Introduce Land Value Taxation and you'd be surprised at how much land suddenly became available

Back on the old social housing debate again eh ?

Said it before and I'll keep on saying it - when I was in the building trade from '74 to '84 the company I worked for were involved in the construction and refurbishments of tens of thousands of council or housing association properties the vast majority of which were central government funded - have a look if you can't recall or aren't old enough to know, at which colour of government were in power during those years, the answer is both Red and Blue governments and the Red government were far, far more left than they are now and the Blue government was, well, somewhere like where Tony Blair ended up, but still...

You might also check what the economy was like during those years, it was up and down and when it was down it was on its knees, you kiddies may not know about three day working weeks (and three days pay) because there wasn't enough electricity to run the country, but there were rough old times in that decade.

All of which begs the question - how the hell could we afford to build hundreds of thousands of local authority and housing association rental properties and MOST IMPORTANT, rent them out at rates that didn't feel like you were having your wisdom teeth pulled out when you signed the lease ?

The answer is of course, political will and public attitude.

As we know from Standee and his experience in this line of work in recent years, social housing for rent is now looked upon as short term and emergency housing, at some point in the preceeding 40 years we as a society have changed our attitudes to social housing in a massive 180 degree swing, it is now just not the done thing for a young couple to think about putting their name on a council list even if their council had properties for them, not only that we are now happy to stigmatise social housing tenants as non-workers, scroungers and cheats for having too many bedrooms and leaching from the rest of us to pay for their luxurious mansion style extra bedroom houses.


I'm fairly sure its not me thats gone mad but sometimes I doubt myself.

Most of Herts (except say Watford is very expensive). Beds. maybe a good bet but commuting is more expensive.

Something in The Sunday Times today about how the UK is, or will shortly be, the fastest growing Western economy.

Growth built on a housing bubble and consumer debt?

Where have we heard that one before?

I actually wanted to move back up North but the wife vetoed it, I'd lined work up and everything. This is a kind of compromise the areas I've earmarked are Letchworth,Tring and Hitchen but keeping my options open. I shop in Watford(Harlequin)...no thanks to living there.

The prices are rising at a silly rate though, I don't know what can be done though, it's getting silly that all the service workers, nurses...basically your normal average wage worker can't afford to live in London, rich foreigners buying central properties they only stay in probably 3 weeks a year is turning it in to a giant ghost city.

Oh the irony, welcome to the South West of the last ten years.

Rich Londoners buying 2nd homes and cottages, driving out the local population and leaving whole villages with hardly a light shining from Sunday to Thursday nights but everything illuminated on Fridays and Saturdays. Then the leary bastads complain that the local pub and village shop have closed.

After flat lining for four years. Big whoop.

This growth is still miniscule compared to that which has been seen in all major economies whilst we were held in recession by the towel folder's ridiculous policies.

Never mind, at least they've got borrowing under control...

Why are you repeating this rubbish? It's embarrassing for you.

Looks down, reads Ajw71's sig...

Quite wrong and flies in the face of the facts.

"There is now growth across virtually the whole economy" source The Guardian

Although it is possible to have a recovery without a rise in consumer spending, that recover is likely to be very weak because consumer spending accounts for almost two thirds of our GDP (62%) therefore expecting all the growth to come from the remaining 38% is asking too much.

Evidence

Well I guess this rubbish you keep quoting is from that discredited fraudster Danny Blanchflower whose crystal ball has been a bit cloudy for several years now.


Source: ST

another example of Austerity working www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27238201

another example of Austerity working www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27238201

I have said it before on other threads - despite the image of 'fat cat' lawyers, there is no money in criminal law.

A newly qualified solicitor or barrister will probably earn £20K before tax, if that. A barrister will have to fund their own expenses and will not get holiday pay either. This is having spent several years studying and then a year or two as an apprentice, before being allowed to call themselves a qualified lawyer.

Once you gain several years experience, the absolute top-wack is about £40K-£60K depending on what you are doing, how hard you are prepared to work, and how many unsociable hours you rack up.

There are a small number of very experienced solicitors and barristers working on VHCC. I do not begrudge them the money, as it is peanuts compared to what could be made in other areas of law. They could make considerably more in something like commercial or chancery, where newly qualifieds can earn £100K p/a from their first day of starting work.

You may get paid £60K for a VHCC case, but that will probably represent the best part of a year's work, on which you will pay 40% tax. And during this time you probably won't be working on anything else either.