rantnrave

I think we're actually moving more to a style of voting preferences as seen in the US - low-skilled people in towns voting right of centre, educated city types voting left of centre. From what I understand, folk in the Red Wall are very patriotic and proud of the UK too. Labour under Keir Starmer is perceived as almost being ashamed of the country.

Labour in its current guise comes across as the party for the metropolitan, remain-voting woke folk. No surprise really given that the architect of Labour's last manifesto proposal to have a second referendum - which cost them so dearly in the Red Wall - was some bloke called Keir Starmer, who represents a constituency in the capital. Unlike the Tories, Labour don't throw their leaders under the bus until they have lost an election (or resigned anyway). Overturning the current Tory majority in the next election looks like a massive task too... I wish labour would get back to its roots - supporting workers. This would mean recognising that low skill immigration drives wages down, clamping down on benefits for the workshy and delivering policies towards ensuring that the average worker on an average salary could afford the average house price.

Not quite. To date he's only sold 3,000 of the 900 he owns

Coventry back to the top of the easy access savings accounts chart, with several providers upping their rates again (admittedly from a low base - it's the direction of movement I'm highlighting) Easy Access Accounts Best Buys | Find the best rate. Keep the best rate (savingschampion.co.uk)

I asked about how much of income from rent BTLers would be paying. This is the reply: Dear Rant Thank you for contacting me about the Health and Social Care Levy. I have spoken with colleagues at the Treasury about the introduction of a Health and Social Care Levy, and I understand that they viewed this measure as a difficult but necessary one. The decision to raise taxes was not taken lightly, but it will mean that we can face the challenges facing health and social care in the UK following the coronavirus pandemic. The HSCL will be effectively introduced from April 2022 when NICs for working age employees, self-employed, and employers will increase by 1.25 per cent. The Levy will be legislatively separated from 2023 when NICs rates will return to 2021-22 levels. Dividend tax rates will also be increased by 1.25 per cent to fund the Plan for Health and Social Care. It is worth noting that that there are some exemptions to the Levy, which is applied at a flat rate of 1.25 per cent. People earning less than the Primary Threshold / Lower Profits Limit in 2021-22 will not pay the Levy, and the Levy will not apply to Class 2 or 3 NICs. This means that the highest 14 per cent of earners will be paying around half the revenues of the Levy, and that no-one earning less than £9,568 will pay a penny. Unlike Income Tax or VAT, an increase in NICs ensures businesses contribute alongside employees and the self-employed. Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Yep Got the same copy & pasted reply being sent to everyone

Boris got advance news of the fall and quickly organised a cabinet reshuffle

Jenrick sacked as housing secretary Robert Jenrick has been sacked as housing secretary, he has confirmed on Twitter.

Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick has been seen in the corridor outside the PM’s office looking a bit glum... Surely such a fine, moral upstanding character such as Jenrick should be safe?

Not if it means interest rates going up...

Anna Clare Harper, CEO of property consultancy SPI Capital, said: “The data reflects the comedown from an artificial boom encouraged by the temporary reduction in stamp duty."

Finally, some MSM pick up: https://www.independent.co.uk/money/ps10-000-fall-in-average-uk-house-price-as-stamp-duty-holiday-tapered-b1920506.html https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/house-prices-fall-9-000-in-a-month-as-stamp-duty-savings-disappear/ar-AAOsVOY?ocid=spartan-ntp-feeds

Quite Another performance like that next month and prices will be back to where they were before the first lockdown.

They usually run ahead of the Land Reg figures though, not the other way round. Can't find news of these figures in any MSM by the way...

On a seasonally adjusted basis, average house prices in England decreased by 5.2% between June and July 2021... https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-house-price-index-england-july-2021/uk-house-price-index-england-july-2021

Some brutal numbers here: England In England, the July data shows on average, house prices have fallen by 4.5% since June 2021. The annual price rise of 7% takes the average property value to £270,973. The regional data for England indicates that: no region saw a monthly price rise. The South East experienced the smallest monthly fall with a movement of -1.3% the North West saw the lowest monthly price growth, at -7.6%

As expected, July's dip in inflation was a blip - up to 3.2% today in the biggest monthly jump since records began in 1997. Vigilance required...

The only place that didn't extend the Stamp Duty hols I believe?

On the contrary, am having a stellar year. £54 found so far.

Backed up within the industry here: Almost 400,000 homes down valued by surveyors, claims agency – Property Industry Eye

I did. My MP said he wasn't going to bother writing a proper reply to something he claimed was copy and pasted from 'a Shelter press release'.

If the Scots want out then let them go. I do however find the view that Scots loathe the Tories to be ignoring recent political history. Mrs May lost many Tory seats in England in 2017 and could only form a minority govt with the help of the DUP and a bumper crop of Tory MPs from... Scotland. If the Scots hate the Tories, they kept them in Westminster in 2017... The idea that Scotland wants out of the Union because the UK has left a trading bloc with its closest economic neighbours seems bizarre too. Surely Scottish independence would mean the country pulling out of a trading bloc with its closest economic neighbours...? You need to go back ten opinion polls to find the last time Leave was ahead in Scotland though.

Added to that, I'm wondering if Western property has become the unofficial new Gold Standard to backing up fiat.

This rate of growth is 'obscene', according to... estate agents: https://propertyindustryeye.com/price-growth-of-over-13-in-the-year-to-june-is-borderline-obscene/