FOR many of us, Christmas is a time for over-indulgence or, at the very least, enjoying a few good dinners in the company of our family and friends.
So it is distressing to learn that a growing number of Scots are struggling to feed themselves and their families, and that the best they can hope for over the festive period is to put together a meal prepared with ingredients from one of the growing number of food banks that have been set up across Scotland.
As we report today, record numbers of families are turning to these services. This year, food-bank operator The Trussell Trust has witnessed a fivefold increase in demand compared with 2012, and FareShare expects to have to provide double the number of meals as last Christmas. This is, of course, the season of goodwill and it is heartening to know those charities exist and volunteers are giving up their free time to help people who are in desperate need of a little festive cheer.
But this is 2013. A full 17 decades have passed since Charles Dickens highlighted the scandal of poverty and destitution in Victorian Britain in his novel, A Christmas Carol.
Yet as food banks were debated in the House of Commons last week, it was hard not to hear traces of Ebenezer Scrooge's "are there no workhouses?" speech when Work and Pensions Minister Esther McVey remarked: "In the UK it is right that more people are ... going to food banks because as times are tough, we are all having to pay back this £1.5 trillion debt personally which spiralled under Labour."
The Coalition Government claims there is "no robust evidence that welfare reforms are linked to increased use of food banks", but this sounds like wilful ignorance when food-bank operators report a direct correlation between demand for their services and the introduction of benefit sanctions such as the bedroom tax.
With real wages shrinking and the cost of living having risen by 25% over the past five years, working people are feeling the squeeze.
Positive Action in Housing (PAH), which says its winter destitution surgery was "deluged" by people desperate for help, tells of one client who had expressed deep shame at having to ask for some bread and soup to see him though until his benefits were paid.
We are inclined to agree with PAH that the shame lies, not with the individuals who are forced to seek help, but with a Westminster Government that seems determined to press ahead with a programme of cuts and sanctions that are hurting the country's neediest, most vulnerable people.
The British economy is, we are told, in recovery, and bonuses are back for bankers. For pity's sake: at Christmas time, will the Coalition Government open its eyes to the harsh truth that is being played out in food banks across the land, and stop punishing the poor?
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article