The DomPost published my response to Deborah Morris-Travers' column under the heading "Poverty campaign wants benefit hike".
It's a good heading because that's exactly what the petition calls for and many thinking people have come to understand that welfare is the problem - not the solution.
That's not just a hopeful speculation either.
Despite loads of media publicity, links from columns in the DomPost and NZ Herald, even TV advertising, the End Child Poverty on-line petition, which calls for parents who don't work to get the In Work Tax Credit (which is like calling for childless people to receive Family Tax Credits) has garnered only 8,000 signatures. Their aim is 100,000 because that's the number they believe will leave the government unable to "avoid the question: Is this the Budget to end child poverty?"
Of course, there may be more off-line signatures to be added but the on-line showing indicates that not many people agree with aim of the petition. It does not mean that they don't care about children in families that are struggling.
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The 'end child poverty' campaign is a great example of the left defining the terms of the debate by controlling the language used. There is no such thing as 'child poverty' because young children cannot earn income or own property in their own right. There can only be parental poverty - or more precisely in a society that provides a basic income for all families, parental neglect. Giving more money to parents will not solve this problem.
Meanwhile the new UK govt is cutting 10% of benefits (before inflation, so more like 15-20% over 5 years)
That's reform. Changing benefit names is not.
We could end child poverty in NZ tomorrow:
- stop dole and sickness benefits
- stop WFF / child tax credits
- stop measuring these fake leftist "statistics"
child poverty would be gone for good
The child poverty campaign is deeply disappointing for the reasons you say. They would stand a far better chance of political success if they lobbied for an increase in the in work tax credit under the next labour government
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