One of the biggest disablers of democratic freedom is the fear of the rentier society. (that is people who do nothing and take everything - property developers) Folk can't think of anything else as they struggle to pay the mortgage or the ever-increasing rents.

A democratic society is one that understands the freedom to think unburdened by the daily pressure of feeding banks to keep a roof over our heads. The leaders of Glasgow City Council are not stupid and understand this very well. Their disdain and contempt for public housing is proof of who they represent. It is not those under the fear of eviction; homelessness and those seeking a reasonable rent. A reasonable rent that would allow them to engage in other aspects of their lives without worrying constantly about the ever increasing percentage of their wages paid out every week to private landlords.

The fight for decent council housing is fundamental to our democratic freedom. Democracy can not exist under fear. If we are to be democratic we need to remove "fear" from peoples lives - it is a human right

Article 25 From Universal Declaration of Human Rights

   1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

As someone says "We are all only a few paychecks away from homelessness ourselves" We used to live in a country which prided itself on cheap rented  council housing - not always perfect - but a situation that did not consume your democratic right to demand improve housing conditions - and without the fear of eviction, displacement and crippling rent arrears.

Fair rented, safe, social housing, is one of the main indicators that democracy is working - another fundamental principal of democracy, is exercising the freedom to participate.

STO National Demo tomorrow 24 Sep 2009
Where: Outside M&S, Trongate, Glasgow

Organiser: Hamiltonhill Action Group/Scottish Tenants Organisations

http://news.scottishtenants.org.uk/ | http://news.scottishtenants.org.uk/

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---- Scotland’s For Council Housing Demonstration ----
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