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United Kingdom
Related: About this forumA UN inspector came to investigate poverty in Britain - here's what he found
Philip Alston, the United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, was scathing about the governments cuts and welfare changes.
What does a 12-day trip around the UK looking into austerity, Universal Credit, child poverty and the impact of Brexit show you? That the fabric of British society is falling apart, and ministers are in a state of denial, according to Philip Alston, the United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.
The human rights expert announced his findings at a press conference in London, after travelling all over the country from assessing rural poverty in Bristol to visiting foodbanks in Newcastle, from speaking to schoolchildren in Scotland, discovering how devolution has to mitigate government policy in Wales, and hearing about hardship in Clacton, Belfast and Newham.
Alston took a dim view of what he saw, accusing the British government of breaking its human rights obligations, and finding austerity has inflicted great misery on UK citizens.
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/economy/2018/11/un-inspector-came-investigate-poverty-britain-here-s-what-he-found
What does a 12-day trip around the UK looking into austerity, Universal Credit, child poverty and the impact of Brexit show you? That the fabric of British society is falling apart, and ministers are in a state of denial, according to Philip Alston, the United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.
The human rights expert announced his findings at a press conference in London, after travelling all over the country from assessing rural poverty in Bristol to visiting foodbanks in Newcastle, from speaking to schoolchildren in Scotland, discovering how devolution has to mitigate government policy in Wales, and hearing about hardship in Clacton, Belfast and Newham.
Alston took a dim view of what he saw, accusing the British government of breaking its human rights obligations, and finding austerity has inflicted great misery on UK citizens.
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/economy/2018/11/un-inspector-came-investigate-poverty-britain-here-s-what-he-found
The article at the link quotes Alston's findings in detail. They are summarized under the following headings:
The UK is breaking human rights obligations
Government is ignoring how people will suffer from Brexit
Ex-Work & Pensions Secretary Esther McVey shrugged off Universal Credit domestic abuse risks
Universal Credit is problematic, harsh, unnecessary and gratuitous
Cuts and benefit changes are ideological
The DWP is misleading us on Universal Credit
and on benefit sanctions, which are counter-productive
In fact, government ministers are in a state of denial about poverty
The state does not have your back any longer
Freezing benefits is hypocritical
The two-child benefit limit is like Chinas one-child policy
British society is becoming increasingly hostile as its fabric is eroding
But other than that, everything's going swimmingly.
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A UN inspector came to investigate poverty in Britain - here's what he found (Original Post)
Denzil_DC
Nov 2018
OP
hlthe2b
(106,594 posts)1. When they take a look at the US, the UK might look positively impressive by comparison...
(not to diminish the UK findings, by any means, but I don't think the world fully understands how bad things are getting in the US--dramatically worsening since Trump policies)
brush
(57,959 posts)2. And they at least have universal care.
geardaddy
(25,367 posts)3. Wales is probably the poorest nation in Western Europe.
Welsh money goes to Wastemonster, but very little comes back. The Senedd needs to be in charge of its own financials.