So, like, the fear of elections, right, it stops politicians from actually doing something about child poverty, according to award-winning author Darren McGarvey. This Scottish rapper turned writer guy says that growing up poor has never really left him, you know? He spilled the tea to The Herald as part of this series on child poverty, where like 23 charities are teaming up to ask First Minister John Swinney to get off his butt and take “urgent action” on child poverty.
Basically, they want the Scottish Government to boost the Scottish Child Payment to £40 per week per child. An open letter was also sent to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, telling him to ditch the two-child benefit cap if he wants to make any progress.
McGarvey knows a thing or two about child poverty, man. His own life story led him to become this big shot social commentator on poverty, class, and addiction. He grew up poor in Pollok, down in the south side of Glasgow, raised by his single dad alongside his siblings. His mom, who he described as a violent alcoholic, peaced out when he was 10, and he’s been dealing with his own addiction struggles.
In a long chat with The Herald, McGarvey spilled the beans: “Back in the 80s and 90s in Pollok, looking back, it was pretty grim. Violence, alcoholism, you name it. It wasn’t until the Labour government of 1997 came along that things started to look up a bit. But, like, even with all the changes, society still sucks for poor folks. Your address still decides how good your education and health are, you know?”
He also talked about this feeling of being a phony for folks from working-class backgrounds who manage to break the poverty cycle. McGarvey kicked his drinking habit in 2013 and even got a journalism qualification from Glasgow Clyde College. His first book, Poverty Safari, dropped in 2017 and got mad props. It even snagged him the Orwell Prize in 2018 for telling his story of growing up poor and questioning how to fix things.
Around that time, though, his drug use went bananas, and he had to check into rehab. His second book, The Social Distance Between Us, calls out the gap between decision-makers and regular folks.
McGarvey told The Herald that politicians have a tough gig sticking to their promises while in power and trying to get votes. The First Minister’s big dream is to wipe out child poverty, aiming to cut relative poverty down to 10%. But they missed their target of 18% by 2023-24.
He said, “Even if someone really wants to do it, they gotta think about votes too. Poor folks don’t really vote, so they don’t get heard. Politicians gotta please the rich voters first, you know? They won’t win over the rich by making things fairer. The rich have had it good for so long that evening things out feels like an attack on them and their kids.”
McGarvey thinks that private schools should be axed to fix the “crazy inequality” in the system. He said last month, “The loud folks with money scare the politicians, so they don’t stand up to them. This means they can’t help the poorest until the rich feel comfy that their interests are safe, no matter who’s in power. It’s just how things are in this country, man.”
He also talked about the struggle of breaking out of poverty, saying, “I’ve had times in my career where money shouldn’t be an issue, but it’s like this mindset you can’t shake. You gotta work hard to realize you’re good. I’ve been in spots where cash was flowing in, and my first thought was to splurge and show off to feel good. It’s like you need to prove something to others, you know?”
McGarvey’s next book, Trauma Industrial Complex, is set to drop in August, digging into how personal stuff gets shared on social media.
