John Swinney has attacked Margaret Thatcher as he sets out his vision for ending child poverty today.
The First Minister said there is “nothing without society” in a swipe at the former Tory Prime Minister. Thatcher famously said “there is no such thing as society.”
Swinney also said he can “guarantee” that the money used to mitigate the two-child benefit cap will be used for child poverty measures even if the UK Government scraps the limit.
He said: “If the UK government does the right thing and abolishes the two-child cap across the UK, the resources we have committed to this policy will continue to be used on measures to eradicate child poverty in Scotland.”
He continued: “I cut my political teeth in the 1980s and I remember vividly Margaret Thatcher’s assertion that there is no such thing as society. A phrase which captured a hugely damaging ideology.
“In my view, there is nothing without society – nothing without community and connection. We thrive and flourish not when we stand alone but when we stand with others. If one child in our community hurts, we all hurt. If one child struggles, we all struggle.
“Helping our most vulnerable children is not just a moral imperative – it is a social and economic one too. Because Scotland will never reach its full potential until each and every one of us is able to flourish.”
Swinney said his government will use benefits, deliver more personalised public services, and use the education system to tackle poverty. He promised “to think big and act bold about our future.
He said: “I am determined to make progress as swiftly as possible towards our goal of eradicating child poverty – including putting in place the systems needed to end Labour’s two-child cap.
“But I am under no illusions that we will be able to end child poverty in Scotland overnight. It will take strong, collective action in the long-term – and that is what my government will deliver in partnership with people and organisations working in our communities.
“I want us to both imagine and create a better Scotland – because there is nothing wrong with Scotland that can’t be fixed by what is right with Scotland.”
He added that the ambition to end child poverty “must be central to the government’s agenda”.
He said: “As a nation, I want us to think big and act bold about our future. That is what I am determined to do now and over the course of the next Parliament, if I am privileged enough to be re-elected as First Minister. Our ambition to end child poverty must be central to the government’s agenda, now and beyond 2026.
“I am committed to putting in the hard yards – to bringing people together and identifying lasting solutions. If we work together, identify the solutions that work and make that happen relentlessly across Scotland, we have the potential to make a radical difference to our children’s lives.
“There is no greater long-term investment in our future success as a nation, and that is an investment I intend to make as First Minister.”
To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here