Debate House Prices
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R.Peston blog on inflation flooded with those disenchanted with housing
Comments
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chucknorris wrote: »So apart from public sector workers, the disabled, pensioners, children, those on low income, the unemployed, the sick, single parents, the not so bright people, what have labour ever done for us?
The Millennium Dome?
Iraq War?
Final death of UK Car Industry?
10 years of straight Budget Deficit
Ken Livingstone?
They've also bought in loads of money by selling the family silver (not to mention the fire-sale of gold), in the form of decimating former British industry:- British Energy
- Boots
- Scottish & Newcastle Breweries
- ICI
- BAA
- Thames Water
- Pilkington Glass
- P&O
- Abbey National
- Rolls Royce Cars
- ASDA
- .........................
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Out,_Vile_Jelly wrote: »Plenty of wealthy, intelligent people don't mind paying more tax for a fairer society and are grateful for the employment rights they enjoy thanks to Labour policies. Not everyone is motivated by personal greed. Society needs a balance between employers making money and employees who feel secure enough to spend their salaries.
Not everyone opposed to Labour policies is motivated by personal greed.
Many of us think that the interests of the poor, the badly-educated and the workshy are not well served by keeping them poor, badly-educated and workshy.
Or by sucking up to billionaires. Or by lying to Parliament. Or by killing a million brown people. Or by selling peerages. Or by selling laws. Or by bankrupting the economy. Or by licensing the police to shoot Brazilian electricians. Or by driving houses prices up through overpopulation. Or by making the NHS less accessible while paying GPs £250k. Or by increasing public spending by 50% with no way to pay for it. Or by taxing the unborn. Or by burying bad news on 9/11. Or by consorting with jailbirds then lying about it.
And so on. Moral narcissism has its limitations.
Labour has never said sorry for any of the above, because they aren't.0 -
westernpromise wrote: »Not everyone opposed to Labour policies is motivated by personal greed.
Many of us think that the interests of the poor, the badly-educated and the workshy are not well served by keeping them poor, badly-educated and workshy.
Or by sucking up to billionaires. Or by lying to Parliament. Or by killing a million brown people. Or by selling peerages. Or by selling laws. Or by bankrupting the economy. Or by licensing the police to shoot Brazilian electricians. Or by driving houses prices up through overpopulation. Or by making the NHS less accessible while paying GPs £250k. Or by increasing public spending by 50% with no way to pay for it. Or by taxing the unborn. Or by burying bad news on 9/11. Or by consorting with jailbirds then lying about it.
And so on. Moral narcissism has its limitations.
Labour has never said sorry for any of the above, because they aren't.
Getting the country richer as a whole does far more for the poor than any number of well meant welfare policies. The average income of the poorest 10% in the UK is far higher than the average income in China and China is a pretty solidly middle-income country.0 -
Getting the country richer as a whole does far more for the poor than any number of well meant welfare policies. The average income of the poorest 10% in the UK is far higher than the average income in China and China is a pretty solidly middle-income country.
There is a strand of thinking on the left that would rather everybody had £1 than everybody had £2 except for one who has £5.
I find this attitude incomprehensible, but it exists. It often hides behind a lot of pietisms about fairness, but that's just a smokescreen. Deep down it's just good old envy.
There are also quite a lot on the left who think that a personal fortune earned in the private sector must be exploitative or corrupt and should be taken away, whereas one earned at the BBC, a charity or anywhere in the public sector is perfectly fine.0 -
westernpromise wrote: »There is a strand of thinking on the left that would rather everybody had £1 than everybody had £2 except for one who has £5.
I find this attitude incomprehensible, but it exists. It often hides behind a lot of pietisms about fairness, but that's just a smokescreen. Deep down it's just good old envy.
There are also quite a lot on the left who think that a personal fortune earned in the private sector must be exploitative or corrupt and should be taken away, whereas one earned at the BBC, a charity or anywhere in the public sector is perfectly fine.
OR..........
Some people just want decent & fair rights for the lowest paid in the country, some people (the unfortunate but becoming ever more numerous) are never going to be capable of achieving as much career wise, but it should go without saying that they should be treated with respect for e.g.
Zero hr contracts. They should be available, but a company shouldn't be able to have a workforce whereby 100% of the employees are on them. Employees deserve some security.
The right to a living wage. Just scraping by as an existence surely isn't enough. You can't expect people to live hand to mouth forever without some form of backlash.
Housing should be available to those in need without being screwed over by estate agents etc. with extortionate fees and dubious accommodation standards.
But most of all respect. People can't help the circumstances of which they are born into. Stigmatising and ridiculing the poor is abhorrent and the Conservatives should be ashamed in that regard.
Labour might not be best economically for the country but at least they try to be fair, even if their policies do fall short at times.0 -
Thrugelmir wrote: »Agree.
Bricks, tiles, glass. Plumbers, Brickies, Plasterers would be a start.
Trouble is factories aren't built nor are people trained with the right skills overnight.
I was reading the other day about a brick manufacturer that's only just cleared their stock from the previous property boom. All 6 million bricks. In the interim period the business has struggled to survive with so much capital tied up in inventory.
Around a year ago, we were talking about brick shortages, as was the media, due to the "boom" in construction. Bricks (or the lack of) was, indeed, used as a reason we cannot just ramp up property building.
Would seem there was something wrong with this particular company or the type of brick they made if they couldn't get rid of bricks when there is a brick shortage on.0 -
Jack_Johnson_the_acorn wrote: »OR..........
Some people just want decent & fair rights for the lowest paid in the country, some people (the unfortunate but becoming ever more numerous) are never going to be capable of achieving as much career wise, but it should go without saying that they should be treated with respect for e.g.
Zero hr contracts. They should be available, but a company shouldn't be able to have a workforce whereby 100% of the employees are on them. Employees deserve some security.
The right to a living wage. Just scraping by as an existence surely isn't enough. You can't expect people to live hand to mouth forever without some form of backlash.
Housing should be available to those in need without being screwed over by estate agents etc. with extortionate fees and dubious accommodation standards.
But most of all respect. People can't help the circumstances of which they are born into. Stigmatising and ridiculing the poor is abhorrent and the Conservatives should be ashamed in that regard.
Labour might not be best economically for the country but at least they try to be fair, even if their policies do fall short at times.
My wife wants to go on zero hour contract, but her employer so far has only allowed one person to have one, so she is going to ask for about 4-5 months annual unpaid leave instead, if they don't give her that, she will probably leave.Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one birdThe only time Chuck Norris was wrong was when he thought he had made a mistakeChuck Norris puts the "laughter" in "manslaughter".I've started running again, after several injuries had forced me to stop0 -
Graham_Devon wrote: »Around a year ago, we were talking about brick shortages, as was the media, due to the "boom" in construction. Bricks (or the lack of) was, indeed, used as a reason we cannot just ramp up property building.
Would seem there was something wrong with this particular company or the type of brick they made if they couldn't get rid of bricks when there is a brick shortage on.
I was surprised to see that post too Graham, one of my dissertation students last year was considering doing his dissertation on the effect of brick shortages (he actually ended up going with his other option, so I'm none the wiser). He was working for a contractor who apparently was experiencing problems due to the shortage.Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one birdThe only time Chuck Norris was wrong was when he thought he had made a mistakeChuck Norris puts the "laughter" in "manslaughter".I've started running again, after several injuries had forced me to stop0 -
Getting the country richer as a whole does far more for the poor than any number of well meant welfare policies. The average income of the poorest 10% in the UK is far higher than the average income in China and China is a pretty solidly middle-income country.
Not saying you are wrong here.
BUT.
We've gone through 3 years of recovery. Recovery that many on here have been very pleased with.
In that same timeframe, foodbank usage has risen several hundred percent.
Wages for new job placements have fallen back... (interesting stat I heard the other day as part of this election is that minimum wage jobs now account for the highest amount of new jobs on record).
The use of benefits has risen quite substantially. Housing benefit and tax credits are ballooning.
More people than ever before now get winter fuel payments.
The super wealthy are wealthier than they ever have been...with their wealth increasing at a rate well over that of the lower classes, or, indeed, any class or income level.
The evidence doesn't seem to stack up with the theory.0 -
Jack_Johnson_the_acorn wrote: »The right to a living wage.
Rights don't resolve the fundamental issues.
I agree people should have the opportunity to earn a living wage. However people need to do something towards it themselves. Whether it be vocational training, an apprenticeship, etc. Paying someone a living wage to wash dishes doesn't do anything for the wider economy. The UK needs people with skills.0
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