The meaning of words
The lines blur before me as I
type. I am struggling. My words
lose meaning as I write more. Time
has passed. Is past. Passes.
Passing...tenses, and context.
Grammar. What is grammar
Clarity. I grasp and hold
this idea. Grammar. clarity, meaning
really? Meaning can be
extracted without grammar.
With context, punctuation. With
intent. These tools we use
every day. Or don't. Every
written communication has
elements - and yet, and yet.
Some do not. A 240 word stream
of consciousness put out for the
world to examine.
Comments responses shares.
crafted in 30 seconds.
Throwaway words. Making a
splash in the airwaves of our
consciousness. Forgotten next
Potentially to be revived
only for a moment before
sinking again into the deeps.
Against this we struggle. In a
world where all words mean
something and nothing. Where
the bombardment never ceases
and time passes.
Sunday 18 February 2018
Thursday 18 January 2018
Do your representatives actually represent you??
I am very lucky in my MP. His views mostly align with mine, which is great for me, although maybe not everyone in the constituency would say the same. That's one thing. But it's not the only thing. And even if he didn't share many of the views I hold I would still respect him as my MP - although I probably wouldn't vote for him next time around.
Apart from his political outlook, he is very active and open about his activities. He has a strong voice in parliament (albeit one that being a minority party does not get listened to by the government as often as I would like). He is very active on social media, regularly gives public updates on what he is doing, and writes a blog/newsletter about things he is involved with and votes that are, will or have been debated. I wonder how many people can say the same?
This post has in part been prompted by the vote on the repeal bill that has just gone through the House of Commons. For those of you who don't know, in very simple terms this deals with how EU laws which have been integrated into our systems are handled when we separate from the EU. The Conservative government ideally wants to take a blanket approach where everything is just decided centrally by the Westminster government. The issue is that many of these laws relate to things that are currently devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. If these laws are controlled by Westminster and relate to a devolved issue Westminster would effectively be in control of that issue instead of the devolved parliaments once we leave the EU. Living in Scotland, I am of course most interested in how this affects the Holyrood Parliament, and have not looked into how our Welsh and NI counterparts view this issue.
Multiple amendments were suggested to the bill following its first reading, some of which related to the repatriation of devolved issues to the devolved parliaments, instead of all powers going first to Westminster and being controlled centrally, the amendments would mean that devolved issues would skip Westminster and come straight to the devolved parliaments which currently control that element of government. The Government assured MPs that these would be written up and included in the second reading - before the parliamentary vote on whether to put the bill forward to the House of Lords as it stands. At that point all Scottish MP's including the 13 Conservatives said they supported the amendments. However, when it came to the point the amendments were not made. The bill was presented as is and vote held. Every single Conservative MP voted with their party to put the bill to the Lord's without the amendments. This means that the House of Lords - none of whom are elected officials, and none of whom represent Scotland are now in charge of whether the bill is allowed to go through and become law.
I know how my MP voted, can you say the same about yours?
And what about the other issues you feel strongly about? Education? The NHS? Policing? Welfare? Tax? Human rights? Trade deals? Privatisation? Nationalisation? Immigration? All of these things and more affect our daily lives, affect the distribution of wealth in this country, affect the amount you pay for your shopping, whether you have medical bills, whether you can afford to eat and pay rent if you lose your job, how quickly, and efficiently, the police are able to respond to and process criminal offences, theft, traffic accidents, assault, rape... And more.
I know a lot of people who aren't interested in politics, and don't want to spend time thinking about these things. Fair enough. We live in a democracy and that is their choice. On the other hand, I wonder how much of this is down to learned behaviour and societal expectations rather than a true desire not to have a say in these aspects of our lives.
After several votes over the last few years from the Scottish Independance referendum, EU referendum, 2 general elections, Holyrood elections and potentially by-elections and other local elections as well, it is no wonder, the corporate controlled media tells us, that people are fed up of politics. They tell us that we have voter fatigue, and that we should let the government worry about Brexit. They tell us we don't want any more votes and that we are right to be sick of these things.
I disagree. And not just because if you look at the people behind the main media outlets you realise that they benefit from this narrative. But also because I feel this attitude is fundamental to the direction this country has taken over the last few decades, and to the situation we find ourselves in.
Yes, the internet has facilitated the rise in false stories, fake news and 'alternative facts' but when we fail to interrogate and think critically about information presented to us, when we fail to demand transparency and truth, not just from the media, but also from our elected representatives, when we accept the narrative we are fed, we fail not only our 'society', we fail our friends and neighbours, our colleagues, our parents, our children, and we fail ourselves.
Let me tell you an open secret. Voter fatigue does not exist. It is a construction of the society we live in. Like queuing, or saying thank you when someone holds a door, and like these things it is different in different cultures and societies. In America when you go to the polls you are there for at least an hour or two. Why is that? Because you are not just expected to tick a box to elect a representative. Once you've done that you're expected to tick a lot more boxes. On local issues, on state issues, on national issues. You are expected to read the associated literature and vote on multiple things.
I am not suggesting that we should hold more elections, but that we should engage with the process, not dismiss it as irrelevant or not worth our time. Is the process boring? Most of the time probably. Does it take effort? Yes it does. But I believe it is our responsibility as citizens to do the best we can for our country. If we accept that once we have placed our X we are relieved of all responsibility then quite frankly, whatever we get is on our own heads.
So what is the answer?
Not so long ago, an elected official would have resigned or been quietly told to make themselves scarce if they were caught in a lie, or involved in any kind of misdemeanour that was seen to bring the party or government into disrepute. There would have been a scandal and the free press would have rightly called for an explanation and reported the behaviour faithfully, using primary sources and true investigation techniques, rather than regurgitating a carefully worded press release.
Nowadays it seems the right spin and a lip service apology is enough to satisfy most discontent. Remember the expenses scandal?
We need to change the narrative. Make it unacceptable to accept news as it is sanitised and dripfed down the corporate straw. Interrogate your news outlets, check whether or not your MP, MSP, MEP, local councillor, is speaking about and voting on the issues you care about, and that they are voting in the manner you would expect.
Send them emails telling them you are disappointed, send them messages of support. Engage with the process, and always, always demand more. More honesty, more transparency more engagement, more updates, and higher standards.
Hold them to account and let them know when they are out of line with what you believe, because the only way to truly know that your representative actually represents you is to know what they are doing after you place your X.
Apart from his political outlook, he is very active and open about his activities. He has a strong voice in parliament (albeit one that being a minority party does not get listened to by the government as often as I would like). He is very active on social media, regularly gives public updates on what he is doing, and writes a blog/newsletter about things he is involved with and votes that are, will or have been debated. I wonder how many people can say the same?
This post has in part been prompted by the vote on the repeal bill that has just gone through the House of Commons. For those of you who don't know, in very simple terms this deals with how EU laws which have been integrated into our systems are handled when we separate from the EU. The Conservative government ideally wants to take a blanket approach where everything is just decided centrally by the Westminster government. The issue is that many of these laws relate to things that are currently devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. If these laws are controlled by Westminster and relate to a devolved issue Westminster would effectively be in control of that issue instead of the devolved parliaments once we leave the EU. Living in Scotland, I am of course most interested in how this affects the Holyrood Parliament, and have not looked into how our Welsh and NI counterparts view this issue.
Multiple amendments were suggested to the bill following its first reading, some of which related to the repatriation of devolved issues to the devolved parliaments, instead of all powers going first to Westminster and being controlled centrally, the amendments would mean that devolved issues would skip Westminster and come straight to the devolved parliaments which currently control that element of government. The Government assured MPs that these would be written up and included in the second reading - before the parliamentary vote on whether to put the bill forward to the House of Lords as it stands. At that point all Scottish MP's including the 13 Conservatives said they supported the amendments. However, when it came to the point the amendments were not made. The bill was presented as is and vote held. Every single Conservative MP voted with their party to put the bill to the Lord's without the amendments. This means that the House of Lords - none of whom are elected officials, and none of whom represent Scotland are now in charge of whether the bill is allowed to go through and become law.
I know how my MP voted, can you say the same about yours?
And what about the other issues you feel strongly about? Education? The NHS? Policing? Welfare? Tax? Human rights? Trade deals? Privatisation? Nationalisation? Immigration? All of these things and more affect our daily lives, affect the distribution of wealth in this country, affect the amount you pay for your shopping, whether you have medical bills, whether you can afford to eat and pay rent if you lose your job, how quickly, and efficiently, the police are able to respond to and process criminal offences, theft, traffic accidents, assault, rape... And more.
I know a lot of people who aren't interested in politics, and don't want to spend time thinking about these things. Fair enough. We live in a democracy and that is their choice. On the other hand, I wonder how much of this is down to learned behaviour and societal expectations rather than a true desire not to have a say in these aspects of our lives.
After several votes over the last few years from the Scottish Independance referendum, EU referendum, 2 general elections, Holyrood elections and potentially by-elections and other local elections as well, it is no wonder, the corporate controlled media tells us, that people are fed up of politics. They tell us that we have voter fatigue, and that we should let the government worry about Brexit. They tell us we don't want any more votes and that we are right to be sick of these things.
I disagree. And not just because if you look at the people behind the main media outlets you realise that they benefit from this narrative. But also because I feel this attitude is fundamental to the direction this country has taken over the last few decades, and to the situation we find ourselves in.
Yes, the internet has facilitated the rise in false stories, fake news and 'alternative facts' but when we fail to interrogate and think critically about information presented to us, when we fail to demand transparency and truth, not just from the media, but also from our elected representatives, when we accept the narrative we are fed, we fail not only our 'society', we fail our friends and neighbours, our colleagues, our parents, our children, and we fail ourselves.
Let me tell you an open secret. Voter fatigue does not exist. It is a construction of the society we live in. Like queuing, or saying thank you when someone holds a door, and like these things it is different in different cultures and societies. In America when you go to the polls you are there for at least an hour or two. Why is that? Because you are not just expected to tick a box to elect a representative. Once you've done that you're expected to tick a lot more boxes. On local issues, on state issues, on national issues. You are expected to read the associated literature and vote on multiple things.
I am not suggesting that we should hold more elections, but that we should engage with the process, not dismiss it as irrelevant or not worth our time. Is the process boring? Most of the time probably. Does it take effort? Yes it does. But I believe it is our responsibility as citizens to do the best we can for our country. If we accept that once we have placed our X we are relieved of all responsibility then quite frankly, whatever we get is on our own heads.
So what is the answer?
Not so long ago, an elected official would have resigned or been quietly told to make themselves scarce if they were caught in a lie, or involved in any kind of misdemeanour that was seen to bring the party or government into disrepute. There would have been a scandal and the free press would have rightly called for an explanation and reported the behaviour faithfully, using primary sources and true investigation techniques, rather than regurgitating a carefully worded press release.
Nowadays it seems the right spin and a lip service apology is enough to satisfy most discontent. Remember the expenses scandal?
We need to change the narrative. Make it unacceptable to accept news as it is sanitised and dripfed down the corporate straw. Interrogate your news outlets, check whether or not your MP, MSP, MEP, local councillor, is speaking about and voting on the issues you care about, and that they are voting in the manner you would expect.
Send them emails telling them you are disappointed, send them messages of support. Engage with the process, and always, always demand more. More honesty, more transparency more engagement, more updates, and higher standards.
Hold them to account and let them know when they are out of line with what you believe, because the only way to truly know that your representative actually represents you is to know what they are doing after you place your X.
Wednesday 10 January 2018
Homes First for Edinburgh - Commonweal Edinburgh North and Leith
For those of you who haven't heard of Homes First for Edinburgh, it is a campaign for review and regulation of short term lets and accommodation within the city. This was the focus for discussion at the first meeting of 2018 for the Edinburgh North and Leith Commonweal group. Here I give a brief summary of the discussion and offer some thoughts on this issue.
So what's the problem? well there are a few, listed below in no particular order are a couple of issues raised by the group on short term letting of property as it currently stands.
People or companies renting a property for short term lets are not currently registered or regulated in any way. This means that not only do they not pay tax on income from these properties, but they are also not subject to the same health and safety, fire safety, maintenance regulations that registered landlords need to comply with.
The lack of regulation makes short term lets an attractive investment opportunity. This impacts communities in a couple of ways.
It means that there is constant movement of people in and out of properties - sometimes anti-social behaviour results, especially in central areas where visitors are coming back to their accommodation after a night out.
There is an access issue as the keys are often left in a 'safe box' attached to the wall of the property and changing hands on a regular basis.
Landlords have been known to completely renovate flats for short term lets as they wear quickly and often it is seen to be more economical to regularly replace cheap with cheap, than it is to get expensive fittings that may be damaged by short term visitors. This is fine in itself, but not when the contents are left in the street - essentially flytipping the the whole flat.
Economically the benefits are not always better either. A rise in short term lets outside of city centre areas, can actually have a negative impact on businesses local to the property as the shopping habits of visitors are very different from those of residents. Visitors only staying for a day or 2 are likely to be eating out in central restaurants or bars and are less likely to utilise small local shops.
Individuals and businesses buying property for short term lets also drives up property prices and rent, as they are willing/able to pay more than individuals buying a home in expectation of making it back in income. landlords letting on a long-term basis also know they can get more offering short term lets, with less responsibility so these become less desirable, and those available become more expensive.
Erosion of community life. When half the flats in a block are visitors rather than residents, there is less of a sense of community. as the turnaround of people does not allow for this to build.
All of this sounds pretty doom and gloom, but it is recognised that there is a positive side to short term lets as well. We want to show off our city, and welcome people who want to come and visit. Edinburgh is a tourist destination and tourism brings a lot of money into the city and businesses - although much of this is almost exclusive to the city centre. The issue is balancing the accommodation of visitors with residents and ensuring that the experience is a positive one all around.
So what is/can be done about it?
Edinburgh Council requested a briefing on the situation on the city, and what action is being taken elsewhere. This was presented in October last year, since then the number of properties in this category has increased by over 3000. the paper can be found at the link below if you wish to read it.
http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/53374/item_72_-_short_stay_commercial_visitor_accommodation
The council has recognised that regulation of short term letting will require a change to government legislation. They along with other councils have
The Council recognised that regulation of short term property lets will require a change in legislation, and have asked the Scottish Parliament to consider this. In response to this, and the situation across Scotland the Scottish Parliament has commissioned a report on the impact short term lets have. This is due to complete late in 2018, and will present workable solutions for regulation, and management of short term lets.
In the meantime, the council can crack down on landlords who seem to be excessively flytipping, but not much else. Residents are encouraged to report any antisocial behaviour, but as the visitors tend to be gone within a short space of time, this is of limited use.
Overall, this was a lively discussion, with residents passionate about the impact of short term lets in their area. we did stray into other related areas such as land ownership, rent controls, long term let regulations and homelessness however, as these are outwith the main topic of conversation I have not gone into any of that here.
The main consensus seemed to be that Properties should be homes first, and provided as visitor accommodation second. The only way to make this happen seems to be to make investment in and management of short term let properties less attractive, either by legislation, restrictions, cost effectiveness or other means.
It was also recognised that a one size fits all approach probably would not be beneficial, as there are different challenges faced by more rural communities. perhaps regulations based on population would be a way forward. At the moment though, if you have concerns, raise them with local councillors, MSP's, and MP's. We do have a voice, and the more we use it, the more it will be listened to.
Any thoughts/experiences on this issue? Leave them in the comments!
Common Weal is a 'think and do tank' campaigning for social and economic equality in Scotland. Organised into member groups spread across the country we meet to discuss and support social change for the better.
Each member group is organised and meets according to the preferences of members, with support from the central organisation when required. I am a member of the Edinburgh North and Leith Branch which has an open meeting on the first Sunday of the month in the back room of the Strathie pub on Iona Street.
If you live or work in the area, you are more than welcome to come along and join in the discussion. The emphasis is on informal peer to peer education. Each month a topic is chosen for discussion, one or two people take responsibility for doing a little bit of research to open the discussion and provide a background, after which there is an open and informal chat.
So what's the problem? well there are a few, listed below in no particular order are a couple of issues raised by the group on short term letting of property as it currently stands.
People or companies renting a property for short term lets are not currently registered or regulated in any way. This means that not only do they not pay tax on income from these properties, but they are also not subject to the same health and safety, fire safety, maintenance regulations that registered landlords need to comply with.
The lack of regulation makes short term lets an attractive investment opportunity. This impacts communities in a couple of ways.
It means that there is constant movement of people in and out of properties - sometimes anti-social behaviour results, especially in central areas where visitors are coming back to their accommodation after a night out.
There is an access issue as the keys are often left in a 'safe box' attached to the wall of the property and changing hands on a regular basis.
Landlords have been known to completely renovate flats for short term lets as they wear quickly and often it is seen to be more economical to regularly replace cheap with cheap, than it is to get expensive fittings that may be damaged by short term visitors. This is fine in itself, but not when the contents are left in the street - essentially flytipping the the whole flat.
Economically the benefits are not always better either. A rise in short term lets outside of city centre areas, can actually have a negative impact on businesses local to the property as the shopping habits of visitors are very different from those of residents. Visitors only staying for a day or 2 are likely to be eating out in central restaurants or bars and are less likely to utilise small local shops.
Individuals and businesses buying property for short term lets also drives up property prices and rent, as they are willing/able to pay more than individuals buying a home in expectation of making it back in income. landlords letting on a long-term basis also know they can get more offering short term lets, with less responsibility so these become less desirable, and those available become more expensive.
Erosion of community life. When half the flats in a block are visitors rather than residents, there is less of a sense of community. as the turnaround of people does not allow for this to build.
All of this sounds pretty doom and gloom, but it is recognised that there is a positive side to short term lets as well. We want to show off our city, and welcome people who want to come and visit. Edinburgh is a tourist destination and tourism brings a lot of money into the city and businesses - although much of this is almost exclusive to the city centre. The issue is balancing the accommodation of visitors with residents and ensuring that the experience is a positive one all around.
So what is/can be done about it?
Edinburgh Council requested a briefing on the situation on the city, and what action is being taken elsewhere. This was presented in October last year, since then the number of properties in this category has increased by over 3000. the paper can be found at the link below if you wish to read it.
http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/53374/item_72_-_short_stay_commercial_visitor_accommodation
The council has recognised that regulation of short term letting will require a change to government legislation. They along with other councils have
The Council recognised that regulation of short term property lets will require a change in legislation, and have asked the Scottish Parliament to consider this. In response to this, and the situation across Scotland the Scottish Parliament has commissioned a report on the impact short term lets have. This is due to complete late in 2018, and will present workable solutions for regulation, and management of short term lets.
In the meantime, the council can crack down on landlords who seem to be excessively flytipping, but not much else. Residents are encouraged to report any antisocial behaviour, but as the visitors tend to be gone within a short space of time, this is of limited use.
Overall, this was a lively discussion, with residents passionate about the impact of short term lets in their area. we did stray into other related areas such as land ownership, rent controls, long term let regulations and homelessness however, as these are outwith the main topic of conversation I have not gone into any of that here.
The main consensus seemed to be that Properties should be homes first, and provided as visitor accommodation second. The only way to make this happen seems to be to make investment in and management of short term let properties less attractive, either by legislation, restrictions, cost effectiveness or other means.
It was also recognised that a one size fits all approach probably would not be beneficial, as there are different challenges faced by more rural communities. perhaps regulations based on population would be a way forward. At the moment though, if you have concerns, raise them with local councillors, MSP's, and MP's. We do have a voice, and the more we use it, the more it will be listened to.
Any thoughts/experiences on this issue? Leave them in the comments!
Common Weal is a 'think and do tank' campaigning for social and economic equality in Scotland. Organised into member groups spread across the country we meet to discuss and support social change for the better.
Each member group is organised and meets according to the preferences of members, with support from the central organisation when required. I am a member of the Edinburgh North and Leith Branch which has an open meeting on the first Sunday of the month in the back room of the Strathie pub on Iona Street.
If you live or work in the area, you are more than welcome to come along and join in the discussion. The emphasis is on informal peer to peer education. Each month a topic is chosen for discussion, one or two people take responsibility for doing a little bit of research to open the discussion and provide a background, after which there is an open and informal chat.
Monday 1 January 2018
Welcome to 2018!
So it's a new year. I don't normally do resolutions, but one thing I would like to do this year, is write more. I'm not sure how writing a regular blog will go - I'll try to update it at least once a week, and write at least one original story a month. I have a lot going on over the next few months, so I'm not sure how much time I will have to dedicate to this, hopefully it will be more successful than previous attempts since this is a public forum!
We will see!
We will see!
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