Poor are shamed

When Jesus said “the poor always ye have with you”, He did not mean, as a professed Christian once told me, that “God made them high or lowly” so the plight of the poor would make the rich appreciate their situation.

Rather, I think, He meant there will always be those who struggle to manage their lives, and surely the measure of a good society is how it assists those people on the margins.

In the present climate, and with the current controversy about welfare benefits, it is not surprising that working individuals on low incomes are questioning how they fit into the picture, and this is surely a case of divide and conquer by some politicians – while poor people are fighting among themselves about who has the worse deal, the rich can retain their power base.

It is not surprising either that the “non-deserving poor” are consequently portrayed, both in the cartoon and in the advert for members of the Children’s Panel, like the cast of Shameless: as feckless, obese, drug-addicted monsters (Scotsman, 24 January).

Rather than religion being “the opium of the people” it seems opium is their religion.

If this is the case (and I have friends who are social workers, so I know there are horror stories) Scottish decision makers should ask why people are behaving in this way; no-one wants to be a helpless and hopeless drug addict, unless they feel there is nothing else for them in wider society.

In a society which has largely abandoned its manufacturing industry, there may indeed be no role for them. The result is, as your report suggests, a cycle of deprivation where some individuals have no chance even before they are born.

This is not to condone hopeless and helpless behaviour, but to portray those who are struggling to make sense of their lives as monsters is at best unhelpful.

With the right interventions, where more is expected from them, many would be able to take back control of their lives, but a major change of policy is required in the way that everyone fits into Scottish society.

(Dr) Mary Brown

Dalvenie Road

Banchory

Members of the House of Lords vote down the Welfare Reform Bill. The events of the past few years have clearly shown that the House of Lords is built on a foundation of moral quicksand.

If the House Of Lords is against the bill, ipso facto, the Welfare Bill is morally correct.

Neil Sinclair

Clarence Street

Edinburgh

Exeter Prison, a bleak Victorian nightmare constantly running well over capacity with a stressed-out staff in near open revolt, has just received a new inmate.

He is 80-year-old Malcolm Breadon, who worked every day of his life before caring for his Alzheimer-stricken wife with no support from the social services.

He moved her bed downstairs, slept in a chair beside her so he could take her to the toilet through the night, kept the house spotless and their children helped when they could.

In a moment of sheer desperation he ended her life and the famous “zero-tolerance” Judge Graham Cottle has banged him up with the West Country’s most violent criminals.

This is the inevitable result of our refusal to have mercy on those dying in extremis and our implacable church leaders should try getting out more and doing some pastoral work.

(Rev Dr) John Cameron

Howard Place

St Andrews