Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Corb Blimey!

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    The atmosphere is already poisonous, Tubby. Those dogwhistles are no longer pitched at the level where only far right dogs can hear them and they're being blown every fucking day.

    Comment


      Labour have been milquetoast shit on the one area where radical reform would be very popular (housing), still banging on about “affordable” homes. Such a bullshit weasel word. They have been fucking woecious, left or right, on immigration, and therefore the Single Market. Listening to folk who mostly didn’t vote Labour, they are endangering their core vote even oop north. Cos the silly fuckers haven’t read their prof Curtice, and don’t seem to get that Brexit was won in the fucking Home Counties. 2/3 of Labour voters went remain. Only one percent less than the SNP. Even in the North.
      Last edited by Lang Spoon; 10-05-2018, 19:22.

      Comment


        Labour have committed to council house building more than any main party has for 30 years. Whether the retrenched right-leaning tendency that is in control of large swathes of Labour local government wants to deliver on that is open to question. Labour nationally also want to radically redefine how "affordable" housing is measured. They're doing Ok on this.

        Education is an area I'm a bit worried about. Way too timid about reasserting democratic local control of schools, ending academisation and properly fleshing out the National Education Service. Maybe all the internal wrangling and Brexit kerfuffling is stalling progress but work needs doing.

        Comment


          They are still talking about the housing ladder. Buying will not be an option for millions of people, ever. They really have to make private rent secure and attractive for folk with the uncontrollable urge to buy, curbs in rent increases, as well as a proper program of mass social housing building.

          Comment


            That's really got to be some litmus test though isn't it? Being unwilling to build council houses should be an expulsion matter.

            Comment


              And tax the shit out of landbankers. How the fuck can developers blame the green belt when they are sitting on shit tons of land with pre approved planning?

              Comment


                Yeah, I think it's easy to give too much credence to "voted Labour all my life but...". That's always happened, it's people getting more right wing as they get older, if indeed these people are even telling the truth at all. Curtice's bare numbers ought to be persuasive enough, but when you adjust for age, it should be obvious. My constituency had estimated 54% Leave. That's likely a majority of Labour voters voting Remain, and probably a good majority of Labour voters under 65. Unfortunately, the local MP is in the Shadow Cabinet.

                Comment


                  Berbaslug, if you lived over here that kind of talk (about expelling councillors that didn't build enough council houses) would have you at the centre of a Momentum Thug Bullying Storm and denounced daily in the papers by 'under siege' Labour backbenchers.

                  So more of this talk please. You're on the right lines

                  Comment


                    Meanwhile, I've just had an email from Labour HQ asking me if I want to stand in Lewisham East. Whatever else this process is, it's not a closed shop stitch-up.

                    And I have strong views on this Millwall FC CPO business

                    Comment


                      Originally posted by E10 Rifle View Post
                      Berbaslug, if you lived over here that kind of talk (about expelling councillors that didn't build enough council houses) would have you at the centre of a Momentum Thug Bullying Storm and denounced daily in the papers by 'under siege' Labour backbenchers.

                      So more of this talk please. You're on the right lines

                      Comment


                        https://twitter.com/b_judah/status/994682070692696065

                        Comment


                          Originally posted by E10 Rifle View Post
                          Meanwhile, I've just had an email from Labour HQ asking me if I want to stand in Lewisham East. Whatever else this process is, it's not a closed shop stitch-up.

                          And I have strong views on this Millwall FC CPO business
                          The new mayor Egan, who equivocated on the Millwall FC CPO as Cabinet Member for Housing until the last possible second before coming out against it, named the Momentum endorsee for mayor, Paul Bell, as Cabinet Member for Housing, among a whole bunch of rather left moves.

                          I was shocked and very pleasantly surprised.

                          Comment


                            Originally posted by E10 Rifle View Post
                            Meanwhile, I've just had an email from Labour HQ asking me if I want to stand in Lewisham East.
                            Me too! I'll fight you for it.

                            Comment


                              Originally posted by Lang Spoon View Post
                              They are still talking about the housing ladder. Buying will not be an option for millions of people, ever. They really have to make private rent secure and attractive for folk with the uncontrollable urge to buy, curbs in rent increases, as well as a proper program of mass social housing building.
                              Fwiw, in the People's Republic of Brighton & Hove, our local Labour CLP debated this (rather badly-worded, changed during the course) last night:
                              1. Reintroducing fixed term interest local authority mortgages
                              2. Buying back Social Housing rather than paying rent to profiteers.
                              3. Requisitioning empty accommodation to house people in dire need.
                              4. Permit eviction from Council funded accommodation only in cases of criminal behaviour that threatens staff and other residents.
                              5. Support the legal occupation of temporary accommodation where the landlord has demonstrated no inclination to use or refurbish it within the last twelve months.
                              6. Publish the Council’s housing benefit costs paid to private landlords to show the affordability of the above policies, naming the top 5 private landlord recipients.

                              It led to some proposals to limit rents, stop 'buy-to-let' (including the comment 'anybody who rents out a property to make money is not a socialist' - discuss.), build more houses, etc.

                              Comment


                                Why are you publishing the names of landlords there? Not enough of them let to housing benefit tenants as it is.

                                Comment


                                  I think it's a very good idea to publish the total clearly though. To demonstrate affordability of the policy, you'd have to publish the cost of buying places as well.

                                  In E2, the maximum housing benefit is about £13,000 a year. To buy a one bed flat would cost around £300,000. Very broad brush, that's something like 23 year minimum to pay back. That's quicker than some infrastructure projects, so just on those terms it's worth considering. Would be a big call for Tower Hamlets council to buy lots of one bed flats on this basis, but I heard that Westminster (of all places) was buying council places back. Interesting.

                                  Comment


                                    Originally posted by Tubby Isaacs View Post
                                    Why are you publishing the names of landlords there? Not enough of them let to housing benefit tenants as it is.
                                    I have a feeling that the proposer knows that, in Brighton, it's known that there's a number of private landlords who own hundreds of properties, and that their approach to their tenants isn't always the most charitable; it's been that way for a long while, with one of the most notorious being Van Hoogstraten.

                                    Comment


                                      Yeah, that was the first thing I thought of. Actually the second thing I thought of after This.

                                      Comment


                                        Originally posted by johnr View Post
                                        I have a feeling that the proposer knows that, in Brighton, it's known that there's a number of private landlords who own hundreds of properties, and that their approach to their tenants isn't always the most charitable; it's been that way for a long while, with one of the most notorious being Van Hoogstraten.
                                        So publish their name as slum landlord disgraces, if that's true. Hammer them with fines, and compulsory purchase where appropriate.

                                        Not just because they let to lots of housing benefit tenants.

                                        Comment


                                          On landbanking, Hammond said in the last Autumn Statement that he'd publish a review by the Spring Budget. No review seems to have been published.

                                          Comment


                                            But I think what you are more likely to find if you publish the list is that there are virtually no small scale landlords who are letting to social tenants, and that in fact the system of housing benefit, rather than the construction of council houses is essentially a scam to transfer large sums of public money into a small number of grossly profiteering private hands.

                                            Comment


                                              It's also much easier to publish objective data - like the 5 biggest claimants who have tons of properties - than subjective stuff about who are the scummiest landlords.

                                              Comment


                                                Letting at way below market rate isn't "grossly profiteering", is it? It's easy money and doesn't need any violins, but by definition, bigger profits could be made.

                                                Comment


                                                  Originally posted by NHH View Post
                                                  It's also much easier to publish objective data - like the 5 biggest claimants who have tons of properties - than subjective stuff about who are the scummiest landlords.
                                                  Listing landlords who've been fined is objective too, and not difficult.

                                                  Comment


                                                    Originally posted by The Awesome Berbaslug!!! View Post
                                                    But I think what you are more likely to find if you publish the list is that there are virtually no small scale landlords who are letting to social tenants, and that in fact the system of housing benefit, rather than the construction of council houses is essentially a scam to transfer large sums of public money into a small number of grossly profiteering private hands.
                                                    I don't think anybody's ever suggested the system is at is because the government are in hock to Nicholas van Hogstrooten, Peter Rachman, Fergus Wilson and Robbie Fowler.

                                                    People have suggested that lots of politicians are landlords and it's not in their interest to reduce the unregulated private rental sector. Or that they want to keep house prices high to prop up a certain type of economy, and get re-elected as voters feel great about their houses getting more expensive.

                                                    Comment

                                                    Working...
                                                    X