Renters Rising! Extending the analysis of housing activism in Europe to the UK

Andrew Mathers

doi:10.12795/araucaria.2021.i46.08

Authors

Andrew Mathers University of the West of England, Bristol

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12795/araucaria.2021.i46.08

Keywords:

housing activism, class, direct action, community union, social democracy

Abstract

The material effects of austerity in the UK have generated a resurgence of activist initiatives in the field of housing central to which is ACORN that has developed into a federated organisation contesting housing practices and policies at both local and national levels. ACORN is used to expand the examination of housing activism in Europe beyond the cases in Spain and Germany to the United Kingdom (Ordonez et al, 2015). This article also utilises the qualitative methodology of a comparative case study and the framework of ideological and social backgrounds, political repertoires and political logics to present and analyse ACORN. While ACORN displays striking similarities to other cases, it also represents a different trajectory in housing activism that combines direct action with an engagement with party politics as social democracy seeks to return to its roots.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biography

Andrew Mathers, University of the West of England, Bristol

Senior Lecturer in Sociology & Criminology

References

ACORN (2015) The Bristol Ethical Lettings Charter: From the houses we have to the homes we need. Retrieved from: https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/acornbristol/pages/273/attachments/original/1440277088/Bristol_Ethical_Lettings_Charter_Final_-_Email_Version.pdf?1440277088

ACORN (2017a) Keep Council Tax Reduction in Bristol!. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/acorn.bristol/videos/1592110967485813/

ACORN (2017b) Keep Council Tax Reduction. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/acorn.bristol/videos/1579821735381403/

ACORN (2017c) Posting on Facebook (18/09/2017) Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/acorn.bristol/

ACORN (2017d) Council Tax Reduction Scheme – Information for Labour Councillors. Retrieved from: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B56mYc0PRxW1bXkxTlFDdFpyUVU/view

ACORN (2019a) Posting on Facebook (29/11/2019) Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/acorntheunion/posts/2816520521742312

ACORN (2019b) Jeremy Corbyn’s surprising message … Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/acorntheunion/videos/744752739253910/

ACORN (Undateda) Songsheet. Unpublished document. Copy available from the author on request.

ACORN (Undatedb) Songsheet. Unpublished document. Copy available from the author on request.

Anonymous (1999). Give up activism. Do or Die, 9,160–166.

Aviram, A. (2015) A step forward for tenants’ rights? Retrieved from: https://thebristolcable.org/2015/03/a-step-forward-for-tenants-rights/

Ayotte, D. (2016) A Big Housing Conversation to address a big housing crisis. Retrieved from: https://thebristolcable.org/2016/09/a-big-housing-conversation-to-address-a-big-housing-crisis

Barker, C. (2001). Robert Michels and the ‘cruel game’. In: C. Barker, A. Johnson, & M. Lavalette (eds.) Leadership and social movements (pp. 24-43). Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Barker, C., Johnson, A. & Lavalette, M. (2001). Leadership matters: an introduction. In: C. Barker et al (eds.) op cit (pp. 1-23).

Beswick, J., Alexandri, G., Byrne, M. Vives-Miró, S., Fields, D., Hodkinson, S. & Janoschka, M. (2016). Speculating on London’s housing future. City, 20, 2, 321-341.

Bone, J. (2014). Neoliberal Nomads: Housing Insecurity and the Revival of Private Renting in the UK. Sociological Research Online, 19, 4, 1-14.

Brignall, M. (2019). Rip-off letting fees are finally banned – what will happen now? Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/jun/01/rip-off-letting-fees-are-finally-banned-what-will-happen-now

Bristol City Council (BCC) (2016). ACORN join Bristol Homes Board. Retrieved from: http://news.bristol.gov.uk/acorn_join_bristol_homes_board

Camfield, D. (2007). Renewal in Canadian Public Sector Union. Relations Industrielles, 62, 2, 282-301.

Cant, C. (2018). Taking What’s Ours: an ACORN inquiry. Retrieved from: https://notesfrombelow.org/article/taking-whats-ours-an-acorn-inquiry

Cantwell-Corn, A. (2017). Pressure builds on mayor to drop council tax changes that hit poor hardest. Retrieved from: https://thebristolcable.org/2017/10/pressure-builds-mayor-drop-council-tax-changes-hit-poorest/

Cantwell-Corn, A. (2019). How two survivors of abuse were failed. And how they fought back. Retrieved from: https://thebristolcable.org/2019/02/how-two-women-were-failed-and-how-they-fought-back-acorn-domestic-abuse-housing/

Chatterton, P. (2006). “Give up Activism” and Change the World in Unknown Ways: Or, Learning to Walk with Others on Uncommon Ground. Antipode, 38, 2, 259-281.

Cork, T. (2017). Watch: Dramatic moment housing crisis protestors storm new Finzel’s Reach bridge and stop launch party. Retrieved from: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/watch-dramatic-moment-housing-crisis-19552

Cork, T. (2018a). Tears and anger as campaigners stop mum-of-three being evicted from her home. Retrieved from: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/tears-anger-campaigners-stop-mum-1450851

Cork, T. (2018b). Why a Bristol lettings agents was ‘left looking like a crime scene’ in row over fees. Retrieved from: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristol-lettings-agents-left-looking-1710818

Cork, T. (2018c). The moment a huge group of protestors stormed a Bristol bank. Retrieved from: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/moment-huge-group-protesters-stormed-1587667

Cullum, A. (2017). Opinion: We need to fight council tax plans that hit poorest hardest. Retrieved from: https://thebristolcable.org/2017/09/opinion-need-fight-council-tax-plans-hit-poorest-hardest/

Della Porta, D., Fernández, J., Kouki, H. & Mosca, L. (2017). Movement Parties against Austerity. Cambridge & Malden (MA): Polity.

Elmer, S. & Dening, G. (2016). The London clearances. City, 20, 2, 271-277.

Fantasia, R. & Voss, K. (2004). Hard Work: Remaking the American Labor Movement. Berkeley & LA (Cal): University of California Press.

Flesher Fominaya, C. (2007). Autonomous Movements and the Institutional Left: Two Approaches in Tension in Madrid's Anti-globalization Network. South European Society and Politics, 12, 3, 335-358.

Gilling, J. (2018). ‘We said it wasn’t acceptable’: how Bristol is standing up to developers. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/mar/07/bristol-housing-developers-affordable-property

Glucksberg, L. (2016). A view from the top. City, 20, 2, 238-255.

Glynn, S. (2009). Fighting Back: Lessons from 100 Years of Housing Campaigns. In: S. Glynn (ed.) Where the Other Half Lives: Lower Income Housing in a Neoliberal World. (pp. 281-319). London: Pluto Press.

Handcock, M. S. & Gile, K. J. (2011). ‘Comment: On the Concept of Snowball Sampling’. Sociological Methodology, 41, 1, 367–371.

Hodkinson, S., Watt, P. & Mooney, G. (2012). Introduction: Neoliberal housing policy – time for a critical re-appraisal. Critical Social Policy 33, 1, 3-16.

Ibrahim, J. (2011). The new toll on higher education and the UK student revolts of 2010–2011. Social Movement Studies, 10, 4, 415-421.

Labour Party, (2019). It’s Time for Real Change. The Labour Party Manifesto 2019. Retrieved from: https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Real-Change-Labour-Manifesto-2019.pdf

Little, B. & Grayson, D. (2012). The National in the Network Society: UK Uncut, the English Defence League and the challenge for social democracy. In: H. Meyer & J. Rutherford (eds.) The Future of European Social Democracy: Building the Good Society. (pp. 177-191). Basingstoke: Palgrave.

McAlevey, J. (2015). The Crisis of New Labor and Alinsky’s Legacy: Revisiting the Role of the Organic Grassroots Leaders in Building Powerful Organizations and Movements. Politics & Society, 43, 3, 415–441.

McKay, G. (1998). Introduction. In G. McKay (ed.) DiY culture: party & protest in nineties Britain. (pp. 1-53). London: Verso.

Maffesoli, M. (1996). The Time of the Tribes: The Decline of Individualism in Mass Society. London: Sage.

Author (2007) Struggling for a Social Europe: neoliberal globalisation, the EU and the birth of a European social movement. Aldershot: Ashgate.

Michels, R. (1915). Political parties: A sociological study of the oligarchical tendencies of modern democracy. New York, NY: Hearst.

Nachtwey, O. (2009). Die Linke and the crisis of class representation. International Socialism. 124 Retrieved from: http://isj.org.uk/die-linke-and-the-crisis-of-class-representation/

Ordóñez, V., Feenstra, R. & Tormey, S. (2015). Citizens against Austerity: a Comparative Reflection on Platforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca (PAH) and Bündnis Zwangsräumung Verhindern (BSV). Auracaria 17, 34, 133-154.

Panitch, L. & Leys, C. (1997). The End of Parliamentary Socialism: From New Left to New Labour. London: Verso.

Roberts, Y. (2018). The tiny union beating the gig economy giants. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/01/union-beating-gig-economy-giants-iwgb-zero-hours-workers.

Rose, D. (2015) Easton residents protest “damp and dangerous” housing. Retrieved from: https://thebristolcable.org/2015/07/easton-residents-protest-damp-dangerous-housing/

Sabbagh, D. (2018) Do you live in shoddy housing that costs a fortune? Time to join the renters’ union. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jun/03/renters-union-shoddy-housing-cost-fortune-acorn-bristol

Seymour, R. (2016). Corbyn: The Strange Rebirth of Radical Politics. London: Verso.

Smythe, A. (2017). Taking the fight to ‘bad’ landlords. Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42083142

Wall, D. (1999). Earth First! and the Anti-Roads Movement. London: Routledge.

White, G. (2016). Social movements and social policies: political challenges under austerity in the UK. Contention: The Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Protest, 3, 2, 17-32.