Promising the poor baby bonds for 20 years ahead will not solve the problems of poverty today.

To address the root causes of poverty in our society, we need to bring about a fundamental redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor. Our policies would be a start on that road and would immediately raise the disposable income of the poor, the elderly, single parents and students.”
[ENDS]For further information contact Tommy Sheridan on 07887 795075 or Hugh Kerr on 01620 890518