23/4/2008

Kirkby Nan's Planning War!

Which plan do you prefer?

By Adam Ford

Option One: Kirkby grandmother and retired laundry worker Dot Reid plus loads of her neighbours get chucked out of their homes, which are then demolished to make way for yet another Tesco, some more shops, and a new stadium for Everton FC.

Option Two: Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy gets slung out of his luxury home in Hertfordshire, which is then demolished to make way for a community garden with water features and a kiosk for pensioners.

Dot Reid submitted the second application to Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council in early April, retaliating against Tesco's campaign to make her homeless. She told reporters that: “I thought how would Sir Terry and his family feel if their home was being threatened? That is why I put in an application to knock his house down.

“I am appalled our homes are under threat. It would mean the break-up of a happy community."

Tesco have contemptuously dismissed Mrs Reid’s application as a “publicity stunt”. They can do that because they know the legal process is loaded against working class people, and that big business can use its financial muscle and political connections to get its way.

The destruction of working class Merseyside homes in the name of 'regeneration' is not unique to Kirkby. Similar fights are also going on in Toxteth and Edge Lane and Kensington. In fact they're going on all over the world. If these struggles are to succeed in the long term, they need to link up not only with each other, but everyone fighting against the effects of the profit system.

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