As the ‘Beast from the East’ continues to wreak havoc across the UK, with Met Office red weather warnings affecting Scotland, South Wales and South-West England, the plight of rough-sleepers and of homelessness generally is higher in the public consciousness than it often is.
Around one hundred and fifty brave and hardy souls in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the (currently literally) frozen north have decided to sleep in the open air on the pitch at Newcastle Football Club’s St James’ Park ground tonight to raise that awareness even further – and to raise funds to fight homelessness and poverty.
To support their effort, visit their fundraising page.
Went to the page to donate but – company executives – CEO’s – helping the homeless by asking for donations from the rest of us while getting great publicity for their own charitable works and their companies?
These are not the same company executives who came up with the brilliant plan to stop training our young people and instead hire ready-trained staff from abroad – they just perpetuate the disgrace.
‘Headhunting’ sounded cool in the 80’s but the motivation was purely venal – to save the cost of training and developing one company’s staff by poaching from another, usually weaker company.
Hiring from abroad was found to have the added benefit of keeping wages down here – thus increasing share price, executive pay and investor dividend. Win win win win.
Unemployment and poverty are irrelevant to rich investors and therefore to business – BY LAW.
A night outdoors wearing the best winter kit money can buy doesn’t make them any less guilty.
Whilst they may be compassionate human beings I think they may be taking a risk in such bitter conditions and I hope it is not self-actualising (to feel good about themselves) when (a) they could stick their hands in their own pockets and give to homeless organisations and for example buy The Big Issue weekly (b) read books on the politics of homelessness (c) campaign politically to build enough good quality social homes to rent, and affordable homes to buy, plus give funding for councils to buy empty homes to refurbish (for rent and to buy and already on site so don’t take up brown/green belt), for more security of tenure for private renters and leaseholders (like European model) plus rent controls which would save billions being milked by private landlords, and change rules so 16 year olds can rent social homes again plus scrap the vile bedroom tax. We could even look at mortgages like in some conservation areas where you buy 50% of a property and get the rest on a 120 year lease? So (a) to (c) are perhaps a much better way to spend a bitter cold evening. And before you ask as a Working class left wing democratic socialist I remember my mother re-marrying and he turned out to be a violent drunk who drove us out; I lived at my Grans for 6 months but there wasn’t any room for me there really but the local council saved me by offering me a flat and I have been forever grateful to the public sector especially for the security of tenure, so I have felt the fear of not having a home which is why I have followed (a) to (c) ever since. Oh and I liked the idea of someone – Ithink it was in California; he provided the homeless with individual huts with a lock and just somewhere inside to lay down (the problem with many of the hardcore homeless is quite understandably they don’t want to be in a hostel with a crowd where there may be negative influences that they are trying to escape from but what do we do – put them all together) so we need political solutions which I think many on here would agree are left wing, democratic, and socialist. Decent homes for every human being!