The health of the country relies on the work of the underpaid. Ancient Rome learned the hard way - now it is Edinburgh ’s turn, having failed to learn the lesson the first time Scotland is set to face a wave of ‘winter of discontent’-style bin strikes , echoing the infamous Edinburgh bin strikes during the 2022 Fringe Festival . Advertisement Advertisement Sign up to our Politics newsletter Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.
Then, Public Health Scotland had to issue health alerts as food, animal waste and nappies were piled up on the street corners of Auld Reekie. The strike, organised by unions calling for a flat-rate pay bump for its lowest paid workers, affected households across the demographic spectrum, but the pressure was intended to hit the heart of Scotland’s political elite in Edinburgh’s affluent neighbourhoods. Rubbish bags piled up in the New Town, Stockbridge and West End, and although there was a bonus sense of schadenfreude at the idea of well-heeled office workers getting their hands dirty, the real intention was to target influence - it wasn’t long until well-connected residents were lobbying their political contacts to end the strikes.
It may seem cynical, but governments of all persuasion listen more carefully to the concerns of well-connected, affluent c.