Owen Jones, man crush: In 1981, Glasgow was ranked 208th among British local authorities for economic inactivity; a decade later, it had jumped to 10th place. Middle-income skilled jobs were stripped from the economy, often in favour of service sector jobs with lower pay, fewer rights and less security. The mass sell-off of council housing – never replaced – left many working class communities bereft of affordable homes for their children. The slashing of taxes on the rich in favour of indirect taxes, the crippling of trade unions, mass privatisation and the relentless promotion of the City, all ensured that inequality levels exploded. But New Labour’s surrender to the underlying assumptions of the Thatcherite crusade gave the independence movement its greatest opportunity.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 12:33:38 +0000
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