MAGGIE`S DING DONG AND

THE BELL THAT IS RINGING

The Maggie Ding Dong Song goes on and on and tenants hit by her policies met this week to talk about these policies and what is happening now.

The tenants live in what once were Carlisle  council houses. They missed the chance of Mrs Thatcher`s right to buy and the small fortunes for the lucky few that followed

But the tenants also got something that followed from the sale of council houses in the big Thatcher sell-off. That something was  a new landlord. And with the new landlord came a new policy. It was called privatisation.

The new landlord was a giant housing association run from 100 miles away in Liverpool, Riverside Housing Association, and its privatisation policy.

Gone for ever with the privatisation went  local control of the houses through local people, the local councillors. And gone for ever with the privatisation went the right to have a proper say in how the houses are run.

Today the tenants would like a proper say about Riverside`s demolition of flats which seems to make no sense at all alongside the huge demand for small homes caused by the bedroom tax and  alongside the chronic shortage of houses.

Riverside,despite  many protests, is pushing ahead with its policy of demolishing flats in several parts of the city. Many of these flats are modern and well equipped. The tenants-  at the monthly meeting of Carlisle South Community Association- seek answers about the demolitions.

No one from Riverside was at the meeting to explain what was happening. And questions to Riverside seem pointless- the questions don`t  always get an answer.

Today,the tenants seeking answers will not be singing the Maggie Ding Dong Song: they are too respectful.

But the tenants seeking answers are greatly concerned with another Ding Dong, a Ding Dong  Bell.

That concerning bell is ringing out much more loudly than the Ding Dong Song.

That concerning bell is an alarm bell.

Note: Information about the Federation and Carlisle South Community Association is contained in the first entry on this blog, posted on March 26.