Off Topic Politics Thread

I find the argument for the supply side in housing predictable but perhaps misplaced given the UK has more dwellings per capita than much of Europe and the USA. Having read recent reports that I find hard to contradict stating "its strange logic is that speculative developers would build homes in order to devalue them: that they would somehow act against their own interests by producing enough surplus homes to bring down the average price of land and housing. That would be surprisingly philanthropic behaviour.[1]" Certainly I do not believe that, unfortunately, those with the greatest need will benefit. Previous builds in my area including millionaires houses and luxury care homes do not back this up.

This is an interesting solution: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...lution-to-uk-housing-crisis#comment-166945673

 

I shouldn't do my research late at night. That said, my stats only exaggerated the issue. The issue is still there.

Even home owners - long term - would benefit from a massive housing building campaign. We currently have people forced into buying homes on excessive mortgages for inflated fees who will never pay them off and fear a drop in the market as it will "destroy them". Well, this is still trap thinking. We need a society where you don't HAVE to buy. Right now, everyone I know who rents is paying two or three times as much as people paying off a mortgage - and getting nothing back.

Whereas, if we built 5 million more homes and banned multiple ownership, we would see prices drop to something more affordable for EVERYONE. More importantly, we need to cap rents and make people feel richer so they can spend.

A fact which is correct: Wages have risen 50% since 2000. Rents have quadrupled. People don't feel poorer. They ARE poorer.

 

Absolutely with you about landlordism. I just think no government will be brave enough to do anything about it.

 

The bolded bit IMO hits the nail on the head. Why do we HAVE to own our own property? With proper rental rules that protect the renter from price rises and eviction, then what is the issue. As you say, some people are now taking out 30 year (plus) mortgages, so will effectively never own their own home, so what is the difference from renting.

I think in some parts of Europe, this is the norm, people rent. But there are controls in place to protect the renter over the landlord.

 

Last time I was looking for a new rental place I got annoyed and started looking in Munich and Berlin. You could get bigger, nicer places, cheaper than you could in Southampton. Germany is not perfect but it has always had controlled rents.

 

Me and my landlord have a decent relationship.

He understands that I'm aware that the property isn't up to standard in terms of energy certificates etc. and he also knows I will mention this every time there's any hint of a rent increase.

The result is a win-win for us both. He doesn't need to spend loads of money on the property and I have a rent amount which is 40-ish % lower than the going rate for the size and area.

 

Here’s the full speech. She is a truly inspiring orator and it took me back to Obama’s first presidential campaign. I can’t wait to see her head to head in a debate with the Orange Turd.

https://www.youtube.com/live/R9ABnQI_Pms?si=-qDcsFPbqTkTecvA

(Not sure why it won’t embed, hopefully the link works)

 

It’s odd that this didn’t really come across during the 2020 primaries. I guess some people struggle with certain aspects of politics more than others

 

Sorry, not sure what you mean.

 

She did not come across as a truly inspiring orator and there was absolutely no way you could utter her name in the same sentence as Obama unless you were talking about race. She flopped in that primary majestically. Had pretty much no chance

So this seems like a big change but perhaps it’s like how Starmer was an awkward campaigner but one he became prime minister he seemed much more comfortable in that role

 

I get what you mean, and my Obama reference was based solely on her confidence and hard-hitting imagery in that video. You may well have a point, in that now she is out of Biden’s shadow she can call the shots and lead the campaign based on her record as well as taking some of the credit for Biden’s successes.

 

The poorer performance in the 2020 primaries was also a learning curve - in life all 'failures' are. She has learned where she went wrong and built on it. From what I have seen, (not necessarily political as I know nothing about her policies) as a human, she is exactly what the US and indeed the world need at this time.

 

A solution to multiple ownership. Double stamp duty for each house over the first. Hence, if you buy a second house as a form of pension, the stamp duty is doubled. Buy a third and it's four times, buy a fourth and it's eight times... etc. Sooner or later simple mathematics kicks in and you don't get landlords owning massive property empires.

Also give HMRC "looks like a duck, quacks like a duck" powers to stop people setting up shell companies and other financial chicanery to try and get round this.

 

Donald Rump.

 

Meathead!...that's perfect...

 

You just know that whenever he speaks, he's loin

 

He's for the chop come November!, there's too much at steak

 

The clock is ticking for Thames water….

 

What are the implications of it collapsing? Would it be a normal administration where the creditors get pennies in the pound? And is that the point where nationalising it becomes an option? Because it’s politically unviable for the government to take on their debts