Would you march for more affordable housing?

Masomnia

I'd come along, be nice to meet everyone.

I don't trust the government to do anything useful though, either.

sjaypink

Masomnia wrote: »

I'd come along, be nice to meet everyone.

I don't trust the government to do anything useful though, either.

Thats true Yes I'd like to go if it meant I got to meet everyone on here.....

....all 4 of them :A

sjaypink

New_Years_Day wrote: »

I'm different in real life

Funnily enough I have absolutely no doubt about that :rolleyes::p

captainhaggis

No

Absolutely not. I don't see owning a house as a person's right. I hate the "you have the right" adverts on television because, in my opinion, you don't.

Maggie, god love her, made her biggest error in judgement in my opinion when she decided to sell off large parts of government housing stock.

It meant that people could profiteer with little effort and that others desperate for housing were left with only the worst homes from those that were left after the sell-off.

Buying a house is something that people should have to work hard for. I know I did. I worked bloody hard, and I went out and bought a private house, albeit an ex council one, at the full and fair market value.

Council houses should be just that - owned by the council and rented to those unable to afford to buy. Giving people the right to buy cheap homes from the council after tax payer money has gone to boost the standards of these properties seems wrong, IMHO. It removed the incentive for some people to work hard, safe up and truly consider how big a step the purchase of a house is.

My nan was offered the opportunity to buy her house after having been in there for 10 years. She was offered it for GBP7k when similar, privately owned (though formerly council) properties in the same street were selling for upwards of GBP45k (this was a few years ago, mind you).

I'm all for affordable housing being made available on a rental basis - everyone has a right to have their own home - but one doesn't have to own the property to consider it theirs.

Why should some people be given for very little what others have to work, save and toil over very hard to secure?

captainhaggis

No

C_Mababejive wrote: »

We dont live in a Communist regime. You cannot interfere with market forces. We have already done that by providing special housing deals for reserved occupations and dolehoppers.

Completely agree. To flood the market with freely available affordable housing would, in turn, massively reduce the value of existing, private properties that people view as their 'nest eggs' and into which they've invested dearly. Why should those who've made the effort to buy at fair market rates suddenly find their investment diminish in value to help those less willing to do the same?

bigstevex

No

I wouldn't bother protesting at all in this country any more, the government don't listen to the masses!

movilogo

No

Children are dying of starvation, people are executed for their political views (not in UK though) and someone wants to march because they want cheaper house!

Why not try to increase your income?

Anyway, I am happy to march in favour of stopping all benefits to idiots who just don't bother to work.

ruggedtoast

There is manipulation in the housing market that is extraordinary, and go back to Thatcher and the right to buy fiasco.

For example - council tenants who took advantage of the liberal mortgage environment and their right to buy are now being repossessed. If the arrears are less than £5000 the council will usually just pay their mortgage for them.

There is nowhere to rehome them because most of the council stock has been sold off, to them, and putting them in private rental will cost a lot more than the arrears. So the council pays their mortgage.

So the taxpayer loses again and again - there is no downside for the banks, if theyre not bailed out by the government when their dodgy loans go bad the sub primes they loaned to will be bailed out by the council.

All this of course applies to everyone except the people who actually go out to work and try to make a living through a pay check rather than property speculation and debts. In Brown's Britain they can go and swing.

I would march against that.

moggylover

Yes

Cleaver wrote: »

Dunno, it just made me chuckle. Of all the things to march about...

Actually, since it is one of the most basic needs we all share I can't think of many better ones:o

Out,_Vile_Jelly

Cleaver wrote: »

It isn't the government's fault, it's because we're all morons.

This is such a good line. If only a political party would be bold enough to adopt it they'd get my vote.