Fighting back

The Scottish Socialist Party has been campaigning to scrap the “bedroom tax”, with streets stalls and public meetings seeing huge support from the public.

I welcome the news that SNP councils will defy Westminster and refuse to evict families from their homes when they fall into arrears due to this hated tax.

The fight-back must build. People being forced further into debt is unacceptable. This adds yet more fear and uncertainty into the lives of the most vulnerable and financially hard-pressed among us. Would an independent Scotland vote for a government committed to such ruthless attacks?

A 72-year-old woman was among those that signed the petition on Saturday; she’s not alone in being unaware that it does not affect pensioners. Her relief was clear, she had been living in her home for more than 40 years and it is full of her memories. However, if she had been 61, living there for 40 years, she’d be facing debt and eviction.

There are marches against the bedroom tax next Saturday in Edinburgh and Glasgow. We must come together to defeat the vicious and divisive politics of Westminster. They should be building housing, not forcing people out of their homes.

Paul Jordan

Scottish Socialist Party

Edinburgh