Salford Council website is currently hosting a film, purporting to `inform' tenants about the upcoming vote on whether to transfer council housing stock to Salix Homes.
The film begins with a voiceover stating "Your vote matters and we want you to make an informed choice about what voting `Yes' or `No' means" – and then shows seven minutes of pure propaganda about why tenants should vote `Yes'.
The film lists `The Key Facts' – with reasons to vote `Yes' accompanied by brightly coloured green and gold graphics, while the reasons to vote `No' are in dull grey and pink.
Meanwhile, the Chief Exec of Salix, Sue Sutton, and Assistant Mayor for Housing, Gena Merrett, are lined up to explain why everyone should vote `Yes' plus three tenants also imploring people to vote in favour of the controversial transfer... "It's either Salix or nothing" says one tenant. No-one who opposes the transfer gets a say on the film.
"The film is lovely to watch, it is glossy, snappy and has nice pictures but it's totally one sided" says Salix tenant Maria Brabiner who is opposing the transfer "Where is the argument for voting `No'? Normally in referendums you get arguments for voting `Yes' and arguments for voting `No' – but there's been nothing officially from the `No' side at all, apart from councillors who have decided to speak against Council policy, otherwise we'd be none the wiser."
8,500 Salix tenants will get a vote on the transfer of their houses when the ballot is announced. In the meantime, they are being swamped with leaflets and booklets urging them to vote `Yes'. Fortunately, out of the 8,500 people with a vote, only 91 have viewed the Council's propaganda film so far!
Maria Brabiner will be one of the speakers at tonight's Defend Council House Public Meeting at St George's Community Centre on Cromwell Road in Charlestown. For further details see previous Salford Star article – click here
See the propaganda film - click here
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