squatters' success to Red Weekly: 6 Squatting solved the immediate problem of housing for many homeless people in London. We had people referred to us in Elgin Avenue from information and advice centres, from council social workers and even (unofficially, of course) from the police!
But we never let the GLC off the hook. Our demand was and remains decent housing for all. We fought all the time for the rehousing of all squatters, and we didn't just shut our mouths when we had somewhere to live. In the last year a state of continuous war has existed between Elgin Avenue and the GLC because we were a direct challenge to the in-built homelessness of GLC housing policy.
Con-trick
Let me explain what I mean by this. The resources already exist for decent housing for everyone. No-one should have to wait for housing while there are hundreds of thousands of empty houses waiting to be used. The council housing' waiting list is a political con-trick to justify homelessness. It aims to make the people on the list feel that they are fignting each other or, worse still "layabout squatters'-who only take over empty houses in any case-for homes. Squatters' leader PIERS CORBYN, a member of the International Marxist Group, explained the reasons for the In this way the GLC and the Government, who are responsible for the housing cuts by refusing to stand up to the speculators-90 per cent of GLC rents go back to the City as interest payments-try to get off the hook.
We want a crash programme of Government-funded repairs and building to meet the housing crisis .. use the brick "mountain' and the land "bank'. If the Labour Government wanted to solve the housing crisis it would nationalise all the building firms and give work to the tens of thousands of construc tion workers without jobs. Instead it is also cutting back on schools and hospitals.
We want all the cuts in social spending reversed and all social spending protected against the effects of inflation. The Labour-controlled GLC could requisition all empty property for the homeless, ancene me exto donate nteresi repayments to financiers on money borrowed for housing.
The IMG has put forward these demands from the first. It was because we had this political line for the whole housing crisis, and explained that attacks on squatting are a smokescreen for legal moves against all protest actions, that we were able to go out and fight for support in tenants' associations, Party. trade unions and the local Labour SQUATTERS' LEADER PIERS CORBYN We said to members of the Labour Party: 'OK. You support Benn. He said that the crisis we inherit should not be an excuse for postponing radical change, but the occaSUPPORT BILI WE HAVE NOT HAVE NOT YET WON!
ALL HOUSES MUST BEI WELL BARRICADED let's start with decent housing for all now.' And they had to agree.
It was difficult, but in the end we won the support of the Paddington Federation of Tenants and Residents Associations (comprising 30 tenants associations) and Westminster Trades Council, and split Paddington Labour Party down the middle a few weeks before the court case. Arthur Lathan the local Labour MP, supported us; and on the eve of the court case the CLP Executive Committee recom mended rehousing for all.
We were able to win this support because the people in Elgin Avenue were organised and united. Regular mass meetings were held in which everyone could participate and become conscious that they were acting as a body, not as isolated individuals Resistance And you shouldn't under-rate those barricades we built! We were ready for physical resistance, and in any confrontation that took place it would have been seen who was fighting for what.
Ours is an important victory. It will encourage more squatters and homeless people to fight. The GLC has been forced to admit that people don't get rehoused by waiting but by struggling. They house people on an ad hoc basis when tney turn up on the doorstep. The waiting list is a con.
Two hundred squatters have now been accepted as 'decent' and worthy? of rehousing, which will make it more difficult for the ruling class to bring in laws supposedly directed against squatting but in reality aimed also against picketing, sit-ins and other forms of working class struggle. Through our active app roach to all bodies in the labour movement as well as social workers, advice and law centres, we succeeded in splitting the GLC from top to bottom.
Reversal
We will be taking our campaign forward in opposition to and for the reversal of all the housing cuts and social expenditure cuts, and ag ainst all the rotten Tory policies of the Wilson Government. I would like to see a labour movement enquiry into housing and speculation which would investigate the nature of the housing waiting list, open the books of the housing accounts, re veal the scope of speculation, and draw up a plan to meet the real housing needs of the working class. The struggle is only just beginning!