Poor Show

There is plenty wrong with the UN. But of that, another time.

Listening to last night's edition of The Moral Maze, I realised what the furious critics of Philip Alston's report found so objectionable.

He had gone to the places where the poor people lived, and he had spoken to the poor people. No one in Britain ever does that. 

The British Establishment is aghast that even an Australian could have been so uncouth.

Notice, therefore, that in none of the media coverage of Alston's findings has any poor person been interviewed. 

Instead, we have been treated to the continued insistence that extreme poverty did not exist in this country, even though the UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty had had no difficulty in finding any. 

He had, you see, looked. But one must never, ever, ever look. Where did he go to school?

Another hung Parliament is coming, however, and we need our people to hold the balance of power in it.

I will stand for this parliamentary seat of North West Durham, if I can raise the £10,000 necessary to mount a serious campaign. Please email davidaslindsay@hotmail.com. Very many thanks.