This column was originally published by Th Havering Daily on Monday 4 December and can be found here: ‘Good to see public pressure has seen the government drop plans to close rail station ticket office’. – The Havering Daily
I was delighted recently when the government dropped its plans to close rail station ticket offices. The simple reason it did so was due to public pressure. Almost three quarters of a million people made their objections known and the weight of the pressure forced the government to climb down.
For me the lesson of this is of enormous significance. Unfortunately, we all too often hear “there’s nothing we can do” or “there’s no point speaking up” or “there’s no point in voting.” This is the counsel of despair and is so wrong. Things only change when there is pressure from below in society, pressure from public movements for change. Those with power, whether it’s governments or big businesses, rarely give ground and make concessions unless the weight of public opinion becomes irresistible.
If you find that hard to believe just look at our history in Britain. The big changes that helped shape and improve our society such as women winning the right to vote, which we all take for granted today, only happened after a sustained campaign from women Suffragettes. Employment rights and better conditions and pay for workers didn’t just happen out of the goodness of the hearts of industrialists, it came from trade union pressure.
In 1966 the BBC televised the play “Cathy Come Home”. It shone a light on the trauma of homelessness and shocked the nation. The drama was watched by a quarter of the UK population, the campaigning charity Crisis, was formed following the play going out. Crisis together with Shelter pressed for action from government. The Labour Government in 1977 passed the Housing (Homeless Persons Act) in response to the pressure from the public
All of these changes which brought about improvements in the lives of ordinary people were hard won over time by determined actions. That’s why I feel so disappointed when people become apathetic and feel it’s pointless to engage and stand up.
So my response to those who might say “there’s no point” tell that to those people who need the services of the station ticket offices and the thousands of staff whose jobs have been saved. And while you’re about it, think about the millions of people who came before us and won us the right to have a say in how our country is governed and who won us better working conditions and pay. Because if we fritter away those gains those in power will over time take those rights away.
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