“Poverty Is Not About Scroungers Versus Strivers, Church Of England Bishops Say“, The Huffington Post UK, 08/07/2013

Presenting poverty and unemployment as a question of “scroungers versus strivers” is both inaccurate and an insult, Church of England bishops have said.

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, called for the Church to resist “rhetoric” that accuses people of choosing a life of idle dependence on the welfare state.

“It is an insult to claim that poverty in this country is caused by people choosing unemployment,” he told members of the General Synod.

“Six out of 10 families in poverty have at least one adult in work.

“We need to remember who caused our economic downturn. Was it those workers on low wages, working hard to provide for their families – or was it the gambling casino culture of a group of wealthy bankers that has left our economy where it is today? Who was bailed out with large sums of money?”

Read the full article here.