https://images.app.goo.gl/dFDKpj1f8yqRFFyWA I am not good enough to get the images to show, but if you click on it several graphs of house building should appear. The big drop off in house building came after Thatcher stopped direct labour house building by councils and sold off the housing stock. Essentially only private building firms could then build houses. Although lots of other points can be raised.
The whole ethos of "council housing" is the complete antithesis of Tory mindset. Nobody is making a killing out of them. Shortage of "social" housing pushes up rents in the private sector for private landlords. Former chancellor Phillip Hammond was Britains biggest private landlord and biggest recipient of housing benefit as a result. When the council owned housing stock if a tenant was in receipt of housing benefit through low wages or unemployment the council paid the housing benefit money back to itself. Now it pays it to housing associations and private landlords instead.
It was the 1919 housing act that mandated social housing. This was part of a large series of social reforms post WW1. Lloyd George was the PM, a Liberal party leader, but who had the tories in coalition. If we look back in history we see politicians put aside party politics in times of national need. WW1 saw all parties act as one. Post WW2 we saw a tremendous period of consensus politics which gave this country so much. Now we have PMQs, an utter farce, as an exemplar of how we do things. I keep saying it but politics in this country is broken. If we can see no sense of consensus politics during and after a global pandemic, or brexit, and the decades of implications those will have, then we are truly so much worse off as a society thanks to those calling themselves politicians.
The best (realistic) thing that could happen to this lot is a couple of decades of hung parliaments and forced coalitions. The best thing that could happen ideally is if we as the electorate vote for the best people regardless of rosette colour, and replace them first chance we get if they don't do a good job. Eventually we'll start getting good candidates rather than 'vote for this arsehole wearing the red/blue, because what else are you going to to, vote for the other colour?'
Can the King not do something, like refuse to let them make a govt when they ask. Be funny if he said No, because you are all useless. Then what. The problem is we all know they are all useless, they prove it whenever they open their mouths. But we as the ones who are affected seem to have no way to change it.
Fable: DON'T ARGUE WITH DONKEYS The donkey said to the tiger: - "The grass is blue". The tiger replied: - "No, the grass is green." The discussion heated up, and the two decided to submit him to arbitration, and for this they went before the lion, the King of the Jungle. Already before reaching the forest clearing, where the lion was sitting on his throne, the donkey began to shout: - "His Highness, is it true that the grass is blue?". The lion replied: - "True, the grass is blue." The donkey hurried and continued: - "The tiger disagrees with me and contradicts and annoys me, please punish him." The king then declared: - "The tiger will be punished with 5 years of silence." The donkey jumped cheerfully and went on his way, content and repeating: - "The Grass Is Blue"... The tiger accepted his punishment, but before he asked the lion: - "Your Majesty, why have you punished me?, after all, the grass is green." The lion replied: - "In fact, the grass is green." The tiger asked: - "So why are you punishing me?". The lion replied: - "That has nothing to do with the question of whether the grass is blue or green. The punishment is because it is not possible for a brave and intelligent creature like you to waste time arguing with a donkey, and on top of that come and bother me with that question." The worst waste of time is arguing with the fool and fanatic who does not care about truth or reality, but only the victory of his beliefs and illusions. Never waste time on arguments that don't make sense... There are people who, no matter how much evidence and evidence we present to them, are not in the capacity to understand, and others are blinded by ego, hatred and resentment, and all they want is to be right even if they are not. When ignorance screams, intelligence is silent. Your peace and quiet are worth more
'the grass is red and if you believe anything else you're evil' Ego, hatred and resentment. Seems a fair description. There's certainly a good amount of hatred and resentment on show. Plus the ego to broadcast your opinion and refuse to engage in any discussion.
Are you sure it's not Grainger PLC or perhaps Fergus and Judith Wilson? I totally agree. And yet there are people who will present inaccurate information as the truth because it fits their belief system and carry on doing it even when it's pointed out.
Part of the current chaos is that we can't trust a word government ministers are telling us so we've no idea what to believe in. They totally contradict themselves then claim their 'words have been taken out of context'. They'll savagely criticise colleagues until they're elected PM then praise them to the heavens. Then, as soon as they're out, go back on the attack and praise the new one .... ...I've never seen so many flip-flops since I had a week in Benidorm.
Good points but what I'm picking up is your denial of a labour government running the country better than the current cronies And similar comments from you. Happy Labour day to one and all
I think its perfectly reasonable to question whether a government formed of the current parliamentary Labour Party would be any better than the current government. It contains no political heavyweights and several who have beliefs at odds with the average person. I see nothing to suggest that they would be any better other than blind faith. The idea that they can't be any worse doesn't wash for me. I think their government would display less corruption and sleaze but also less competent decision making (and that's a pretty low bar right now). That's why people are looking around for a viable third option. The current political class, across the board, is the poorest that I can remember. We should be telling them we want better, not sticking to the same old backward and forwards between Conservative and Labour.
Surely that's a good thing after the mess made by the likes of Boris Johnson, not to mention Rees Mogg ... but who are the other heavyweights tbf, surely not Truss, Kwarteng, Williamson, Raab, etc.
I wouldn't have said the Conservatives contained any political heavyweights either. This isn't a "the Conservatives are better than Labour" thing.
@Smug in Boots sorry Smug, but l agree with Norton Cat. It about the quality of the politicians themselves, and this goes down to the very selection at grass roots level. I would love any party to come to power with a much needed reform of the way the country is run. May well be the solution, but l would like to see it done properly. Unfortunately politicians are not easy accessible to the public as they are living in a so called bubble akin to celebrities.