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Sleepout in Glasgow to try to end Homelessness


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Perhaps I should add that few of us are completely safe from ending up homeless.  Break up of a relationship, breaking some silly rule with a council or housing association tenancy,  failing to be able to pay rent or mortgage payments having lost a job or become sick and been let down by the welfare system.  Even having ones home burn down and having forgot to renew the insurance.   

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Not sure how this can count as political.  Surely every single politician should accept that we, as a country, should care for the needy although I suspect the left may be a bit more caring than the right.  But all parties should make providing shelter for the homeless part of their next manifesto.

 

Its political inofar as when you get one colour or another attempting to gain political capital by making claims that they've put legilsation in place that solves the problem, but which turns out in practice to make minimal or no difference. Which seems to be the current situation with this issue, as it often is with so many.

 

You're right, it shouldn't really be political, it should be a matter of morals regardless of political colour, but politicising whatever they touch in the one thing politicians do best.

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People sleeping on the streets is one of the things I blame Maggie Thatcher for. Before she took power I had never seen a beggar on the streets, apart from one or two "buskers". Her government started the cuts in social security that has led us to the present situation.

 

The truly homeless had been around Edinburgh for a long, long time before Maggie turned up. They have probably been there since they built Edinburgh Castle, and that was a few centuries ago.

 

I mind a few in Aberdeen in the 1970's who had hit rock bottom and were drinking themselves into oblivion at any opportunity. Nowadays all that needs to happen is you fall out with your family and the social security and you've had it. The latest I have heard is that landlords won't rent to Universal Credit claimants as their money comes in too erratically.

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People sleeping on the streets is one of the things I blame Maggie Thatcher for. Before she took power I had never seen a beggar on the streets, apart from one or two "buskers". Her government started the cuts in social security that has led us to the present situation.

Selling off our social housing stock and not replacing, although a very popular political decision at the time, has also had obvious consequences for those who can't afford extortionate private rents and huge mortgages and deposits.
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Now in the run up to the New Year maybe we should all think that most of us could reach the end of 2018 without somewhere to sleep at night.  Yes all the reasons I mentioned in my earlier posting and lots others.  Been close to it myself a few times but thankfully a good friend and a welfare state that was more caring than it is today got me out of it. Even back then no address meant no job and no job almost meant no address.  Vicious circle that I am sure is far worse today.

 

And it might not be you!.  Maybe a friend or a family member could run out of options and end up sleeping in a shop doorway and begging to get food. 

 

OK maybe begging to get drink or drugs as well.  Only real addiction I had was to nicotine........or maybe just the social aspects of smoking......and thanks to NHS Shetland I got over that but I can honestly say that although I would probably not have killed to get my next smoke I would certainly have stole from my best friends (although they would have probably given me a smoke first).  But I am sure that if I was living on the streets drink or drugs would have made life more bearable and that addiction to either (or both) would have soon followed.

 

So lets stop knocking rough sleepers and start thinking that we really do need to offer all in need a solution to their problems. And all political parties need to do something about this.  The SNP perhaps because they care as I hope do Labour and the Tories because beggars and rough sleepers make towns untidy.  Well yes they do and no matter what the reason all parties need to act!.

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The SNP are doing everything that they can to end the problem of homelessness - while the Tories are creating it.

That's simply not true, George.  Go have a read at some of the god awful legislation created by Scot.Gov.  The whole Scottish Court system is shambolic.  So say you're facing eviction and you want to represent yourself.  Now it should be a relatively straightforward matter of finding the relevant form, completing it and submitting it to the Court.  And if you live with someone facing eviction, Scot.Gov. states that you have the right to be heard in court - except the ill-drafted legislation does not state HOW.  Then add into the mix a few court clerks who appear to forget that they are civil servants and woe betide them if you ask for a copy of anything.

 

You want to go some way to solve the problem of homelessness then you need to also address the unfairness of the current legal system whereby it is left to the body bringing the action against you to keep you up-to-date as to the latest hearings at the local court as opposed to the court also sending you copies of correspondence.  The balance doesn't, contrary to popular belief, necessarily go in favour of the tenant.

 

IF the SNP were truly addressing homelessness, then they would take a look at their legislation, not all dictated from Westminster, and whack that in order instead of creating more quangoes who will recommend the sun continues to shine out of their backsides.

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Could we use the homeless to sell the new lottery tickets for Brenda's new boat?  The homeless could get a cut, say 10p a ticket, and at the end of it Brenda would have a new boat, which obviously she couldn't afford out of her own money on account that she is having one of her houses done up.  Asking for a friend.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Flippant?  Makes a point though doesn't it?  Two parasites sat on gold plated thrones, dripping in cash, but with their hands greedily grabbing from the tax-payer, on top of their immense private wealth, expecting their many homes and castles to be renovated at public expense, whilst watching their fellow countrymen dying on the streets of cold and hunger without a roof over their head.  The royal family and hangers on don't need state handouts.  They have plenty, whilst many of ours do not have enough, but hey ho, let's buy Brenda a new boat.  Austerity should start at the top, not at the bottom with those who have the least.

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The supreme irony of all this of course is, how much accomodation would the cost of the Holyrood Parliament building have provided, how much more would the cumulative salaries of the MSP's and those of their various staff members for 19 years have financed. How much more would all the cumulative ancillary costs and expenses have paid for - heating and lighting of buildings, office supplies, travelling costs, both to and from Holyrood and the jaunts and jollys god know where for god knows what purpose.....I could go on all day, but you get the drift.

 

How has Holyrood been of benefit to Scotland in nearly two decades to justify what's been spent of the infrastructure and running costs of Holyrood, have we gotten value for money for a tax dollars on this one, can we ethically and morally justify ploughing the sums we do in to the Holyrood machine when folk don't have roofs over their heads. Remember, Scotland ran okay and received investment from Westminster long before Holyrood was conceived, most of what Holyrood does now used to be done by the Scottish Office, with fewer staff, much more cheaply, and certainly in the case of agriculture subsidies, one hell of a lot more efficiently and quickly.

Edited by Ghostrider
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What are you talking about Bigmouth!, Brenda has enough and can buy her own boat if she requires it, she requires no help whatsoever from what you have said about her, but you appear not to think so with this last post of yours and you would indeed help her buy  a new boat or whatever she wished for some unknown reason when she has enough for herself and whoever else she wishes to spend her money on as you clearly pointed out in your first post!  It is the truly homeless living rough on the streets like you see in for example Aberdeen that require help, although looks can be deceiving too.  It is clear that Brenda would not help the homeless either from what you have pointed out, or anyone else for that matter.

Edited by town
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The royal family and hangers on don't need state handouts.  They have plenty, whilst many of ours do not have enough, but hey ho, let's buy Brenda a new boat.  Austerity should start at the top, not at the bottom with those who have the least.

 

Aren't Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, our Germanic royalty, good at leeching off the backs of the common man.

 

The supreme irony of all this of course is, how much accomodation would the cost of the Holyrood Parliament building have provided, how much more would the cumulative salaries of the MSP's and those of their various staff members for 19 years have financed. How much more would all the cumulative ancillary costs and expenses have paid for - heating and lighting of buildings, office supplies, travelling costs, both to and from Holyrood and the jaunts and jollys god know where for god knows what purpose.....I could go on all day, but you get the drift.

 

Compare the cost of Holyrood parliament with the cost of wee Lizzy's house at the bottom of the road, the Palace of Holyroodhouse. At least our parliament tries to claim it does some good. Regal rubbish wouldn't lower itself to suggest it was in any way beneficial to one single commoner.

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