30 Years On: Poll Tax Riots Revisited

Thirty years ago, in March 1990, the ‘poll tax riots’ marked the beginning of the end of Margaret Thatcher’s tenure as Prime Minister. The premise behind the ‘Community Charge’, otherwise known as poll tax, ZDVWKDWLWZDVD¿DWIHH UHJDUGOHVVRILQFRPH(DFK SHUVRQSDLGD¾[HGDPRXQW VHWE\WKHLUORFDODXWKRULW\ with the idea being that it ZRXOGUHSODFHSUHYLRXVO\ XVHGGRPHVWLFUDWHVZKLFK ZHUHOHYLHGDFFRUGLQJWRD SURSHUW\µVYDOXH+RZHYHU WKLVXQIDLUO\SHQDOLVHGWKRVH ZRUVHRIILQVRFLHW\DQG YHU\REYLRXVO\EHQH¾WHG ZHDOWKLHUSURSHUW\RZQHUV The Community Charge ZDVGHIHQGHGRQWKH SULQFLSOHRIPDUJLQDOLW\WKDW DOOYRWHUVVKRXOGKDYHWR FRYHUWKHFRVWVRIDGGLWLRQDO FRXQFLOVSHQGLQJDQGWKDW WKRVHZKREHQH¾WWHGIURP this expenditure should also SD\WKHLUIDLUFRQWULEXWLRQ Despite protest, some IURP03VWKHPVHOYHVWKH SROOWD[ZDVLQWURGXFHGLQ 6FRWODQGLQDQGZDV DQQRXQFHGWRFRPHLQWR HIIHFWLQ(QJODQGDQG:DOHV LQ$SULO This was a deeply XQSRSXODUSROLF\ZKLFK resulted in riots and protests EUHDNLQJRXWDFURVVWKH8. The largest demonstration ZDVDWWHQGHGE\ SHRSOHZKRFDPHWRJHWKHU RQVW0DUFKLQ FHQWUDO/RQGRQ Although mainstream media DQGSROLWLFLDQVFRQGHPQHG WKHVHDFWLYLWLHVWKHUHZDV ZLGHVSUHDGVXSSRUWIURP WKHSXEOLFIRUWKHSURWHVWRUV %HJLQQLQJLQ.HQQLQJWRQ 3DUNWKRXVDQGVRISHRSOH KHDGHGIRU7UDIDOJDU Square where they were PHWZLWKSROLFHZKRWULHGWR SUHYHQWWKHPIURPUHDFKLQJ 'RZQLQJ6WUHHW 0RXQWHGULRWSROLFHZHUH DOVREURXJKWLQWRFOHDUWKH SURWHVWHUVIURP:KLWHKDOO resulting in the majority RIWKHJURXSEHFRPLQJ FRPSOHWHO\VWDWLRQDU\ 30 Years On: Poll Tax Riots Revisited Poll Tax Protestors, picture credit James Bourne Use Locally - Issue 83 March 2020

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