BBC goes squatting…

The BBC are going big on The History of Squatting today. There’s also an article by Robert Elms, journalist and former squatter, entitled ‘Squatting: the need for shelter versus property rights‘. All of which is a prelude to this evening’s Radio 4 programme, also presented by Robert, From Frestonia to Belgravia: The History of Squatting. It starts at 8pm and features Squash’s Reuben Taylor.

Robert’s article is fairly balanced: a look back at the history of squatting, ending with a rose-tinted reverie over his halcyon days as a property liberator. His one concession to hyperbole is when he buys into the media myth of squatters usurping holiday-making homeowners:

Now there are far fewer forgotten and abandoned buildings in our cities, so some squatters have resorted to taking over private homes, temporarily left vacant while the owners are away. This rightly enrages our sense of fair play and provoked the government into action to outlaw squatting in residential buildings.

Though there may be fewer forgotten and abandoned buildings in the UK than in Robert’s hay-day (there may be: he doesn’t back this up with figures), there were still approaching three quarters of a million empty homes in the UK in 2010. Hardly slim pickins, Rob…