AIBLINS some o ye’se missed the statement oan a veesit tae the UK bi Professor Philip Alston, the United Nations special rapporteur oan byordnar puirtith an human richts.

Gin e’er ye needit ony further pruif that the arse wis oot the troosers o the UK then this wis it! Leistweys, fir the puirest fifth o wir population … the tap fifth are still daein awa verra nicely thenk ye!

Alston is aye-an-oan fair haundit in his ootsettin o his “state o the nation”, his observations an comments are aye heids an heels objective – he maks virtually nae subjective comments throu the entire report. Juist practical recommendations based oan the available facts – as he leeterally saw thaim oan his road-trip throu the shattered wasteland that is Broken Britain.

We aa ken that UK puirtith is aa a direct result o the bankin collapse o 2007-8. We ken tae that that wisnae a naitrel disaster lik a volcanic eruption – it wis caused bi the greed o bankin institutions wha instead o uphaudin a healthy society based oan the trade, manufacture an sale o commercial guids, ettled tae siphon aff the wealth tae thaim wha dealt directly wi the settin up o the fiscal deals involved, ie the bankers theirsels.

Ably abetted bi the likes o the Labour Government an Gordon Broon billions o pounds o public siller (oor money!) wis poured intae keepin the banks afloat. Private companies sauved bi public siller. The ootcome wis the hamstringin o wir public finances – an ten years o the follaein Tory austerity as the puirest fowk in the kintra wir haimmert an made tae pey fir this bourach.

State propaganda e’en ettled tae kid us oan that raither than haein oor pouches ryped that we hud ackwally bin saved! Syne then the nummer o occupants o Billionaires Row haes went throu the ruif – whiles the puirest section o the UK are forced tae uise food banks – an mair weans than evir are growin up in a puirtith that mirrors an kythes aamaist Dickensian proportions.

Alston, oan this modren Homeric odyssey, witnessed the fowk sleepin reuch in the streets; the muckle increase in homelessness; families scartin aboot fir food the best they can; an suicide rates that wid shame ony society in the developed warld – figures that led the UK Government tae appynt a Meenister fir Suicide Prevention.

Libraries hae bi shut doun ho-ro, community an youth centres hae hud fundin cut tae the bane while parks an recreation faceelities hae bin sell’t aff tae private developers tae bigg hames fir the weel aff.

The outcome o aa this likesay is that 14 million fowk in the UK nou leeve in puirtith. Fowr million o that nummer are mair as 50% ablow the puirtith line, an 1.5m are destitute – no e’en able tae affuird the maist basic o daily necessars. That weel-respeckit body the Institute fir Fiscal Studies haes forecast a 7% rise in child puirtith atween 2015 an 2022, an ither gates ettle oan child puirtith rates gaun as heich as 40%.

Alston claims that Britain is no jist a disgrace, but a social calamity an an economic disaster rolled intae wan.

He’s no his lane in pyntin aa this oot. Kenspeckle charitable groups, leadin think tanks, pairliamentary committees an independent authorities lik the National Audit Office hae lang bin soundin the alarm bells anent the undeemous decline o the puirest sections o wir kintra. But wha is the ae actor that that hus steikit their een, mou an lugs an refused tae accept ony o this? The Westmeenster Government o coorse.

While the responsible devolved authorities o Scotland an Northern Ireland are desperately tryin tae “mitigate” agin the warst features o the UK Government’s benefits policy that’s at the ruit o this disaster fir the UK’s puir, UK meenisters wir insistitin tae Alston that aathing wis weel an rinnin tae plan! Tho gin the plan is tae stairve the puir they’re aiblins richt!

A wheen o these concerns are linked tae Brexit. Gien the byordnar nummer o policies, programmes an spendin priorities that wull need tae be taen tent o (gin Brexit e’er happens!) an the chainges these wull entail then it is withooten dout that the puir wha are least able tae cope wull suffer the maist. Gin Boris hus his wey an gangs fir a no-deal Brexit, the IMF hus ettled that this wull cost the UK economy atween 5% an 8% o GDP – that wid kythe a loss o thoosans o pounds her household fir thaim wha can least affuird it.

The faw in the value o the pound hus aareadies raised the cost o leevin fir fowk in puirtith bi £400 a year. Aamaist evri offeeshul study hus kythed that the UK economy wull be warse aff acause o Brexit. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation ettles that gin the UK Government disnae uprate benefits tae account fir inflation eftir Brexit then aamaist wan million mair fowk cuid faw intil puirtith. This wid pit e’en mair strain oan ooor aareadies failin social support systems an NHS.

The UK wull lose billions o pounds in EU funds that wull hae maist effect oan the puirest areas that benefit the maist frae sic funding. This wull include aamaist £9 billion in puirtith reduction funding atween 2014 an 2020. The UK Government hus announced a “shared prosperity fund” tae fill that gap – but (surprise, surprise) they cuidnae tell Professor Alston hou this wid wark …

Thair ae solution tae aa this. Nicola hus set the wheels in motion fir indy2. Gin ye pit yer tick in the richt boax we can lowp aff o “Boris’s Bus” afore it gangs ower the cliff wi his Tory pals, Farage an the rest o the Brexiteer lemmings!