Them & Us


Hooch for them…

Parasitic property speculators will stumble through several days of free Scottish booze at international property fair Mipim on 15-18 March.

The government-run Scottish Cities Alliance (SCA) wants more super-rich developers to suck out profits and drive up workers’ living costs.

Fat cats can start the crawl with gin tasting on Tuesday. On Wednesday they can stagger over to a more traditional whisky night. And anyone left standing by Thursday can quaff their way through a selection of craft beers.

The SCA is even running a toffs’ tombola. Just sign up for its networking events, and you could win a bottle of rare single malt. 70cl of Tomatin 1988 Malt Whisky – retail price £173.

Imagine the story if a worker – let alone an unemployed person – accepted this quantity of complimentary sauce. The bosses’ papers and politicians would scream for benefit sanctions and extra duty. No such moral outrage for the super-rich.

…homelessness for us

Meanwhile, many workers at the mercy of the speculators’ market can’t even afford to rent.

Rent in nearly two thirds of the country is now unaffordable for parents in their 20s and 30s on regional average full-time wages.

Research by the Guardian and Generation Rent found that such couples would have to spend more than 30% of one partner’s wages on rent. Various organisations place the figure for affordability – without impacting on other essentials like food and clothes – at about this level.

And Tory attacks have caused a spike in homeless people sleeping in bins.

Refuse collector Biffa says staff found 175 people sleeping in dumpsters this financial year, up from 31 in 2014. If bin workers don’t find occupants in time, waste crushers can seriously injure them – or worse.

The Socialist says this is a disgrace. Reverse all cuts to homeless support services. For immediate rent controls, and a mass programme of council house building.