Do We Really Care About Poverty in Scotland?

Wednesday 18 August 17.00 (18.00)

Committee Room 3

In 2010, the European Year of Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, almost 1 million people are living in poverty in Scotland and it is estimated that 250,000 are children. But do we really care about poverty or are we deliberately distancing ourselves from it, believing that we all have some control over our own destiny and that poor people are to blame for their own predicament? This event aims to explore the different attitudes that exist towards poverty, and discuss whether these create barriers to building support for eradicating poverty. Panellists include Morag Gillespie, Research Fellow at the Scottish Poverty Information Unit, Glasgow Caledonian University; Fiona McHardy, the Poverty Alliance; and Adrian Sinfield, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy and University Fellow, School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh.

Further information can be found at http://www.festivalofpolitics.org.uk/prog.htm

In Association with the Scottish Parliament’s Equality Team.