Tory dependency argument and free school meals

Austerity Children Food Poverty in the UK Public Health

Watching and reading the arguments Tory MPs put forward for voting against an extension of free school meals over the school holidays, there seems to be a common thread. Nearly all of them use the argument of dependency, that is relying on the state to provide for us rather than supporting ourselves through personal responsibility.

These arguments are not new, “Booth and Rowntree found the greatest cause of poverty was not, as often believed, feckless shirking by the irresponsible lower classes, but low pay for full-time work, or inability to get regular work despite best efforts”. In other words dependency is invalid as an argument for poverty. The causes of poverty are well known. This research was conducted before 1914.

What the Tories call dependency, Labour calls decency. Whatever defence the Conservative MPs type, say, shout or even belief is at odds with fundamental human rights. The right to water and food is part of our existence. The Tories commodify them through privatisation, e.g. the English water companies. Now, they are re-defining them – again – as dependency.

The language of dependency is interesting yet alarming. From 1997 onwards, society was not focussed on this language, but on how to design policy around alleviating poverty. These alleviation measures while not focussing on the eradicating poverty, sadly, but they helped reduce child and pensioner poverty.

Without the state focussing on alleviation and the eradication of poverty, we will go backwards in time rather forwards. I know, as I grew-up in poverty in the 1980s and received free school meals. I am very proud that Lewisham through the leadership of Damien Egan and Cllr Chris Barnham acted quickly in Lewisham to extend the free school meals entitlement over half-term.

Finally, I suspect the dependency argument will continue to be spoken by Tory minsters and MPs. If they can use that past descriptor for free school meals then it won’t be long before it is extended to universal, free at the point of need, NHS healthcare. I have no doubt that a significant number of Tory MPs want us to follow the US system of healthcare. Such a system is the number one cause for bankruptcy among the American population.

https://www.paulbell.org/