Nothing gives grotesque inequality a royal seal of approval so much as a lucky baby born seventh in line to a throne in a country where one in every three children lives below the breadline.
Britain would be a much better, more decent land if deferential Tory politicians falling over themselves to send best wishes and gifts to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex showed a fraction of that interest in upwards of four million kids they abandon to despair.
Rising child poverty, pathetic wages and cruel benefit cuts are forecast to increase the child poverty ratio to 37% in a few years – a permanent stain on Theresa May’s Government, which has reversed falls in the Labour era.
The Tories’ flagship assaults on welfare have left more families unable to make ends meet, including those in work – destroying Tory propaganda that the poor are worthless layabouts.
(Image: REUTERS)
Research for England’s children’s commissioner found that nearly half of low-income families were short-changed an average £3,441 a year by benefits caps, freezes, the two-child limit and a Universal Credit fatwa – and the blame is the Government’s.
We are not born equal as long as the great-grandson of a hereditary monarch worth £370million is guaranteed a privileged future while the hopes, dreams and aspirations of a third are crushed the moment they enter the world thanks to toxic Tory austerity choices.
Labour and Jeremy Corbyn understand that accepting child poverty is as much a choice by the Tories as the fight to improve life for the held-behind was the ambition – not always successful – of Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.
May and whoever succeeds her will never fix the problem because protecting the privileges of the few over the many is in the Tories’ DNA.
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Those super-rich multi-millionaires and billionaires vowing to take their wealth out of Britain if Corbyn wins power include tycoons who scream that a £10 hourly minimum wage for the plebs would be disastrous.
The Conservative Party is forever the well-funded Westminster wing of obscene wealth – 47 of the UK’s 50 wealthiest political donors bankroll the Tories.
My belief in democracy and fairness fuel my republicanism – because every child should matter.
