The Scotland Demands Better event will bring together anti-poverty campaigners, trade unions, faith groups, environmental activists, charities and more

Scotland’s civil society will unite in Edinburgh this weekend to demand a better country.

Thousands will gather in the capital on Saturday (25 Octpber) for the Scotland Demands Better march and rally.

The major event will bring together anti-poverty campaigners, trade unions, faith groups, environmental activists, charities, community organisations and more.

They say there is growing public anger at a lack of fundamental political action to build a better society.

Campaigners have united around three clear demands:

• better jobs for everyone who needs one, with fair conditions and wages that pay the bills,
• better investment for life's essentials - like affordable homes, good public transport, a thriving natural environment, and strong public services
• and better social security so that all of us have a foundation for the future.

Orgaised by the Poverty Alliance, Scotland Demands Better has support from across the country's voluntary sector.

The march begins at the Scottish Parliament on Saturday morning and will wind its way across the city to the Meadows – see here for full details.

Among the backers is the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO).

Chief executive Anna Fowlie said: "SCVO was born out of the need to mobilise the power of voluntary and community organisations to rebuild Scottish society after the second world war.

“It’s shameful that 80 years on, we see poverty and inequality still rife and deep-rooted problems still preventing people from living fulfilling, healthy lives. We still have a system that favours the wealthy and exacerbates disadvantage. That’s why SCVO is committed to supporting Scotland Demands Better.

 “Scotland needs to invest in making sure people have good quality work, homes and public services; quality of life, wellbeing and the environment are everyone’s right. Voluntary organisations across the country work tirelessly to support people and communities, and to campaign for change. It’s time to act."

Also backing it is the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland coalition, which will march to highlight how climate justice and ending poverty are part of the same fight.

Its chair Dr Mike Robinson said: “To build more resilient societies and protect most people there must be a society-wide vision for climate action that is steeped in tackling existing and future inequalities.

“We need a national shared purpose, a vision which we are all challenged to help deliver. But this is impossible if people don’t trust each other’s motives, lack empathy or feel excluded from the benefits of change or having a voice in that change.

“Above all, we need strong leadership. If inequality and climate change are not addressed together, it is unclear whether either can be addressed at all.” 

Another major charity backing the event is the Joseph Rpwntree Foundation, which said it is time for MSPs to “go much further” and introduce bolder policies to reduce the number of people in poverty.

Chris Birt, Joseph Rowntree Foundation associate director for Scotland, said: “I will be among those taking to the streets of Edinburgh on Saturday, because it’s clear to me that we need radical and urgent change at both Holyrood and Westminster.

“With a million people in Scotland living in poverty, including a quarter of a million children, maintaining the status quo is clearly not an option.

“Our politicians need to go much further and significantly raise their ambitions. It is time to focus on the things that matter to people, like tackling child poverty, through policies that make a meaningful difference to people’s lives.

“These changes must start happening soon, whether it is at the UK budget in November, the Scottish budget in January, or at next year’s Holyrood election.

“Far too many people in our society are being left behind, and can’t even secure life’s essentials, so it’s no wonder that so many are feeling overlooked and ignored.

“But it’s also clear that the solutions are within our grasp, and that everyone’s lives can improve if our politicians choose to focus on what’s important.”

Ruth Boyle, policy and campaigns manager for the Poverty Alliance, called for people to come along and show their support.

She said: “On Saturday, thousands of people from across Scotland will be taking to the streets of Edinburgh to demand better – better than poverty, better than inequality, and better than a future defined by crisis.

“The same systems that drive people into financial insecurity are driving climate breakdown, and both are rooted in an economy that isn’t working for people and the planet. That’s why climate campaigners are standing shoulder to shoulder with us this weekend.

“The Scotland Demands Better campaign is clear that a thriving natural environment is one of life’s essentials. We need policies which take fair, bold and fast action on the climate that benefit local communities, protect those on low incomes and ensure that the biggest polluters pay for their damage.

“Scotland Demands Better is about hope and solidarity. It’s about saying that we can do things differently. When we stand together, we can build a Scotland where everyone can thrive, now and for generations to come.”