Child Poverty Bill = Maths Fail

The Child Poverty Bill is coming to Parliament, considered to have laudable aims by one former minister. The only problem with it is that it's a total nonsense.

Apparently, it will make it a duty of Government to eradicate child poverty and effcetively "outlaw child poverty by 2020" Here's the problem, their target is "relative poverty". Relative poverty is defined as anyone on less than 60% of national median equivalised household income.

Now, can someone tell me how you can outlaw a moving target of a median? You can't. There will always be 50% above the median, and 50% below it, because that's what median means.

The fact is that this Bill is a complete con by Gordon Brown. It is designed purely to triangulate the Tories, after all if they oppose they will be accused of not caring about poverty, and if they support it, it will be used to hit them for failing in say five years time if they win the next election.

It's bollocks because it's mathematcally impossible to achieve the desired aims of the bill. You can't eradicate relative poverty because by definition it's relative. The Bill is pure politics and has sod all to do with poverty, child or otherwise.

Update: /me fail