Thousands march to bin the bedroom tax

Mass opposition to the bedroom tax is growing by the day. Anti-bedroom tax protests attracted thousands of people in Glasgow and Edinburgh this weekend – reflecting the mass opposition to the hated ConDem policy. We carry reports from both demonstrations.  They came in their thousands to Glasgow Green, the place that 24 years earlier had witnessed a human avalanche of protest amid the arrival of the mass non-payment campaign that defeated the poll tax. Saturday March 30 2013, a different tax, a different Tory government, but again the working class was going to have it’s say.

Glasgow

Well over 5,000 marched on Saturday against the bedroom tax but also against the impact of savage austerity in all its forms.  People poured into Glasgow Green from communities across the West of Scotland and beyond, many affected directly by the bedroom tax, but many others who marched did so out of the most fundamental of instincts, human solidarity. They grabbed the West of Scotland Anti Bedroom Tax Federation placards with the slogan “Axe the Bedroom Tax, Can’t Pay Won’t Leave, No Evictions”. Homemade banners from local communities declared this far and no further.  “I’d rather have IBS than IDS” was one, and this was before Tory Hatchet man, Iain Duncan Smith, declared he could live quite easily on £53 a week. Callous cruelty from a government minister for “welfare” who is slashing the incomes of the poorest and receives £135,000 a year for his brutality. 

The demonstration was led by a group of disabled protesters, 80% of those impacted by the bedroom tax have a disability. Thousands assembled behind the Federation Banner, there were many trade union banners indicating a large mobilisation from workers – in defiance of cynical attempts by the ConDems to divide “strivers” from so-called “shirkers”. As the march went up the Saltmarket towards town and George Square people came out of pubs to pour pound coins into the Federation collection buckets.

People of all ages were on their first ever demonstration.  This was a fresh newly politicised layer, particularly women, who wanted to concretely discuss building a campaign to defeat the bedroom tax but also alternative ideas to the failure of capitalist driven austerity. They crowded around Socialist Party Scotland stalls at the Green and the Square queuing to sign our petitions but also to discuss with us. People without prompting took copies of the Socialist and our posters with the Bin the Bedroom Tax No Evictions slogan and stuck them over their own placards, put them up on walls and statues at George Square and had their photos taken with them.

The turnout for the demonstration had been greatly assisted by the scores of public meetings that had been organised in the weeks preceding the demo. Socialist Party Scotland helped to pioneer many of these. All of them voting to join the newly established anti-bedroom tax federation. This was evident by those who had attended the public meetings asking at our stalls for our members who have emerged as key organisers of the campaign and marching with them.

The sheer size of the demonstration became clear as the march entered George Square, several hundred had already gathered there. By the time the rally started three quarters of the square was filled and the crown had swelled dramatically. Despite an inadequate PA system which meant only those closest to the speakers could hear them there was a buzz of excitement as people climbed over statues and cheered every campaigner who spoke.   

The mood of this demonstration, in response to  an austerity measure, that is “the straw that broke the camel’s back” was one of rage but also an enthusiasm to organise and fight back, a new generation combined with those who didn’t pay the poll tax and took part in that mass movement. The rally speakers raised the memories of the poll tax struggle but also the rent strikes of early part of the twentieth century and the immortal Red Clydeside movement; there was common agreement that this represented the start of something that would also make history.

Three Socialist Party Scotland members spoke at the rally. Jim McFarlane from the Bin the Bedroom Tax campaign in Dundee set the tone of the rally when he began by saying: “The example of the campaign in Dundee which has forced the SNP council to concede that they will not evict for one year shows we can win. But one year is not good enough! Every council and housing association must commit to no evictions. The councillors and MSP’s have to choose which side they are on the side of the poorest communities or the Tories and the bankers. If they aren’t prepared to stand with us they should stand aside and we should stand against them” this got massive applause.

“We have to stand united in a political campaign, I’m a socialist and a housing association tenant but I’m not affected by the bedroom tax but there are thousands here that aren’t affected standing by those that are. This is an attack on social housing, how dare they force people who have built up links in a community for years to move. Previous generations had to fight to win social housing now we have to fight to defend it. Let’s unite all the local campaigns” Jim finished by getting an ovation for calling on the demonstration to support workers such as those in PCS for taking strike action against austerity and also for citing the anti-poll tax struggle which brought down Thatcher “we need a movement to bring this government down and this rotten system”. 

Davey Churchley from the Black Triangle Disability Rights Campaign got a great response for highlighting the impact of this hated tax on disabled people and urging them to get involved in the campaign that is spreading across communities. Brian Smith Branch Secretary of Glasgow City Unison called for councils to set needs budgets and for the government to bail out housing associations to meet the cost of the Bedroom Tax, he called on the trade union movement to throw its full weight behind the campaign and called for a 24-hour general strike.

Over 200 people packed into the Glasgow City Unison offices for a West of Scotland federation meeting after the rally. Tommy Sheridan, who is playing a leading role in the campaign, spoke invoking the anti-poll struggle and the need to now build an all-Scotland anti-bedroom tax federation.   

250 copies of the Socialist were sold at the demo. Twenty people filled in cards to join and for more information about Socialist Party Scotland. £300 pounds was raised for the Fighting Fund, including the sale of 150 anti-Bedroom Tax badges.

ConDems beware. The Iron Lady was melted by a mass organised campaign of resistance that defeated the Poll Tax. The bedroom tax and all the cuts can be defeated by mobilising the power of the working class.

Video footage of Jim McFarlane and David Churchley speaking at Saturday’s demonstration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1uj1Pv4stI

Tommy Sheridan speaking at the Federation meeting after the demo.

http://www.facebook.com/SocialistPartyScotland?fref=ts

Edinburgh

In Edinburgh the anti-bedroom Tax demonstration attracted between 1500 and 2000 people. It was a very diverse demonstration of ordinary people from all walks of life and political opinions.　　

There were disabled people, students, anti-cuts campaigners, such as the Midlothian Campaign Against the Cuts and Black Triangle, political activists from various political parties such as Socialists, the Green Party, SNP, individual trade unionists etc. 　

They were all united in their opposition to the Bedroom Tax. Unfortunately, there seemed to be only one trade union banner, Edinburgh Unison, and the Edinburgh Trades Council banner. The numerous comments from the demonstrators related the horrific depravation that will take place once the bedroom tax comes into effect with the loss of their benefit.　

The demonstration marched from St. Andrews Square to the Scottish Parliament where a number of speakers gave graphic descriptions of what the ConDems austerity programme was doing to the disabled and poor of Scotland.　

One speaker said that in Edinburgh 11,000 families would be affected by the bedroom tax and they would lose a minimum of £14 per week.　 Speaker after speaker condemned the bedroom tax but, regrettably, there was no social solutions put forward. For example a programme of council house building to provide affordable homes.　 There were calls to organise in the localities and at the end of the demonstration there was meetings organised immediately after the demonstration finished for the four corners of Edinburgh.　　

Socialist Party Scotland intervened in the demonstration and gave out leaflets and sold material to give an explanation that to fight the bedroom tax and the austerity programme we need to take over big business and the banks and bring them into public ownership and use the wealth to create jobs and build decent homes.