Scotland does have housing emergency and party politics is getting in way of tackling it – Barrie Cunning

Politics needs to be about finding workable solutions to society’s problems, not tokenistic populism

As someone who has stood as a candidate for the Scottish Parliament, been a political activist across the UK for a number of years and who truly believes that through politics you really can change the world for the better, I’m starting to find myself somewhat frustrated at the lack of action and focus from today’s politicians on a whole range of topics. And I know I’m not the only one.

In my opinion, politics in the UK has flatlined with both the UK and Scottish governments taking their eye off the ball in favour of populist policies, no matter what the actual cost is to people. Gone are the days when politics was seen as being an intellectual pursuit, where policy was discussed, debated, and alternatives put forward which would often shape things for the better. What we have today has all the hallmarks of tokenistic politics where we dance around the issues with very little delivery.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want this piece to be seen as having a go at politicians as they include many of my closest friends – across the political spectrum – and I know only too well how hard a job it can be. However, my motivation for writing this piece isn’t to fill a gap in today’s edition of the paper but rather to get people thinking about the type of society that we want in Scotland. This is something that has been on my mind for a while and I think it’s something we should all give serious thought to, not just because it’s the season of goodwill.

Real politics is about dealing with real-world problems like homelessness (Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images)

Anyone who has ever read anything I’ve written before will know that what matters to me isn’t petty party politics, “you say this and we say that”, trying to score points off one another in the hope that it will bolster our own party’s position, knowing full well that the majority of the electorate don’t pay attention to the theatrics of day-to-day politics. For me, it’s about looking at the current issues and coming up with real credible solutions, not just soundbites that will generate a headline. And I’m sure that the majority of people in Scotland would say the same and welcome this approach.

Homelessness is an issue that is often spoken about, usually at this time of year, as people are doing their Christmas shopping and find themselves feeling compelled to give money to a homelessness charity and that is fine, although rarely does anything progressive happen to tackle the actual issue of homelessness itself.

Yet during lockdown, it did show that if you have the political will and the resources, progressive change can happen. Let that sink in for a moment and think of those who need to see that change come about today not tomorrow – for tomorrow may never happen.

In Scotland, this is an all too familiar story. Just walk down Princes Street in Edinburgh or any major city across the UK and you will sadly see people living in makeshift tents in the hope that they will survive this winter period, which we know for some won’t happen. It should be on every single one of us to ensure that what has become the norm is, going forward, consigned to the history books forever. And we can help make this happen by writing to our MP, MSP, or local council. It really doesn’t have to be this way.

It’s not good enough to see politicians simply dishing out food to homeless people which then becomes little more than a Twitter post. Think of the inaction by Nicola Sturgeon and Rishi Sunak. Despite the comparison to Suella Braverman, who said being homeless was a “lifestyle choice”, even as I write I can feel my blood boil that those two are on the right side of the debate but, by and large, have done nothing to reduce homelessness across the UK.

For me, this is a clear indication of policy failure and because of that failure, the time for talking and grandstanding is over, what is needed is decisive action with immediate effect and it can be done if we have the political will, the necessary commitment and the resources.

Over the last few weeks, we have seen the word “emergency” being used at both a national and local government level with a particular focus on housing. Whilst I welcome this initiative, I have to say I was very disappointed, though not surprised, by the Scottish Government’s failure to fully engage and acknowledge that there is a housing emergency in Scotland. It’s no real surprise as the SNP members would likely have been whipped to vote a certain way over Labour’s motion, given it would, in effect, have resulted in a confidence issue in Humza Yousaf’s government.

But for me, while declaring an emergency would have been welcome, a declaration is just a declaration, without immediate action it’s meaningless, it’s almost like standing outside of your house watching it burn, calling it an emergency, and yet not phoning the fire brigade.

If there is one message I want you to take from this piece, it is that party politics can be a detriment to tackling a serious issue like the housing emergency or any other issue for that matter. In Scotland, we have families living in temporary accommodation, rough sleeping at an all-time high, and young people struggling to get on the property ladder.

As we come to the end of 2023, let’s hope that 2024 will be the year for real progressive change – and not just more of the same.

Barrie Cunning is a former Labour candidate for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire and managing director of Pentland Communications