Starmer's vision quest

[BoldonLad]

I spotted it! None are "elected", all of them appointed.

Quite, that is why. I referred to them as "unelected Lords", the etc was to cover the Bishops and any other spurious unelected spongers 😊

 

[BoldonLad]

There has been a lengthy HoL reform bill going through Parliament since last year. All of the proposed (and correct IMO) amendments to get rid of hereditary peerage, reduce the size of the House, end Prime Ministerial patronage etc. have all been voted down.

What a surprise 😂 I suppose, like Turkeys, potential Turkeys do not vote for Christmas 😂

 

[the snail]

Quite, so if the RMT demands are aimed at getting their members a salary that will allow them to buy a house in London, they're not exactly being realistic. Even by junior doctor standards, a hike of over 100% is a just a little bit on the high side....

But if we don't pay them millions of pounds then they'll all leave and bugger off to dubai or something. Or is that only the vital billionaires?

 

[CXRAndy]

Its not beyond the capability to make the underground run on automation.

Watching the knitting/film watching train driver press one button and push a leaver, hardly technical.

 

[Beebo]

The house buying argument is circular as if everyone who works in London has to be paid £100k to afford a house, then house prices will just go up again and be unaffordable to the people on £100k.

 

[briantrumpet]

 

[Pblakeney]

The house buying argument is circular as if everyone who works in London has to be paid £100k to afford a house, then house prices will just go up again and be unaffordable to the people on £100k.

I've been saying the same for decades. Same applies to making access to loans/mortgages easier. More money = higher prices.

 

[spen666]

I've been saying the same for decades. Same applies to making access to loans/mortgages easier. More money = higher prices.

I agree. It may sound counter intuitive, but I would ban "London Weighting" on pay. It is because people have more income that partially fuels the higher house prices in London.

Mind you, something would need to be done to stop foreigners buying up properties as that is another thing fuelling house prices. I am talking here those who buy them and do not occupy them.



Actually, come to think of it, I own my house in London and will be mortgage free by the end of the year. Lets do everything to force house prices in London to new stratospheric levels far higher than in the rest of the country, then when I retire I can sell and move somewhere much cheaper and have loads of money.

Greed is good, when it is in my favour

 

[briantrumpet]

I've been saying the same for decades. Same applies to making access to loans/mortgages easier. More money = higher prices.

It's been the same with housing benefit: the £20bn (or whatever the sum is now) just results in inflated rental rates that absorb that £20bn.

 

[Psamathe]

I agree. It may sound counter intuitive, but I would ban "London Weighting" on pay. It is because people have more income that partially fuels the higher house prices in London.

Does "London Weighting" still exist? Always used to frustrate me as when I lived in Oxford the various indexes of costs actually placed Oxford as more expensive than London yet no such thing as a "Oxford Weighting".

And when I later in my career started a job in London it was for a provate company so no "London Weighting"

 

[spen666]

Does "London Weighting" still exist? Always used to frustrate me as when I lived in Oxford the various indexes of costs actually placed Oxford as more expensive than London yet no such thing as a "Oxford Weighting".

And when I later in my career started a job in London it was for a provate company so no "London Weighting"

It still exists usually where organisation has London & non London locations

 

[briantrumpet]

This alone should tell everyone that McSweeney is a malign influence on Labour. It's almost like he's a Reform mole, doing his best to make Labour unpopular.

 

[briantrumpet]

And yes, this is hypocrisy. Maybe those pesky civil servants know what they are doing sometimes.

 

[BoldonLad]

It's been the same with housing benefit: the £20bn (or whatever the sum is now) just results in inflated rental rates that absorb that £20bn.

Exactly. Housing benefit is a subsidy to Landlords, not tenants.

 

[First Aspect]

The only way to avoid either people being homeless or housing benefit going into the private sector is council housing or housing associations. Rent controls are a laughably naive approach (yes, I'm talking to you Ms. Sturgeon), and reducing housing benefit just increases hardship. Might even cost more in other ways.