Britain, AUTONOMY #1 - A Scottish newssheet for social change from below

"Autonomy" is produced by Anarchist Federation (AFed) Scotland. It aims to promote and 
link together campaigns that empower working class people and that chal-lenge capitalism 
and irrational sys-tems of power. We want to report onpositive, inspirational examples of 
struggle but also stories which moti-vate us to act. We will emphasize things happening in 
Scotland andalso point out things happening inBritain, and around the world. ---- 
"whatever increases the confidence, the autonomy, the initiative, the participation, the 
solidarity, the equalitarian tendencies and the self -activity of [working class people]" 
---- Glasgow Solidarity Network --- Live in Glasgow? Problems with your boss or landlord? 
Unpaid wages? Letting agency fees? Withheld deposits? Glasgow Solidarity Network could 
support you through direct action and solidarity. 07842 935713 glasgowsolnet@gmail.com

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Bedroom Tax: Edinburgh City Council harasses woman out of her home

Edinburgh City Council
failed to give Margaret, a
tenant with serious disa-
bilities, the exemption
from the bedroom tax
she was legally entitled
to. Despite the fact that
the tenant from Muir-
house has an overnight
carer who needs to stay
every night, her housing
benefit was cut and she
was harassed to pay up
the increased rent. As a
result she has become so
ill she has had to give up
her tenancy.

Margaret applied in Feb-
ruary for the exemption
and receives Disability
Living Allowance but the
Council never carried
out an assessment to
check if she was due an
exemption. Instead,
council officials have
been regularly phoning
her to demand she pay
rent, threatening that
she could be evicted if
she doesn?t pay.

Muirhouse anti-bedroom
tax group wrote to the
Council and visited local
Labour Councillor Cam-
my Day, with Margaret,
to insist that she be
granted an exemption
and that the threatening
phone calls be stopped.
Margaret explained that
due to the stress the
Council was putting on
her, she was not able to
eat or sleep properly.

Councillor Day had
promised to resolve the
situation but has done
nothing, and was said to
be on holiday when con-
tacted last. Margaret?s
doctor strongly urged her
to remove herself from
the situation for the sake
of her health. She has
therefore given up her
tenancy, despite the fact
that before her benefit
was wrongly cut, she had
been happy there. Anti-
cuts groups are now de-
manding compensation
and a full apology.

From: northedinburgh-
fightsback.org.uk

--------------------------

200,000 people march across Brazil

Egypt, Spain, Greece,
Turkey and now Bra-
zil. Mass demonstra-
tions and confronta-
tions with the police
are spreading around
the world.

On 17th June, Brazil-
ian authorities were
shocked by the scale of
the protests that occurred
in S?o Paulo, Rio de
Janeiro and Brasilia.
People are angry at the
rising cost of transport,
but also because of the
extremes of poverty and
wealth that exist in the
country. Sound familiar?

-------------------------------

The real motive for the Bedroom Tax

There has been widespread opposi-
tion to the bedroom tax since it
was announced last year. Many
diverse sections of society have
opposed the legislation, from disa-
bility rights activists to politicians,
from community cam-
paigners to local coun-
cils. But this opposi-
tion hasn?t taken on a
uniform nature. Some
condemn it on practi-
cal grounds, complain-
ing it won?t work for a
variety of reasons and
urging the Govern-
ment to rethink its
proposals. While these
complaints may not be
inaccurate, focusing
only on them hides the motives
behind it.

These practical objections boil
down to the same issue: the Gov-
ernment hasn?t thought through
the proposal and as a result it will
cause significant problems for
those affected by it. Many have
argued that the savings the Gov-
ernment claims it will make are
totally false and that it will in fact
cost more to implement the policy
than it would have done to pre-
serve the status quo. This certain-
ly appears to be true. The charity
Shelter estimates that the average
cost of each eviction will be around
?8,000 while Government figures
claim there will be an average sav-
ing of ?728 per household, mean-
ing that over 90% of those affected
by the bedroom tax would have to
avoid eviction in order for any im-
mediate savings to be made at all.
The Scottish Government?s own
impact assessment survey found
that this is unlikely to be the case.
They estimate that half of all
households affected by the bed-
room tax will be able to keep up
their rent payments and of the half
that don?t 1 in 4 will be evicted.
Even if we accept these optimistic
predictions it still burdens local
councils with more expenses than
they are going to save, making the
cost argument redundant. All this
is before we factor in the extra on-
going cost to the housing bill as a
result of those who can?t pay mov-
ing to the private sector where
rents are higher
but can still be
claimed in housing
benefit, something
which is likely to be
a massive drain on
the public purse for
years to come.

Another common
objection is the lack
of available one
bedroom social
housing for affected
tenants to relocate to. Another
very valid point. Back in the days
when social housing was still being
built on something approaching a
reasonable level local authorities
quite sensibly didn?t build many
one bedroom properties, instead
building larger houses which were
more suitable for the changing
needs of tenants as they grew old-
er and perhaps wished to start a
family or need-
ed somebody to
look after them
in their old age.
The legacy of
this is a short-
age of the type
of one bedroom
social houses
which the Gov-
ernment wishes those with a spare
room to move to, for example in
North Lanarkshire where there
are 33,000 local authority proper-
ties of which only 28 are single
bedroom ones.
--------------------------------
The aim? To dismantle social
housing and turn Britain into a
nation of homeowners, a vision
which hasn?t disappeared.
--------------------------------
So where will those who can?t af-
ford to stay in social housing move
to? The private sector?which
brings us to the real motive behind
the bedroom tax. The cabinet may
not be full of nice people but it cer-
tainly isn?t made up of stupid ones
either. The logic behind the official
justification for the bedroom tax is
so flawed that anybody with a
basic primary education could tell
you that its stated aims won?t be
achieved. Not enough one-bed
properties; more expensive both in
the short and long term. But the
real motive here is not cost nor the
more efficient use of social housing
stock; it?s the continued strength-
ening of the private housing sector
at the expense of social housing.

? In 1979 42% of the population
lived in council housing

? By 2008, this had been slashed to
12% by the right to buy scheme
and the abandonment of any new
council properties being built.

The aim? To dismantle social
housing and turn Britain into a
nation of homeowners, a vision
which hasn?t disappeared. So while
some of the most vulnerable people
in our society are being turned
from their homes in the name of
?cost efficiency? and ?fairness? the
Government has recently an-
nounced interest free loans of up to
?120,000 for those
looking to buy a prop-
erty, even for a second
home. How can they
then argue that the
bedroom tax is about
saving money? It is-
n?t; it?s about chang-
ing the way we look at
housing, from some-
thing which is a universal right for
all of us, rich or poor, to something
that we?re only entitled to if we
stump up the necessary cash;
changing the way we treat the
most vulnerable members of our
society, from caring for them and
providing them safe, affordable
homes to tossing them out on the
streets or into the hands of slum
landlords and letting them fend for
themselves. **Ultimately it is
about changing the way we
view society as a whole and
getting rid of any sort of com-
munity responsibility and soli-
darity in favour of the notion
that you are only worth what
your bank balance can buy
you. It?s about fostering the
mentality that, in the words of
Thatcher herself, ?there is no
such thing as society? any-
more.**

So there are practical objections to
the bedroom tax which are clearly
relevant but to make them the fo-
cus of our fight against it is to mis-
understand what we are cam-
paigning against. This isn?t a case
of the plan being ill thought out;
it?s a case of the plan being very
well thought out and part of a
much broader attack on social
housing which has been going on
for years. We need to fight against
the very notion of the bedroom tax
rather than the way it?s imple-
mented, otherwise the larger bat-
tle for our communities and the
people in them will already be lost.

Are you directly affected by the Bedroom Tax?

Here are some things Edinburgh
Coalition Against Poverty advises
people to do:

Appeal against the decision. If
you have disabilities and have an
overnight carer stay, then you
have a strong case. If you are not
in this position, we think it a good
idea to appeal anyway ? you may
not have much chance of winning
the appeal, but it all helps put a
spanner in the works and make
the tax unworkable.

Apply for a Discretionary
Housing Payment. Forms
obtainable from your Council. Best
to get advice on filling in form, you
need to detail all reasons you
cannot move and give full info on
any illnesses/ disabilities.

Join with people in your
community to resist. Through
local community resistance we can
build up the power to stop any
evictions.

For more information, go to:
edinburghagainstpoverty.org.uk/node/96

-----------------------------------------

Brighton refuse workers strike against massive cuts

Around 300 Cityclean bin workers
began a week-long strike in Brighton
on 14th June in response to the local
council?s plans to cut staff pay. Staff
will lose on average ?1,000 but some
people will lose ?4,000 per year from
their salary. If that isn?t shocking
enough this was voted through by a
Green Party-led council. The Greens
had previously pledged that they
would oppose any cut to pay, and
their only MP, Caroline Lucas said
she would support workers if they go
on strike.

The refuse workers are members of
the GMB union and took part in a
two-day occupation of their canteen
last month. 96% of the members vot-
ed for industrial action

The strike is said to be really
strong and has the support of
other workers, and folk in gen-
eral?despite the usual grum-
bles about rubbish piling up.

If an agreement isn?t reached
they will return on 21st June,
on work-to-rule. Then another
five day-long strike will start
on 24th June.

In recent developments, Caro-
line Lucas has been reported
to have been out picking up
rubbish and apparently oblivi-
ous that this type of action
undermines the strike.

The striking bin men have put
out a statement that commu-
nity cleanups are the opposite
of being supportive. ?If you
would like to support us, the
best thing you can do is to sup-
port us in our action - which
means not carrying out the
work that we would normally
do.?

Show your solidarity and donate to
the strike fund! Search for ?We sup-
port the Brighton bin men strike!? on fa-
cebook.

---------------------------------------

Upcoming Events

19th June: IWW Public Meeting in Glasgow.
An introduction to the radical union. From
7pm. Glasgow Unitarians, 72 Berkeley Street,
G3 7DS.

22nd June: IWW Public Meeting in Inverness.
11am-12.30 in Room 5, Spectrum Centre.
https://www.facebook.com/
events/602385219785589/

29th June: Rally & Music: End destitution,
stand up for the rights of asylum seekers!
Glasgow, St Enoch?s Square from 12.30pm.

29th June: Scotland united against the
Bedroom Tax conference, at Meadbowbank
Stadium, Edinburgh from 10am-2.30pm.
stucantibedroomtax.eventbrite.co.uk

1st July: Application deadline for Camcorder
Guerrillas training for grassroots campaigns on
how to make short films on their organizing.
Contact: info@camcorderguerillas.net

23rd August: ACE/ECAP benefit gig at the
Leith Dockers? Club with Twisted Nerve
headlining.

For regular updates on events in Glasgow, subscribe to: 
glasgowautonomyupdates@lists.riseup.net


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Get involved

Housing

Glasgow Solidarity Network glasgowsolnet.wordpress.com

Edinburgh Private Tenants? Action Group eptag.org.uk


Work

Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) iwwscotland.wordpress.com


Welfare

Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty edinburghagainstpoverty.org.uk


Asylum

Unity Centre Glasgow unitycentreglasgow.org/


Feminism
Glasgow Feminist Collective - Search on facebook!


Social Centres

Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh autonomous.org.uk

Glasgow Social Centre glasgowsocialcentre.blogspot.co.uk/


Disability rights

Black Triangle blacktrianglecampaign.org

Crutch Collective thecrutchcollective.blogspot.co.uk/


Anti-cuts & Bedroom Tax

Edinburgh Anti-Cuts Alliance edinburghagainstcuts.org.uk/

No2BedroomTax Campaign no2bedroomtax.co.uk/

--------------------------------------
Autonomy is produced by
Anarchist Federation (AFed) Scot-
land. It aims to promote and link
together campaigns that empower
working class people and that chal-
lenge capitalism and irrational sys-
tems of power. We want to report on
positive, inspirational examples of
struggle but also stories which moti-
vate us to act. We will emphasize
things happening in Scotland and
also point out things happening in
Britain, and around the world.

The Anarchist Federation stands for
organising for social change through
solidarity, direct democracy and
direct action. We have groups and
members across Scotland including
Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and
Inverness.

Contact us: scotland@afed.org.uk
Or check out: afed.org.uk/scotland
glasgowanarchists.wordpress.com
edinburghanarchists.noflag.org.uk