All Campaigns subcategories:
Housing keywords:
Tenants
Highlight keywords |
Print this article
Search site for keywords: Housing - Tenants - Labour - Evictions - Council - London - Homes - Walthamstow - Waltham Forest - East London
Butterfields tenants demand action against evictions at Labour estate agent awards
Charlie Hendren, Waltham Forest Socialist Party
Tenants facing sell-off and eviction in east London demanded action from their Labour council at a nauseating Labour-organised estate agent awards ceremony on 20 February.
Walthamstow Housing's "Heroes and Horrors" public meeting was hosted by local Blairite MP Stella Creasy. I say "public meeting", but simply being a resident didn't give you the right to know in advance where it was held! This info was only supplied once I had emailed my details.
Organisers disguised this as a way to ascertain turnout. In reality, Creasy put in place a vetting system to try to exclude dissenting voices - an attack on the labour movement's democratic tradition of open meetings.
The entire meeting had the sickening glossiness of a bizarre gameshow. In the midst of a devastating housing crisis, estate agents took home awards either venerating or weakly condemning their behaviour.
It seems all Creasy can do for constituents is hope estate agents and landlords behave 'kindly' - lest they receive one of these pieces of coloured paper.
Investment
Labour mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan also addressed us. He began and ended his short speech by saying "London is the best city in the world." But neither Khan nor Creasy mentioned investment in council housing which is central to solving the housing crisis.
The meeting's saving grace was the stand from Butterfields estate tenants. Their 'charity' landlord has sold their homes from under them, and they now face eviction and misery.
Spokesperson Sylvia (pictured left) gave a clear and powerful account of their situation. She demanded action from the council, suggesting a compulsory purchase order. Tenants could then pay rent to the council.
Over a dozen tenants went to the front with Sylvia, a united show of strength from working class people organising to save their homes.
Councillors joined the standing ovation. But it is one thing to stand up in a meeting - we demand the council stands up in action.
Donate to the Socialist Party
Finance appeal
The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.
The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.
The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.
- The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
- When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.
Inevitably, during the crisis we have not been able to sell the Socialist and raise funds in the ways we normally would.
We therefore urgently appeal to all our viewers to donate to our Fighting Fund.
LATEST POSTS
12 May Stop Israeli state brutality
 |
9 May Post-election meetings
15 May Birmingham Socialist Party: How can we fight for socialist change and a new workers' party?
17 May Oxfordshire & Aylesbury Socialist Party: The role of the state
18 May Bristol North Socialist Party: Liverpool - history of socialist struggle
CONTACT US
Phone our national office on 020 8988 8777
Email: [email protected]
Locate your nearest Socialist Party branch Text your name and postcode to 07761 818 206
Regional Socialist Party organisers:
Eastern: 079 8202 1969
East Mids: 077 3797 8057
London: 075 4018 9052
North East: 078 4114 4890
North West 079 5437 6096
South West: 077 5979 6478
Southern: 078 3368 1910
Wales: 079 3539 1947
West Mids: 024 7655 5620
Yorkshire: 078 0983 9793
ABOUT US
ARCHIVE
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999