It is with anger that these words are being written, disgust too, and also more than a little sadness.

Here, across Wales, child poverty rates are soaring.

Hard to believe that almost one child in every three is growing up in poverty. And for that, we as a society in general and those we elect as a whole, should hang heads in shame.

The figures highlighted in this publication in our Behind the News analysis are truly depressing, and the trend varies little wherever we live in Wales.

In Ceredigion, 30 per cent of our children are growing up in households where there isn’t enough food on the table, enough money to provide for a proper roof over their heads, and enough resources to allow them to participate in activities that should be taken for granted.

In Pembrokeshire, that rate of child poverty is just slightly lower – with 29 per cent of our children growing up in poor homes. In Gwynedd and Powys, the figures are marginally lower again, at 28 per cent.

And across this nation, it’s a similar figure, with 27.9 per cent of Welsh children facing a bleak future.

Yes, bleak.

The reality is that children who are brought up in poverty struggle to break free of the economic burden, and struggle then for the rest of their lives.

Since the data collection started in 2014, things have continued to decline. Despite our efforts, we are worse off, our children too.

But this is not about Ceredigion or Pembrokeshire, Gwynedd or Powys. No, across the UK, and particularly where there are more than one child, the poverty rate is as high as 42 per cent.

There is a common denominator in all of this. Throughout this slow decline and growth in poverty, Conservatives have been in power in Westminster.

Yes, Labour too in Cardiff, but it is an administration that is hamstrung by not having full powers to tax.

But as far as we believe we progressed as a whole, clearly we haven’t.

We are failing miserably — and no one seems to have a plan to reverse this failure.