Naharnet

Independence as Last Hope among Glasgow's Dispossessed

Devastated by the decades of industrial decline, many living in the run-down Glasgow district of Drumchapel see Scottish independence as a last chance to revive its fortunes, but even here the "No" camp has supporters.

"For most people in Drumchapel it's a very, very hard life," said "Yes" voter Leah Hazard, a mid-wife with the National Health Service (NHS).

"I don't really see how this is going to change if things stay like they are. There is a general culture of hopelessness."

"The Drum", as it is know to locals, is one of the most deprived areas in the United Kingdom, suffering from rampant unemployment, poverty, crime, substance abuse and a life-expectancy of 68.9 for men, "lower than Baghdad", according to British media reports.

"This is meant to be the main shopping center, look how run down it is, deeply degenerated," sighed Malcolm Balfour, a local Scottish National Party (SNP) councillor.

The unemployment rate in Glasgow is around 10 percent. In places like Drumchapel, it is more than double.

And for those who do work many are in casual labor or tied to "zero-hours contracts", which offer no guaranteed salary.

"Unemployment is 20 something percent, because that includes people who can't work because of health conditions or disabilities," said Kenny Macdonald, manager of the Drumchapel Foodbank, a dispensary located at the top of a small hill.

On the door of the office, a poster warns of an "urgent need" for milk, coffee, canned spaghetti and baby diapers.

"The reaction of the community is amazing, there is a tremendous amount of goodwill," said Macdonald, although his operation has lacked vital supplies for several weeks.

With schools and their free canteens closed over July and August, summer can be a particularly hungry time for some neighborhood children.

"It has been an issue for many years in certain areas of Glasgow during holiday times," the food bank manager said.

- 'Poor are getting poorer' -

Health worker Hazard also blamed budget cuts for worsening the situation of her patients.

"I've seen how things have got much worse, we are so understaffed and people keep having babies," she said.

"It's getting dangerous for mothers and babies... with the budget we are given and I can see the pressure we have because of the budget restrictions from Westminster."

She is pinning her hopes for a brighter future on a victory for the "Yes" camp in Thursday's independence referendum, a sentiment that resonates across Drumchapel.

"The poor are just getting poorer and the rich are getting richer," said irate local Linda Weather.

"All the money goes to Westminster. They give themselves an 11 percent pay rise, for goodness sake, and we are starving to death.... That's just not right."

And warnings from the "No" camp and big business of banks relocating and rising prices cause little anxiety in "The Drum".

"One in three children grows up in poverty here," said Zeyn Mohammed, an unemployed 22-year-old.

"They try to scare us that shops like John Lewis would put their prices up, nobody here cares about prices going up at John Lewis or Waitrose, they are not here anyway."

He added: "The only banks we care about closing here are foodbanks."

Yet the pro-union camp can still count on support in Drumchapel.

Mark McMille, 30, said he would be voting "No" for independence. Alluding to the immigration issue, he said: "This country is overrun by different nationalities, I'm British and I can't get a job".

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond and chief independence campaigner has announced plans to welcome immigrants to an independent Scotland.

"It's already hard enough to get a job," McMille said.

Source: Agence France Presse


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