Guest Post

The Ongoing London Land-Grab

'guest post' - @rottensouthwark who I know...

Is there anything more to say? Maybe that's what is wanted, for you to be so ground down you won't or can't fight any more. But one last post, to sum up, because there probably is no more to be said and so we can say it all here. There can be no excuse that nobody knew – enough of us have been trying to get the message out there. Why the British media don't have this constantly somewhere in the news reports and why people have turned a blind eye (or will do until they come for their home too) only they know. And yes, it is that important, it is a tragedy happening here in The Greatest City In The World in the 21^st Century, and it is very relevant to what are the headline stories of the day.

Behind it all are local London councils. All seem to be involved, but from experience we will mainly refer here to Southwark, and its increasingly transparent (much like the council) leader, Peter John.

If the only thing you really care about is money and think you don't, you do in fact still have reason to dislike the choices of John, who is possibly the most disliked man in London right now (a call for suggestions on how to best 'regenerate' Peckham gained the response 'throw Peter John in the Thames'). His council is responsible, after claims of new affordable homes and job creation, for selling the land at the Elephant and Castle for a fraction of its worth, without delivering on the earlier claims. It also resulted in the displacement of many Londoners – both leaseholders and tenants - from the area that was their home, what they had helped to build and contributed much to, when it was sold off cheap. Their fight is ongoing, causing more distress and waste of council finds on legal fees rather than, say, repairs and homes. Of course, you may be interested in the type of money that means this type of deal is actually a great success. If so you may have been involved in the the attempt to throw Millwall out of Bermondsey, again with pie-in-the-sky justifications for the obvious greed and disregard for fans and community – just as Peter John was involved. Lewisham council was part of the group trying to 'regenerate' (yes again – you have to hate that word as much as we've come to) the area, but that didn't stop the likes of John trying to get in.

Now John, as is his wont, has appeared in the Southwark News to say he has resigned from the Millwall takeover to concentrate on Southwark - you know, what he gets paid hundreds of thousands for - because people have been on Twitter calling on him to leave. Nice try, but again this can be seen through by those who know what's going on. John has indeed been repeatedly told on Twitter (nice to know he gets the messages) to leave his position by people in Southwark, but this started well before the Millwall story was taken up by the likes of The Guardian. It was part of the outrage caused by his treatment of people at the Aylesbury and Heygate estates. What people really want is for John to leave as leader of the council.

Of course he thinks by cutting ties with the Millwall land-grab, trying to distance himself as much as possible from it, he can fool people into thinking he is doing what is best for the people he is supposed to be serving. That word 'serving' probably sends shivers down his spine, and judging by the general attitude displayed by most council workers in senior positions theirs too. The people of Southwark nearly all have a story of being treated with contempt, as a nuisance, someone getting in the way by the management at Southwark Council. People like John show behaviour that seems to see people not part of the council as getting in the way of their plans, which again seem to just be self-serving, super-rich pleasing schemes. Service charges are always having to be challenged, and who out of those paying really knows where the money is going? Overcharging is almost the norm – hopefully better audit laws are used, as they have already to reclaim thousands, to finally hold all councils to account.

People are not as stupid as the likes of Southwark council apparently like to believe, nor are the council so clever. John only seemingly really appears in the Southwark News for the type of self-justification mentioned above - tree needs saving, he appears with a tree; refugees need help, he appears looking solemn; a new roundabout at the Elephant – he appears in hi-visibility. Any serious answers are however not to be found.

That John was given an Honour is the final insult, and probably confirmation that he is doing exactly what he wants to serve his own needs - giving contracts to people who can get him to places like the palace - rather than what he should be.

It really does seem that many council workers are deluded, either unconsciously ('just doing what I have to') or deliberately, having something like narcissism. They perhaps spend too long in their overpaid local power bubble and start to get carried away, believing they really do own their part of London. They have gone a bit 'Kurtz', spent too long upriver believing their own hype (which, incidentally, only they create in the first place). Well of course, they don't own London, or the people in it, and they cannot just do what they want. At least, they can't if people start waking up, and increasingly it seems they have. As proof of this as well as their delusion you can point to that challenge at Millwall, which brought to wider attention their practices, and subsequent the cancellation of 'New Bermondsey' plans. Councils are seemingly getting carried away with their Messiah complex, kidding themselves and trying to fool others that they are helping people rather than doing the opposite which is what is actually happening, so they can go home at night and feel good about their bullying. That is what it is, it needs to be seen for that.

Most Londoners right now seem to have given up on the right to a home, and other rights. Be happy as you are in London, it's the coolest place anywhere right now (very important obviously...) but you'll never own that place you're renting. And it won't get any better than that place – that tiny, sky-scraping, barely affordable place. We love our city, but do get used to worrying too much about the future, and especially what the council may send next. Everyone feels this but especially a tenant who may just be thrown out, to another part of the country, or a leaseholder who will have what they've paid for devalued to the point they cannot afford to keep their home, and may be forced to move too. It is out of control, a land-grab across London of the likes that elsewhere would be seen as a disgrace and tragedy it is, a sign of the corruption at the heart of a leadership that needs change. Lives are ruined and destroyed – there is more than one way to take a life. This is what is happening right here and now. A system of greed like this leads at the polling booth maybe to Brexit, certainly to a President Trump. Social engineering and cleansing like this leads to promises made again to those in need, who will only be used and treated like this again in years to come unless the corruption is dealt with. The stress and worry created is a cause for shame and needs to be exposed and rooted out. It is felt at the root and can be dealt with there, by stopping the bad practices of the likes of Southwark and other local London councils.