conversation didn’t always flow easily, as people from vastly different cultural, ethnic
and economic backgrounds were mixing often for the first time.
But four years later we are now regularly having parties, BBQs, and working together
to improve the block. The transformation has been a beautiful thing to watch, and I will
tell you more about it another time, but bearing in mind the debate in Parliament today, I mention it only as context, as I couldn’t allow our friends’ story to remain untold.
I’ll call them Steve and Gemma.
Steve and Gemma have been key to
ing to cook or host. But they don’t
to move out. And why did they
tax. They couldn’t afford the extra
charged for their spare room
ble anyway due to damp from
roof). So they have had to
er flat, which is perfectly
long way from the commuhave been part of builda long way from people
them, and help them in
challenges with famimake them more
than less state-deare sad, because
around the corwondering
ties are being
ciency.
the developing community, always offerlive on the block any more. They had
have to move out? The bedroom
rent they were going to be
(which was uninhabitaan unfixed leaky
move to anothnice, but is a
nity that they
ing. They are now
that care about
times of sickness or
ly. The change will
state-dependent rather
pendent. Above all we
our friends are not just
ner anymore. It gets me
how many other communifractured in the name of effi-
When human relaeconomic transactions,
People are exploited. The
in no doubt of that truth.
tionships are abstracted from
pretty shocking things can happen.
sub-prime mortgage crisis has left us
The Bedroom Tax feels like a housing
plan dreamt up by management consultants in a drive towards profit and loss efficiency. Well-meaning perhaps, but wrongheaded in the extreme. It’s a startling insight into a potential future where hedge fund
managers run public services for maximum efficiency rath \