Them and us

Them and us   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Royal eviction

The Crown Estate, a property portfolio owned by the Queen, has been evicting people. It wanted to sell the properties for profit.

Since 2014, she’s made £1.1 billion in property sales. Over 100 tenants were evicted 2014-18.

And there have been 100 complaints about the state of her stock since 2017. She even received £250,000 paid via housing benefit.

Following the Barking fire in east London, the Socialist Party said the private owners have lost the right to own the properties, they should be confiscated. It’s the same for Her Majesty.

We need rent control to cap rents. The construction companies and massive landlords should have their resources nationalised under the democratic control of the working class, so everyone can be given somewhere cheap and suitable to live.


Plane parody

Cheaper than rail, even for rail workers, photo Arpingstone (Creative Commons)

Cheaper than rail, even for rail workers, photo Arpingstone (Creative Commons)   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Network Rail told its staff in Wales to fly because it was cheaper. One MP said it was “beyond parody.”

Making public transport more expensive doesn’t help workers or the environment. Like transport union RMT, the Socialist Party supports rail renationalisation.


Council cuts

One in three councils believe they will be unable to provide statutory services in three years, according to the Local Government Association, the body that represents local authorities. Two thirds think they’ll run out of money for these vital services later.

By next year, 60p out of every £1 councils receive from central government will have been lost since 2010.

But councils have huge power – they should use their massive reserves and borrowing powers to refuse to pass on Tory cuts. If Jeremy Corbyn made this call he’d win mass support.

The local government committees of trade unions Unison and Unite already back this. However, if councillors are unwilling to stand up for communities, they should stand aside for working-class fighters who will.