A Fair Deal

Posted on December 12, 2006 at 10:55 AM

A Fair Deal - Fighting Poverty and Exclusion
The Labour Leader Deputy Pat Rabbitte at the launch of A Fair Deal, the Labour Party's policy dealing with fighting poverty and exclusion.

“We must recognise the full human equality of all our people… We must do it for the single and fundamental reason that it is the right thing to do.”

This quote from Robert Kennedy made in 1966 is at the very core of Labour’s A Fair Deal policy. Labour has proposed a comprehensive policy to make sure that all our people can benefit from our recent economic success. We have set out a range of measures designed to allow those who have been left behind to get a fair chance. Our ambition in Government is to continue our economic prosperity while making sure that all get a chance to fully benefit.

Our policy will share the benefits of our booming economy more broadly than they are today. Labour’s key initiatives will make it a better tomorrow for those who have been left behind. It is shameful that in Ireland today there are 65,000 children living in consistent poverty? Consistent poverty is defined by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) as those who are at risk of poverty who among other criteria are unable to two pairs of strong shoes, unable to afford a roast once a week, or are unable to afford new (not second-hand) clothes or a warm waterproof coat.

While it is shocking to think that even with the money pouring into the Government coffers; that even with our country's affluence there are hard working families struggling to put shoes on their children’s feet and clothes on their backs. If you are the child of a parent who has not completed their secondary education you are 23 times more likely to live in poverty than the child of parents who have a third-level qualification.

What can be done to bridge this ever growing gap? Labour has launched a comprehensive policy detailing a number of initiatives which will bring in the most marginalised in our communities. The proposals include A Fair Deal For Communities that will revitalise areas of multiple deprivation, radical educational reforms, Welfare reform to tackle child poverty and adopting a Government approach to poverty and inequality. You can read more of this in-depth policy at this link. Let us know what you think can be done to tackle the growing inequalities in our communities?

Tagged with Enterprise Trade & Employment • Equality • Social & Family Affairs • afairdeal • poverty • exclusion • socialandfamilyaffairs