POLITICS is in a parlous state, democracy is denuded of certainty. So what next?
A community trust in Govanhill, one of the most deprived parts of Scotland, perhaps has an answer. Certainly, it is a case study in sticking it to the man. It is a case study in cohesion, solidarity and persistence.
In 2001 Glasgow City Council took the decision to close Govanhill Baths, a well-used Edwardian bath house and steamie. The local community said no. Petitions were signed - real signatures, this was the days before slacktivism - demonstrations were held and the building occupied for five months before a dawn raid by police forced them out.
Two years later the Govanhill Baths Community Trust was formed with a view to reopening the building as a wellbeing centre. Plans were ambitious yet fluid, the task was arduous. I have been writing about Govanhill Baths since 2006. Over the years various council officials have quietly scoffed at the notion of the Baths being community run. Even when the city council agreed to hand over the keys to the Trust was there smirking.
In 2011 Nicola Sturgeon and the actor Peter Mullen opened the first phase of the redevelopment of the building - an entrance foyer, theatre space and community rooms. Two weeks ago the teaching pool opened and Govanhill swam again. At the end of this year the building will close for redevelopment, costing £6million. With £1m still to raise, the Trust is asking people to buy community shares in the venture, allowing holders to participate in decision making.
Eyebrows have been raised at the cost of the redevelopment, which comes in part from ambitious new architect’s plans. Why not be ambitious? Why should not a deprived area have a facility that would not be out of place in more affluent environs? When it is finished it will be an outstanding asset that has taken 16 years of dedication from volunteers determined to save a facility they believed to be essential for their community.
More than this, over the years the project has flourished from being a bid to reopen the swimming pools to a thriving hub of new activities and social enterprise. There are Roma groups, Muslim women’s yoga groups, archery lessons in the main pool, church groups, political groups, Royal Shakespeare Company performances, health projects, artists, musicians and writers. More: a Timebank; a wedding venue; an experiment with a local currency - the People’s Bank of Govanhill - which encouraged shopping locally.
It is run by both community heroes and those who pick and mix when they want to give their time.
Govanhill Community Baths Trust started as one thing and became another entirely, developed in the community by the community from what the community expressly said it needed.
This is how politics should work: developed from the inside out and not from the top down.
Govanhill Baths grew from a situation where things became so desperate, where people felt - rightly or wrongly - let down by the local authority and took matters into their own hands. Sound familiar?
Swimming as a political act. And why shouldn’t it be? The personal is political and this is a study in how to make politics personal again.
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