[Politics] Tory meltdown finally arrived [was: incoming]...

[nicko31]

Many unoccupied homes are holiday homes, Air BnB, student housing only occupied for half a year, or just left empty in a standoff with planning.

Very little restriction on Air BNB / short term lets in the UK, needs to be licenced. Out of control in some areas hollowing out communities

 

[Machiavelli]

well Conservatives would be ideologically opposed to imposition on property rights, where as Labour is less encumbered.

what we need to do is build, not fudge around with unoccupied homes which are mostly where people dont want to live. for several elections both parties promise more housing then fail in face of NIMBY opposition to deliver anything. see also solving energy by allowing new generation and infrastructure, fixing water by allowing new reservoirs and treatment plants.

Let's see if you can answer these related questions correctly:
In the UK, there have been two broad periods post-war, the first went under the title the post-war consensus, social democracy, Keynesianism, etc, the second is (although maybe now was) best described as neoliberal financial globalisation. During these two broad periods, what was the average rate of housebuilding per year? What were the key policies that contributed towards this?

 

[vegster]

If only we had a political party that would pursue radical policies like this. It's depressing how unambitious labour are.

Labour would scare the floating voters away if it proposed something like this policy now. Starmer is moving cautiously towards the election. This is an election Labour must not lose otherwise we will slide even further in to anarchy and division. I'm hoping that Labour have many progressive inclusive policies that can only be revealed post election.

 

[beorhthelm]

Let's see if you can answer these related questions correctly:
In the UK, there have been two broad periods post-war, the first went under the title the post-war consensus, social democracy, Keynesianism, etc, the second is (although maybe now was) best described as neoliberal financial globalisation. During these two broad periods, what was the average rate of housebuilding per year? What were the key policies that contributed towards this?

housebuilding in 1930s and 50's-60's was double what it is now. second period half was social housing, more private in the first. the major policy change was house and planning act and restrictions on councils to build. we prioritise residents concerns over the needs for any building, whether houses, roads, infrastructure.

 

[jcdenton08]

Labour would scare the floating voters away if it proposed something like this policy now. Starmer is moving cautiously towards the election. This is an election Labour must not lose otherwise we will slide even further in to anarchy and division. I'm hoping that Labour have many progressive inclusive policies that can only be revealed post election.

Absolutely, and so many people don’t quite get this.

 

[jakarta]

housebuilding in 1930s and 50's-60's was double what it is now. second period half was social housing, more private in the first. the major policy change was house and planning act and restrictions on councils to build. we prioritise residents concerns over the needs for any building, whether houses, roads, infrastructure.

To be fair house building in the 50's and 60's was replacing bombed out stock.

Mrs Jakarta went to School in Southampton in the 1960's and she remembers there being vacant bomb sites even then.

I would disagree with your final assertion as well, take a trip to Horsham where there are currently thousands of houses being built (no huge improvements in infrastructure of course).

Even more locally the Thakeham Mushroom site has closed (despite what their management said to HDC about keeping the site going when they sold off some of their land to developers) so probably another 700-800 houses and another small Sussex Village ruined.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Labour would scare the floating voters away if it proposed something like this policy now. Starmer is moving cautiously towards the election. This is an election Labour must not lose otherwise we will slide even further in to anarchy and division. I'm hoping that Labour have many progressive inclusive policies that can only be revealed post election.

I totally agree. I think Starmer is being incredibly disciplined and focussing on making sure he gives the tory press absolutely nothing.

The difference between a 150 seat win and a 30 seat win is massive, in terms of the mandate he can have and the confidence to make a 10 year plan.

He'll keep on avoiding all the traps being set for him until after the election, much to the distaste of the momentum lot and of tory central office.

Judge him after a couple of years of power would say, but also bear in mind that turning round the juggernaut of carnage caused by this government will take time.

 

[WATFORD zero]

I totally agree. I think Starmer is being incredibly disciplined and focussing on making sure he gives the tory press absolutely nothing.

The difference between a 150 seat win and a 30 seat win is massive, in terms of the mandate he can have and the confidence to make a 10 year plan.

He'll keep on avoiding all the traps being set for him until after the election, much to the distaste of the momentum lot and of tory central office.

Judge him after a couple of years of power would say, but also bear in mind that turning round the juggernaut of carnage caused by this government will take time.

I've always thought that what this cabal have done in the last 3 years is going to take at least 10 years to recover from, and there's still nearly 2 more years to go. However, I don't think there is anyway that they can cause as much damage in the next 2 years as they have in the previous 3, even if they took it as a challenge

 

[jcdenton08]

I totally agree. I think Starmer is being incredibly disciplined and focussing on making sure he gives the tory press absolutely nothing.

The difference between a 150 seat win and a 30 seat win is massive, in terms of the mandate he can have and the confidence to make a 10 year plan.

He'll keep on avoiding all the traps being set for him until after the election, much to the distaste of the momentum lot and of tory central office.

Judge him after a couple of years of power would say, but also bear in mind that turning round the juggernaut of carnage caused by this government will take time.

Very strange isn’t it to have the Tories and Momentum both pulling in the same direction.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

If only we had a political party that would pursue radical policies like this. It's depressing how unambitious labour are.

Need to get elected before they start frightening the horses. A massive exploitative rental sector coupled with unfeasibly high house prices are part of a rubric that makes people thing we are all wealthy here (yes, I know) and if labour 'destroys' the housing market, all our years of sacrifice will be wasted (yes, I know). A conservative will be along shortly to mansplain it all.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Very strange isn’t it to have the Tories and Momentum both pulling in the same direction.

In terms of destroying democratic socialism, they have both always been at it

 

[Machiavelli]

housebuilding in 1930s and 50's-60's was double what it is now. second period half was social housing, more private in the first. the major policy change was house and planning act and restrictions on councils to build. we prioritise residents concerns over the needs for any building, whether houses, roads, infrastructure.

Mostly, I agree with you here, although I'll state it clearly: Thatcher's right-to-buy policy effectively stopped councils from building houses. If you want more houses built, that needs to go, alongside all sorts of other regulations that treat the housing stock as assets rather than homes for living (eg stoking the buy-to-let market)

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Let's see if you can answer these related questions correctly:
In the UK, there have been two broad periods post-war, the first went under the title the post-war consensus, social democracy, Keynesianism, etc, the second is (although maybe now was) best described as neoliberal financial globalisation. During these two broad periods, what was the average rate of housebuilding per year? What were the key policies that contributed towards this?

There is an easy whatabout answer that will doubtless soon be forthcoming.......

Likewise, our current economic difficulties are entirely due to Covid and, despite the fact that the UK's response to Covid was world-beating, problems have arisen owing to a lack of co-operation from our former EU allies, problems that would have been much, much worse had we not enjoyed the enormous benefit of Brexit.

Give it a few days and I'm sure that such text, almost identical in fact, will appear in The Mail.

 

[rogersix]

I've always thought that what this cabal have done in the last 3 years is going to take at least 10 years to recover from, and there's still nearly 2 more years to go. However, I don't think there is anyway that they can cause as much damage in the next 2 years as they have in the previous 3, even if they took it as a challenge

johnson has been bred specifically to rise to just such a challenge

 

[chickens]

johnson has been bred specifically to rise to just such a challenge

I do fear that if Conservative Central Office ever read that post, their response would be along the lines of “hold my beer…”

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Just listening to the Starmer's big presentation. Personalized medicine 'tailored to our own DNA'?

I'm sorry but, maybe for monoclonals (used increasingly for cancer and autoimmune diseases) but not for anything else. Not for small molecular weight medicines. f*** me, we don't even prescribe aspirin dose according to body weight, so the idea of making a 'personalized' aspirin tailored to individual DNA is beyond bonkers. It is the sort of hubris that preoccupies the worse elements in the MRC.

That aside, he sounds sensible. 'We are not going to use foringer-bashing to make us feel superior, while flogging off the family silver to foringers via the back door, while claiming we are making Britain great again' is good enough for me for now.

 

[jcdenton08]

johnson has been bred specifically to rise to just such a challenge

What a horrific image

 

[beorhthelm]

Mostly, I agree with you here, although I'll state it clearly: Thatcher's right-to-buy policy effectively stopped councils from building houses. If you want more houses built, that needs to go, alongside all sorts of other regulations that treat the housing stock as assets rather than homes for living (eg stoking the buy-to-let market)

right to buy means changing the ownership of a property, its doesn't reduce the housing stock and doesn't prevent building. it had benefits and flaws, avoid the fixation on that. the policy to prohibt councils replacing stock is a far far bigger problem. get rid of that and councils would be invovled in new social housing and other infrastructure, change from anti-development to pro-development.

 

[rogersix]

What a horrific image

his mother loves him,

or treats him with indifference,

or casual disdain,

or mild disgust

 

[jcdenton08]

his mother loves him,

or treats him with indifference,

or casual disdain,

or mild disgust

Odious man. The nicest thing anyone can say about Johnson is that he was made to look less bad by Truss.