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Briefing Document No 2 - Page 4 of 4
"Social Inclusion: Opening the door to a better Scotland" - Continued.
Poverty & Social Inclusion in the Party Election Manifestos
Labour: Not surprisingly, the Labour manifesto covers much of the same ground as these documents. There are commitments to invest £48m in Social Inclusion Partnerships, to the "Phoenix Initiative" which will bring together public, private and voluntary organisations in community regeneration, and to lift 60,000 Scottish children out of poverty by 2002. The link between public health and inequality is also re-emphasised.
Conservative:
The Conservative manifesto sees the way forward as a low-tax, enterprise economy in which there will be new jobs; it refers once directly to poverty, in the section on housing. Promoting fuel efficiency and ending local authority housing are important strategies for tackling fuel poverty and poor housing conditions. They argue for "a compassion which rejects higher taxes and spending … compassion based on the belief that it is the excessive intervention by the faceless state that erodes the bonds of duty and compassion that bind society together". Realising potential, they argue, means liberating communities from excessive intervention.
SNP:
The key SNP strategy proposal in this area is for a Minister of Public Health with a wide remit across policy areas, to conduct a poverty and public health audit of all legislation. This is the flagship of their anti-poverty strategy, which also includes publication of "poverty indicators" to measure performance, piloting of "children's centres" in which pre-school, nursery and childcare facilities will be brought under one roof, and a benefit take-up programme. They also see this as one of the key areas for further resources from "Scotland's penny".
Liberal Democrat:
The LibDems are also concerned about tackling fuel poverty, and share, to an extent, the SNP stress on public health as a "way into" social inclusion issues. A higher priority for public health is seen as an example of joined-up thinking linking housing conditions, drug/alcohol abuse, pollution, etc. They are keen that the existing Social Inclusion Network should have its agenda set by the Scottish Parliament, and that the emphasis should be less on development contracts than on local people, so that "regeneration should come from those the initiatives are designed to serve".
Greens:
Arguing for "an economy where people matter", the Greens advocate a fair deal for local enterprise and initiative, with support for community business, local purchasing by public bodies, credit unions, local exchange trading schemes (LETS) and community trusts, funded via a Scottish Community Development Bank. They will press for new powers to set up a Basic Income Scheme, to end the poverty trap and the complexity of social security.
Scottish Socialist Party:
Tackling poverty is high on the SSP agenda. Recognising the limited powers of the Scottish Parliament for basic economic changes, they advocate wider powers, and also, within existing powers, seek such changes as the outlawing of warrant sales and an end to imprisonment of people for small debts and non-payment of fines. They also have a commitment that their MSPs will live on no more than the average wage of a skilled Scottish worker to ensure they remain truly representative of the people who elect them.
Highlands & Islands Alliance:
The Alliance prospectus lists equality, human rights and inclusion as the three core values which underlie their determination to give communities power to determine their own future. With most powers to deal with poverty remaining in Westminster, they are concerned that MSPs may "indulge in the cosmetics of poverty with new doors and windows and no wealth redistribution".
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