| Description | Interview with an unidentified man who talks about people squatting in abandoned Nissen huts at Springtown camp previously used by US servicemen during the Second World War due to the housing shortage. He discusses the exploitation of this issue by politicians who slandered the tenants, and the response by Springtown campaign groups that were set up to appeal to the Derry corporation to provide housing. He talks about some of the demonstrations and petitions organised to raise awareness about poor housing conditions in Derry in 1964, and the difficulties he and his brother have had in finding accommodation (tracks 1-4).
An unidentified woman from Dundee, Scotland, and another woman join the conversation, to talk about the difficulties in getting a place to live, even with children, and young married couples having to live with parents and other relatives, not being classed as eligible for housing and not being entitled to vote because they are not householders. Two men join the conversation to talk about witnessing police brutality at the civil rights march in October 1968, and his feelings of anger towards them because of the violent treatment that many of the demonstrators received after they were arrested. They think the police have lost the confidence of the people because they have been exposed as a sectarian force (tracks 5-8).
Track 9: silence 0.13 mins
The woman from Dundee, Scotland, talks about her violent treatment by the police and discrimination in employment against Catholics by Protestant-owned businesses in the city. The men join the conversation to talk about the virtual impossibility of a Catholic buying a house in a Unionist area and being able to live there undisturbed and the victimisation of Protestant civil rights leaders. They go on to talk about the involvement of women workers in demonstrations and the difficulty for women in feeding a family when their husbands are unemployed. They discuss the psychological effects of long-term unemployment and the peace of mind that they can gain from their religious faith. They talk about the growing political awareness of young people and the increased determination that people have to fight for their rights, particularly when they see the freedom of action that young people and students have in England and France (tracks 10-16).
Track 17: silence 1.08 mins
Total: 32.18 mins
Dubber's reference number: PLA KF565D0081080 |