The 1980 Housing Act gives tenants the right to buy their council houses. Opponents stress that damage will be inflicted upon the public sector and call for a national anti-sales campaign. The defence of council housing largely rests on the assumptions that it has an affinity with socialism, that owner-occupation leads to 'false consciousness' and that the working class have an interest in maintaining and extending public ownership under capitalism. In rejecting these views, this article argues that an anti-sales campaign will increase class fragmentation and strengthen labourism without either halting sales, gaining mass support or protecting working- class housing standards.
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References
1.
See, for instance, K. Coates, 'Socialists and the Labour Party'. Socialist Register, 1973.pp.155-78: R. Miliband, 'Moving on'. Socialist Register, 1976, pp.128-40: P. Jenkins, 'The Labour Party and the politics of transition, Socialist Register, 1977, pp.11-26: L. Panitch. 'Socialists and the Labour Party: a reappraisal', Socialist Register, 1979, pp.51-74.
2.
R. Miliband , op.cit. p.128.
3.
Ginsburg calls it the 'most important heroic working-class resistance to welfare reform since the inter-war years'. N. Ginsburg, Class, Capital and Social Policy, London: Macmillan1979, p.153.
4.
L. Sklair, 'The struggle against the Housing Finance Act'. Socialist Register, 1975, p.268-69. Sklair concludes his excellent analysis with a plea to socialists to work within the Labour Party.
5.
See for instance: A. Murie, The Sale of Council Houses, CURS, Birmingham University1976; R. Forrest and A. Murie, Social Segregation, Housing Need and the Sale of council Houses, CURS1976; J. English and C. Jones, The Sale of Council Houses, University of Glasgow1977; Where have all the assets gone? Nottingham Alternative Press1979; S. Schiffers.Facts on Council House Sales, Shelter1979. In addition see papers in Roof, in particular, by A. Murie (March 1977); B. Kilroy (May 1977) and R. Forrest and A. Murie (Nov. 1978).
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Quoted by S. Schiffers , op. cit. p.3.
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ibid. p.5.
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D. Nevitt, 'British housing policy', Journal of Social Policy , 7, 1978, p.333.
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The Guardian, 20 April 1979.
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13.
Cdp, for instance, claim that owner-occupation and council housing 'represent two totally different, and opposed, ideological perspectives on how and for what purposes housing should be provided', ibid. p.9.
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P. Dickens, Social change, housing and the state: some aspects ofclass fragmentation and incorporation', in M. Harloe ( 1977), op.cit. pp.338-39.
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Chamberlain's view did not prevail and the Conservative Party opposed the Bill at all stages. I. Macleod, Neville Chamberlain, London: Muller1961, p. 105.
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19 ibid. para. 3.09.
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21.
Recent contributions to this area include: Political Economy and the Housing Question (1975) and Housing and Class in Britain (1976) both by the Conference of Socialist Economists ; M. Ball, 'British housing policy and the house building industry, Capital and Class , 4, 1978-79; P. Dickens, op.cit; N. Ginsburg, op.cit. chapters 5 & 6.
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S. Merrett, State Housing in Britain, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul1979; and C.G. Pickvance, 'Housing, reproduction of capital, and reproduction of labour power', Antipode, 8, 1976, pp.58-68.
23.
See for instance: S. Clarke and N. Ginsburg, 'The political economy of housing', in CSE 1975, op.cit. p.19.
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B. Kilroy, 'No jackpot from council house sales, Roof, May 1977, p.80.
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N. Ginsburg, op.cit p.149.
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M. Ball, op.cit. p.95.
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ibid. p.96.
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N. Ginsburg, op.cit. p.136.
29.
Quoted byM. Jones, 'The Tories: bringing the house down', Marxism Today , 24, 1980, p.10.
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S. Schiffers, op.cit. p.12.
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R Forrest and A. Murie, op. cit. p.27.
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S. Schiffers, op.cit, p.9.
33.
Indicative ofboth the government's determination to vigorously pursue its sales policy and its concern that the sales drive may flounder is the announcement of a price freeze on council and new town homes. This in spite of an already high sales figure for 1980 - approaching 50,000 by August, even before the Housing Act has become law. (The Guardian, 12 August 1980). Without minimising the damage that this level of sales will inflict upon the public sector, it is fairly clear that the oft quoted Conservative target of 250,000 sales per annum is unlikely ever to be reached, let alone maintained.
34.
S. Schiffers, op.cit. p.10.
35.
Communist Workers' Movement. Why Paul Foot should be a Socialist, Liverpool, 1978, p.16.
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B. Kilroy, op.cit. p.74.
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P. Dickens.op.cit p.356.
38.
Sir Harold Belman repeating G.N. Barnes phrase. Quoted by M. Boddy Building societies and owner-occupation in CSE 1976, op.cit. p.34.
39.
Quoted by S. Merrett , op.cit. p.43.
40.
Quoted by A. Murie. ( 1976) op.cit. p.19.
41.
Hay, for instance, describes Victorian and Edwardian social legislation as being thoroughly permeated by the desire to provide decent treatment and social incentives to the respectable and to separate them from the residium. J.R. Hay, The Origins of the Liberal Welfare Reforms, London: Macmillan1975. p.34.
42.
P. Saunders.Urban Politics, Harmondsworth; Penguin1980. pp.82-83.
43.
M. Boddy, op. cit p.34.
44.
ibid. p.34.
45.
Central Housing Advisory Committee, Council Housing: Purposes, Procedures and Priorities, London: HMSO1969 p.33.
46.
Womens Voice, 31, July 1979.
47.
A. Murie and R. Forrest, 'Wealth, inheritance and housing policy. Policy and Politics, 8, 1980, p.17.
48.
R. Bryant, 'Community action. British Journal of Social Work, 2, 1972, p.214.
49.
M. Castells.The Urban Question, London: Arnold1977, p.377.
