How not to deal with a homelessness crisis

[This article was written for the December edition of the Zahir, the University of York's culture magazine]

Hypothetical situation: you’re the leader of a country with 700,000 empty homes and an increasing number of people sleeping on the streets. You’re cutting housing benefit, threatening thousands with eviction. Do you make it a) easier for people to occupy these empty homes, or b) make it illegal and slap a one year prison sentence and a £5,000 fine on anyone caught doing it?

Choices, choices, choices. Needless to say, you’re not the leader. David Cameron is. And he’s going for option B.

About 40,000 people currently ‘squat’ in unoccupied homes around the UK. At the moment, it’s not technically illegal for them to do so, as it would be more expensive for them to live on the streets when dealing when the long-term health costs of homelessness are taken into account (most long-term rough sleepers die in the 40s). Sleeping in an empty building is an obvious alternative to an alley for an evicted family, especially with the construction of social housing now at its lowest for decades.

The changes would be a little more understandable had the government’s consultation shown that most people support the move. But out of over 2,000 responses, 95% opposed the criminalisation of squatting. 120 academics and lawyers also signed a letter in The Guardian in September questioning Ken Clarke’s proposals. This is clearly then, a controversial move.

Some manifestations of that anger could be seen on the 31st of October when about 500 squatters marched to Parliament for a planned ‘sleep-in’, demanding the Legal Aid and Sentencing Bill which contains the provisions be dropped. The protest was broken up as by police (it was ‘unauthorised’) and seven people were arrested. A day later, the bill passed overwhelmingly in the Commons.

Scotland, well ahead of us here, has already made squatting a criminal offence. However, there are existing ways of getting rid of squatters in England and Wales, with evictions done through the civil courts. Many squatters are charged with Criminal Damage, an offence which is easy to prove and regularly sees people thrown out. The means are already there, then. But the Conservatives, who, on an unrelated note, have received £3.3m from property developers over the past three years, are set on taking a tough stance on the issue.

Who exactly are these squatters? 37% of them suffer from mental health problems. 78% had attempted to get help from councils, and failed. A fifth have alcohol problems. This is clearly a deep social problem. A parliamentary motion against the bill puts it right – the government should ‘not penalise vulnerable homeless people [but] focus on tackling the root cause of the problem’, namely that the housing market is failing Britain. The motion, by the way, garnered a mere 40 signatures.

Outside of Parliament though, the government’s decision has sparked outrage from a broad range of charities and campaigning groups – Crisis, the Advisory Service for Squatters, and surprisingly, the NUS. Why the NUS have spoken out doesn’t seem immediately apparent – until you realise that the legislation being introduce to criminalise squatting could also criminalise university occupations. Is this the end of the campus occupation? And if it isn’t, could it be the start of an era of lawsuits by universities against their own students? It’s a dangerous time to be radical.

Michael Chessum, on the NUS executive committee, said the NUS would make it ‘politically impossible’ for the coalition to enforce the moves. What that could involve is as yet unclear, but two universities  – Birmingham and St Andrews – have just gone into occupation. As the slogan goes from last year’s demonstrations, this might be ‘just the beginning’, but with swinging cuts to the education budget, it seems unlikely that squatting reforms are going to be the main topic in student protests over the next few months. Michael Chessum could be disappointed.

The real opposition has to come from the charities concerned and individuals willing to take a stand. Ministers listened when the National Trust spoke out against planning reforms. The plans for woodland privatisation were dropped when campaign group 38 degrees spoke out. The vulnerable people who’ll be evicted because of governmental short-sightedness need someone to speak out for them, too.

2011
11/21
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The Cat Got May’s Tongue – Tory hypocrisy on human rights

“The government are saying…you don’t know best – we do”. Such was the denouement of Theresa May’s maiden speech in 1997, condemning the new Blair government on its education reforms. Sadly Blair’s instincts seem to have rubbed off on her. At this week’s Conservative Party conference, May endorsed Cameron’s plans to take back power from ‘unaccountable judges’ under the Human Rights Act and ‘bring them back’. To politicians? “You don’t know best”: May’s words to judges today.

It’s hard to think of such a contradiction for the Tories as the Human Rights Act, which took powers back from Europe (by bringing the European Convention on Human Rights into British law – and our courts). Strangely, you won’t see Eurosceptics mourning the apparent death of the HRA on Newsnight, despite Brits no longer having to go to Strasbourg to sort their problems out.

Cameron had a lot to say about liberty and rights upon becoming Tory leader – ‘compassionate Conservatism’ (borrowed from that arch-executioner George Bush) aimed to fix the ‘flog em all’ reputation of the Tories. Appointing the liberal Kenneth Clarke as chair of a new Tory ‘democracy group’, Cameron even stole some of the Lib Dems pink flair while they were still battling over who would lead their own party.

By the time the 2010 election arrived however, Cameron promised to replace the HRA with a Bill of Rights (which Clarke described as ‘zenophobic’). The dispute in the coalition over the HRA mirrors the manifesto divide – the Lib Dems pledged to ‘protect the Human Rights Act’. Then again, they also pledged to scrap tuition fees. Where this leaves the coalition now though is uncertain. The coalition agreement is ambiguous, seeking to establish a commission to ‘build on our obligations under the ECHR’.

May, who voted against New Labour’s rights-infringing counter-terrorism legislation, described herself to the Tory conference as one ‘in the minority who want [the HRA] to go’. Let’s hope the hypocrite remains in a minority. But other senior figures in the party also want the act scrapped. Will the Lib Dems fight for it, or perform another cowardly u-turn? After the tuition fee debacle however, it’s unlikely the party faithful would forgive another. Cameron’s future is stable. But Clegg’s future as leader could stand on this. The question ‘stay or may be about more than just the Human Rights Act a few weeks down the line.

2011
10/05
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Unite the Union launches cut price student rate. Bring on the Big Society.

The Guardian reported yesterday that Unite, Britain’s biggest trade union, has just launched a new cut price rate for students and the unemployed of 50p a week in an aim to bring some of those most badly affected by the cuts into the union movement.

Kudos to Len McClusky, the left-wing leader of Unite who has proved a match for the Tory government since coming in six months ago. I’ve been a Unite member for just a few weeks, and though like seemingly every other group at the minute there’s been a few membership problems (the Green Party for a start), the new rate looks like a good step towards sorting it out.

I have my criticisms of course. Unite’s online membership at the moment is shambolic – it’s a nightmare to join online and when you have there is often little confirmation to say you’ve successfully joined. If that isn’t off-putting to students, I don’t know what it. Moreover, the Unite student site hasn’t been updated for months, and the members section of the unions main site is currently down. Without sorting this out, the problems of a non-unionised student workforce will remain.

Getting students and the unemployed on board has to be one of the most important hurdles in fighting the cuts as well as fighting for workers rights in an increasingly casualised, “hire-or-fire” labour market.

2011
07/19
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Support the Strikes in Cornwall on June 30th – Rally on Lemon Quay

Hundreds of striking workers and their supporters will be rallying on Lemon Quay in Truro on June 30th to support the thousands of public sector workers in Cornwall who face job losses, a tripling of their pension contributions (with the average public sector pension only £4,000 as it stands) and pay freezes.

Cornwall Anti-Cuts is helping to organise the rally and is linking up the unions, with a meeting last Wednesday successfully bringing together the striking unions.

Up to 750,000 could be on strike on the day and it is vital they are shown support. Striking is a last resort – but hard-working people in the public sector are being made to pay for the financial crisis. Let’s stand up for them on the 30th and fight the Tory-led coaltion.

UK Uncut are organising a national day of action alongside the strikes. This is going to be big – and not one to miss.

There will be more strikes to come in the next few months. Looks like were building for a general strike. A bit later than Greece, admittedly.

 

 

2011
06/16
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Unions get behind alternative resistance

After appearing to settle down after March 26th’s half a million strong ‘march for the alternative’, the anti-cuts movement has been boosted in Britain in recent weeks by some hugely encouraging developments within the unions, flying in the face of those who wish to marginalise organised workers in the campaign.

Unions have found new ways to tackle attacks on the public sector in the past few months – and now PCS civil servants union and the TSSA transport union have agreed to join in ‘non-violent resistance’ to the sweeping austerity being imposed on the UK and Europe as a whole.

The TSSA at its conference on Friday passed a resolution to encourage ‘participation in non-violent resistance activities in conjunction with others such as trade unions, trades councils, the People’s Charter, the Coalition of Resistance and local community organisations’.

This follows the PCS union just a month or so ago voting to ‘fully support the protests and peaceful civil disobedience tactics used by the grassroots campaigners UK Uncut’. Members are being encouraged to join the demonstrations – Cornwall has its own action in Camelford on the 10th June and it is hoped that members in the area will attend.

These developments are not purely symbolic or ‘muscle flexing’. The PCS represents over 300,000 workers. Such a mandate of support can go a long way at countering the emerging stigma against anti-cuts action following demonstrations over the past year.

Even the NUS is getting in on the conference season’s radical policy changes, declaring (albeit quietly) on the 17th of May its opposition to ‘Israel’s siege on Gaza and actively campaign for it to be lifted in accordance with international law’. This is a big shift from the NUS policy of 2008 which refused to condemn Israel’s siege on Gaza which killed 1400 Palestinian civilians.

Yes, motions like these are passed and some perhaps ignored every year. But they highlight real moves towards unity and solidarity which have been missing for a long time. And the PCS decision led to one of UK Uncut’s strongest Days of Action of the year.

2011
06/06
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Cornwall homeless cuts protest ejects from demonstration…homeless people

On Sunday hundreds were set to descend on Truro Cathedral for an anti-cuts protest about the 40% cuts to the Supporting People funding in Cornwall, which provides funding to vulnerable care services. Most of the funding goes towards homelessness support. The demonstration was far different to what many imagined it would be.

You can blame it on the weather, the loss of momentum or the date (it being a bank holiday), but whichever way you spin it the demonstration was a failure. For a start the protest in February saw over 100 sleep outside County Hall for the same reason, despite temperatures dropping to -1. Despite the scale of opposition, councillors just a couple of days later voted through millions of pounds of cuts to these essential services.

This demonstration however, entailed just twenty or less camp outside the Cathedral. Several homeless people were among the protesters. Of course, the demonstration was billed as a show of charitable care towards homeless people, but the behavior of the organisers was inexcusable.

At around midnight the organisers drew people camping in the car park at the back to the front of the cathedral to witness two clearly distressed people, both homeless, apparently ‘lash out’ at the organisers. I had been talking with one of them earlier and she was far from violent, singing protest songs with everyone. But the apparently drunk homeless people had been drawn to attention by the organisers (from the Cathedral) and were being told to leave the shelter of the front of the building and go out into the street. Not your average show of human compassion.

The police were called, despite the protestations of some of the others camping out, and the homeless couple were then told they were ‘spoiling our demonstration’ and ‘being unnecessarily disruptive’. What they were actually doing was demanding the organisers explain why so few were here, why they were being treated like outsiders, why they were being patronised by people who showed only token solidarity with them, before returning to the warmth of their homes.

Eventually the gates of the Cathedral front were closed. The facade was apparently in danger of being scratched by these rowdy two who challenged the middle-class guilt appeasing nature of the demo. Forced into the rain, they left peacefully. As did the organisers, who were reported to have gone home – yes, gone home – instead of sleeping out.

The Cathedral probably has enough space inside to accommodate all the homeless people in Cornwall. But on Sunday, we saw the very people the protest was meant to be in support of snubbed and ejected.

The campaign against such disgusting cuts shouldn’t stop here because of what happened. What it has to learn however is that homeless people do indeed suffer high levels of alcoholism, and understandably so – it’s freezing out there on the streets. It’s the causes of this that we have to tackle as the numbers of homeless increases in Cornwall as a result of these cuts. Otherwise, we are guilty of turning away those we’re supposed to be defending – undermining ourselves and the anti-cuts movement as a whole.

2011
05/31
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The Next Two Weeks in Anti-Cuts/Privatisation Action in Cornwall

Several important anti-cuts and ‘Save our NHS’ events are coming up in the next two weeks. I’ll try to give a quick round-up.

On May 28th there’s a 38 Degrees-inspired march and petition hand-in to Sarah Newton MP, the Tory member for Truro and Falmouth. She is supposedly fighting Coastguard cuts she essentially voted through with the past couple of budgets. Now it’s time to demand she votes ‘no’ to Lansley’s NHS bill.

Campaigners will be loosely congregating in front of Wetherspoons in Truro from 12pm-1pm, before marching down to the library to meet Sarah Newton at 1:30pm. Bring placards if you can.

As part of the same campaign Cllr Stuart Cullimore (MK) is organising a similar petition hand-in and march in Camborne on the 4th June, meeting at Tesco carpark at 1:15pm. The MP is George Eustice (the same Eustice currently advising the local Tory council on ‘communications’ – i.e. wording cuts nicely).

In what should be a pretty impressive sight, people will again be ‘sleeping out’ against 40% Supporting People cuts, on the 29th May. More information at my other post here.

Between these events is the Cornwall Anti-Cuts campaign meeting on the 1st of June (6:30-8:30pm at Truro Railway Club, as usual) to which everyone serious about fighting cuts should attend.

So a fairly busy couple of weeks ahead. In the most crucial time for the NHS campaign, and a very interesting time for the Supporting People campaign, especially after a court ruling has declared Supporting People cuts in Birmingham illegal. Gives some hope to the resistance down here in Cornwall, doesn’t it comrades?

2011
05/21
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Going Where the Grass is Greener – Why I’m Leaving Labour

It’s been a tough decision to make, but I have decided to join the Green Party. For the past year I’ve been in the Labour party, and met some fantastic people – principled people, including many on the left. MPs such as Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell have consistently acted upon their socialist beliefs, and been dedicated to fighting for social justice and egalitarianism. The election of Ed Miliband provided some hope for people like me, that is, Young Socialists (sadly just ‘Young Labour’ members now) by offering a split from New Labour. But I have decided to change party for a lot of reasons, which I’ll try and explain.

Firstly, the old cliche, which I’ve just realised to be true. Though there are some socialists in the Labour party, it is fundamentally, and unfortunately, not a left-wing party. That is not to say this won’t change in the future (social democratic parties have been wiped out in Europe after the ’90s) – but the Labour party doesn’t represent all that many progressive views. Cuts? Labour is backing them.  Just at a slightly slower rate – not really encouraging for people about to lose their job or having their disability support slashed. And in education, Labour still supports a view of education that sees it as a mere commodity to be sold to students, or ‘customers’ as we are increasingly called. Education is a public good, a gift from one generation to another. It pays for itself in extra tax revenue from higher earning graduates. It creates well-rounded individuals. And ability to pay shouldn’t come into the public sector – whatever part of the public sector that is. On Trident, the war in Afghanistan, on Gaza and NATO, the Green Party is on the side of progressivism when frankly Labour isn’t.

I voted for Ed Miliband. He appeared to support a future for Britain that is centre-left on the side of equality. But now he seems keen on reducing the role of trade unions within the party and is cozying up to ‘Blue Labour’ – effectively a continuation of New Labour but with slightly less free-market obsession and slightly more racism and xenophobia. Again, not all that inspiring.

I come back to the point of socialists in the Labour party. John McDonnell, the beacon of hope within the party,  couldn’t even get on the ballot for the leadership election. He had to drop out to boost Dianne Abbott’s chances of getting on there. And she sent her kids to private school. Caroline Lucas MP is to the left of Abbott – and leads the Greens. I want to be part of a party that not only has strong left element, but that is actually led by the left.

Of course, there are flaws with the Greens. They don’t have trade unions at their heart. But unlike Labour, the Green’s stand on a platform of removing anti-trade union laws. Something Labour didn’t do in their 13 years of power. And the Greens perhaps have a presentation problem of being seen as a bourgeois humus-eating elitist clique.  However, all the Green Party members I know are rooted in realism and the working class. Are they a single issue party? If so, which single issue? Wishing to clamp down on tax dodging? Seeking a fairer tax system to stop the cuts? Through their 131 councillors, their MP and MEPs, they have shown that they most definitely are not a single-issue party. Nonetheless, if they were it would be preferable to a party that has no firm beliefs anymore at all.

The Greens are growing. Membership is growing. Their representation is growing – even under First Past the Post – as they now control Brighton council and have councillors across the country. Their stature and credibility as a party is growing. It took a long time for me to be convinced of that, but it’s true.

I don’t want, or need, to list what I think the Labour party did wrong over the past thirteen years. Because many good things happened. Sure Start, investment in the NHS, the minimum wage, devolution and so on. And I am filled with a certain sense of guilt for leaving a party that declares on our membership cards it is a ‘democratic socialist party’. But then I remember this was only put in as a concession after the tragic removal of the radical Clause 4 in the ’90s.

Again, I have to stress, I fully support the left within the Labour party. The Labour Representation Committee has played a fantastic role in keeping it alive within the movement, and I will sorely miss not being able to retain my LRC membership. Even of those not on the left there are some fantastic people locally who I respect and wish all the best. And were the Labour Party to ever (as unlikely as it may seem) shift back to the left, I will be one of the first to rejoin. But this is looking increasingly remote the more disillusioned I become with Ed Miliband and the rest of the leadership.

So. All the best to all the Labour comrades I have met over the past year and hope to remain friends with – and solidarity with all the trade unionists and socialists still sticking with the party. I’m going to make a firm pledge now that if I ever stand as a Green candidate it will never be against a dedicated left-wing Labour member.

And neither am I going to ask anyone to follow suit. I don’t want to be a human billboard for ditching the Labour party. But as the saying goes – the Labour party left us, not the other way round.

2011
05/18
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Supporting People Campaign Builds Strength in Cornwall

May 29th – Defend the homeless and those most at risk: Camp-out in Truro against ‘Supporting People’ Cuts

It’s no news that the Supporting People service in Cornwall, which provides sheltered housing and homelessness support, is being slashed by 40%. It’s probably no surprise either, that Cornwall has the second highest rate of homelessness in England, after London. Westminster in London is banning soup runs to 100-150 homeless people. Cornwall is now trying to compete in the ‘how much can we punish the poor’ contest, apparently.

That’s aside from the fact that Cornwall spends less on Adult Social Care than almost any other part of England, according to the BBC. The Tory council would rather hire consultants and save its precious (a hem, huge) reserves.

It is obvious that we need to try to stop these cuts to Supporting People. Even Eric Pickles is saying SP should not be cut. So after the fantastic demonstration in February which saw around 100 people camp outside the council offices (including, shamefully, Stephen Gilbert MP who is pushing through Tory cuts nationally), another demonstration is now being planned for the 29th of May. It’s being organised by the Churches Homeless Network, and will hopefully be even bigger than last time. Make sure you’re there. Homelessness can happen to anyone, believe it or not.

Let’s just hope Truro-based Cornwall Councillor Fiona Ferguson comes and explains why she thinks ‘I will be better able to protect the vulnerable if I don’t squander the public’s hard-earned money’. What a waste, eh, keeping people off the streets?

Supporting people sleep out – PDF

2011
05/12
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‘Disabled People Against Cuts’ and ‘Cornwall Save our NHS’ to protest in Truro this week

After the effective (and deserved) collapse of the Lib Dems in the local election on the 5th, there’s more good news. Cornwall is hosting two protests over the next week against disability benefit cuts and the coalition’s attacks on the NHS.

Below are the events, which Cornwall Anti-Cuts Alliance asked me to pass on. Please spread the word about these events – Wednesday’s protest is part of the anti-ATOS week of action, and the vigil/march/picket/street theatre in Truro this Saturday is the first major event from Save Our NHS Cornwall. Two pretty unmissable events in the Cornwall activist timetable!

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Week of Action Against ATOS – Truro Protest, Wednesday 11th

Come and take part in Cornwall Disabled People Against the Cuts’ first event as part of the Week of Action against the ‘poverty pimps’ ‘ATOS’. We are meeting outside Wetherspoons in Lemon Quay, Truro, on Wednesday May 11th, at 10.30am. The protest will then proceed to ATOS in Pydar Street,  with placards and leaflets for a demonstration outside their HQ.

If you cannot do that journey, be in the car park near Pydar House at 11.00am. Then we will go to ATOS in Pydar House for our protest. If we have the energy, we will return to Lemon Quay for more leafleting and petitioning.

Please call Chris Gibson on 01872 560483 for more details, or email Mike Smart at mike.smart13@yahoo.com

What does DPAC stand for?

  • full human rights and dignity for disabled people
  • opposition to government austerity measures which target the poor while leaving the wealthy unscathed
  • we refuse to stay silent against wealthy politicians delivering injustice on ordinary people
  • we refuse to accept they can destroy lives because we are sick or disabled
  • we will not be scapegoats for the financial mistakes of governments

‘Atos Origin have just begun a £300 million contract by the Government to carry out ‘work capability assessments’ on all of those claiming Incapacity Benefit.

It is claimed assessments are to test what people can do rather than what they can’t. The real purpose is to strip benefits from as many people as possible.

This testing system has already led to people with terminal illnesses and severe medical conditions being declared fit for work and having benefits cut. GP’s are ignored in favour of decisions made by Atos Origin’s computer.

To date around 40% of appeals against Atos Origin’s decisions have been successful.’

Facebook event page here.

Save our NHS Cornwall – Picket, March, Vigil and Street Theatre on May 14th

Our NHS is under threat. Health workers at Treliske face the slashing of their pensions, hundreds of job losses and the Royal Cornwall Health Trust is being forced to ‘save’ £15 million this year. Alongside these local cuts, Lansley’s health reforms will take power from democratic, public hands into those of private consortia.

Because of this people in Cornwall are fighting back. Cornwall Anti-Cuts Alliance and Save our NHS Cornwall are organising a joint picket of support for staff at Treliske on Saturday May 14th at 12: 30pm, followed by a march into Lemon Quay. This will be followed by a Vigil at 2.00pm – with live street theatre!

Please do all you can to spread the word, and defend our NHS and its workers, and come to these fantastic events on the 14th May.

Facebook event here.

Cornwall Anti-Cuts Alliance

http://cornwallanticutsalliance.wordpress.com/

On Twitter: @Kernowanticuts

2011
05/08
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