From Reporting Scotland yesterday:
‘Poverty and income inequality continues (sic) to rise according to the latest figures from the Scottish Government.’
‘You deal with it!’
As always, we got the bare facts and a quick reference to the Scottish Government blaming UK Government austerity and the latter saying the Scottish Government could compensate for it. The remarkable opportunity there to probe the morality of the UK Government apparently admitting responsibility for the poverty increase and then arrogantly telling Scotland to deal with it, was not taken.
‘SG Actions to deal with it’
The obvious link, also, to some of the actions taken by the SNP to compensate was not taken. Click on these for a reminder of some:
Scottish Government fighting Tory austerity helps thousands hit by benefits cuts
New pregnancy and baby payments to offset Tory austerity in Scotland
Scottish NHS performance holding up despite massive increase in demand and Tory austerity cuts
How steep is the increase?
We often see graphs on Reporting Scotland when the evidence is useful. Why didn’t we see these revealing graphs?
No one wants to see any increase in poverty at all, but this information is important. Is the relatively small increase in relative poverty for children and the flattening-out, at least in part, a consequence of the Scottish Government’s actions. Should BBC Scotland inform us of the possibility?
Comparison with UK and long-term trends
Journalists love to talk of context and journalism educators make much of it, so how does child poverty, in Scotland, for example, compare with the UK? See these:
Child poverty and related low-income in Scotland is less common than across the UK and though it has been in decline long-term, it has begun to increase again.
How much is poverty expected to increase in Scotland comparative to the UK?
Once more, any increase is to be abhorred and decreases will be our aim after independence but it’s informative to see that only the affluent South-East is expected to have as low or lower, for children, increases than in Scotland. Should BBC Scotland at least consider the effects of the Scottish Government’s moderation of austerity and inform us?
After housing Scotland has the lowest poverty levels in the UK
https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN07096#fullreport
Could this be anything to do with Scottish Government action on, for example, building far more social housing and the unique ban on ‘no-fault’ eviction?
SNP Government builds affordable/social housing at almost twice the rate of Tories in England
We should be told.
Talking-up Scotland 
Reblogged this on seachranaidhe1.
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