Wrong to blame the rent strikers for the poor state of housing

MANY readers must have been astonished at the statement made in the voiceover to the Storm That Saved a City, a documentary aired by BBC1 Scotland (January 10), that the success of the rent strikers during the First World War meant that the private landlords, forced to reduce rents by an Act of Parliament, did not carry out repairs and therefore the rent strikers were responsible for the continuing poor state of Glasgow’s housing.

Whoever put this programme together appears to be unaware that there was campaigning going on in Glasgow against slum housing before the first landlord started hiking up the rents.

Mary Barbour, Helen Crawfurd and Agnes Dollan were the leaders of a campaign against slum housing and for good housing to be provided by the council. A strong campaigning point was that the landlords did not carry out repairs and ignored complaints.

It was bad enough that for too many years Mary Barbour’s contribution to the city’s welfare was ignored. But to blame her and the rest of the campaigners, instead of the irresponsibility and greed of the landlords, takes the biscuit. I expect better of the BBC.

I am confident that many will be looking forward to being there when a statue to commemorate Mary Barbour is erected in Govan on March 8, International Women’s Day. They know the truth of the matter.

Maria Fyfe (Chair, Remember Mary Barbour Association),

10 Ascot Avenue,

Glasgow.