Political opinion: Workers Party representative calls on Northern Ireland Executive to withdraw their Anti Poverty Strategy document
Workers Party representative Peter McGuire has called on the Northern Ireland Executive to withdraw its Anti Poverty Strategy document, which closed on Sunday
Mr McGuire said the workers Party had made a detailed submission to the consultation document and along with other groups who have been raising concerns about the Executive’s failure to publish the long awaited strategy, are both angry and frustrated that the document is not fit for purpose.
He said: "The document shows no understanding of the lived experience of the hundreds and thousands of people across Northern Ireland who suffer the consequences of poverty on a daily basis.Generational poverty which has been a problem for decades in areas of multiple deprivation has increased exponentially.
"Poverty is structurally linked with health inequalities, including shorter life expectancy. There is no discussion in the document of why so many people are in poverty, but there is an underlying assumption that the state can encourage, and advise people in poverty on their journey to good jobs, and good quality affordable housing in safe areas with well developed infrastructure.
"The very notion that people who have suffered years of neglect and indifference by those in power can be supported and advised out of poverty shows a wilful disregard of the lived experience of those impacted by the Executive’s failure to act. People don’t choose to be poverty stricken.
"Poverty has been foisted on many of our citizens through the failure to introduce the Anti Poverty Strategy promised twenty-five years ago.
"In terms of rhetoric, while the poor are not overtly blamed for being poor in the document there is a strong undercurrent which suggests that is the case.
"The APS document sees the state role as help and encouragement, when what is needed is concrete rather than cheerleaders. The workers Party calls on the Executive to withdraw this flimsy aspirational document and replace it with concrete proposals that are funded and measurable and are timetabled and ring fenced."
The full submission can be viewed on the Party website workersparty.net