tomandlu Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/nov/20/one-in-seven-councillors-in-english-rental-hotspots-are-landlords Quote Findings raise questions over whether dual role makes councils less inclined to regulate standards in private rental sector Ya think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Futuroid Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 27 minutes ago, tomandlu said: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/nov/20/one-in-seven-councillors-in-english-rental-hotspots-are-landlords Ya think? I'm surprised the number is so low (and it wouldn't surprise me to find out quite a few haven't declared their interests). Both my local councillors are landlords and one owns most of the local high street. The MP is from a farming family that own thousands of acres and let it out to tenant farmers to work. We are speeding back to the 1800s with such velocity I expect to see top hats in everyday use within the decade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomandlu Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 31 minutes ago, Futuroid said: We are speeding back to the 1800s with such velocity I expect to see top hats in everyday use within the decade. I'm more worried that we're heading back to the 1300s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 1 hour ago, Futuroid said: We are speeding back to the 1800s with such velocity I expect to see top hats in everyday use within the decade. We never left. The wealth we've taken from the rest of the world for centuries temporarily papered over the cracks. On the subject of councillors, when we have (depending on where you live - city or village) 10 layers of government above us, It's difficult to focus on the activities of one of the layers. This article being one of the few exceptions. Well done Generation Rent - as they're mentioned, they must have worked towards this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Up the spout Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Bow and scrape to your Lords and Masters, peasants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oatbake Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 What percentage of Guardian journalists are into BTL? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ah-so Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 16 minutes ago, oatbake said: What percentage of Guardian journalists are into BTL? What's that got to do with the price if fish? The Guardian has argued for landlord regulation and generally raised the profile of issues to do with housing. Unlike Councillors, they do not have the ability to block rules that are not in their interests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locke Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 19 hours ago, highYield said: We never left. The wealth we've taken from the rest of the world for centuries temporarily papered over the cracks. On the subject of councillors, when we have (depending on where you live - city or village) 10 layers of government above us, It's difficult to focus on the activities of one of the layers. This article being one of the few exceptions. Well done Generation Rent - as they're mentioned, they must have worked towards this. What wealth, exactly, did "we" take? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 14 minutes ago, Locke said: What wealth, exactly, did "we" take? That could be the title of a PhD thesis! Everything from gold & slaves in the early empire, to e.g. Bushveld mines and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in later stages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Democorruptcy Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Osbanker's Help to Buy Bail Banks was based on a 2011 Council scheme. Councils deciding our council tax should be risked to help prop up property prices. Quote Councils are to help first-time buyers get on the housing ladder by topping up their deposits. Five councils are pioneering a scheme aimed at buyers who can afford the monthly mortgage repayments but do not have a lump sum saved up. Many first-time buyers find it difficult to purchase a home because lenders are asking for hefty deposits. The councils will put 20% of the price in a Lloyds TSB account, with the lender asking for a 5% deposit. The funds will not go to the buyer and the mortgage rate will be lower. The councils risk losing money if a buyer defaults, but they get a generous interest rate themselves. The scheme could benefit up to 300 first-time buyers in each area, but if other councils join, thousands could potentially benefit. Another 10 councils are waiting to join the scheme. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12754818 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locke Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 16 minutes ago, highYield said: That could be the title of a PhD thesis! Everything from gold & slaves in the early empire, to e.g. Bushveld mines and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in later stages. The Spanish took all of the South American gold and it totally destroyed their economy, so I don't think your thesis really stands up. "Wealth" really means "human labour". Gold in the ground is worth almost nothing. Pure gold, mined and refined, on the other hand is worth...however much someone is wiling to trade their time and effort for it. The value of slave labour pales in comparison to the value of the work done since the invention of the computer and is less than a rounding error compared to the labour produced through the internet. Oil...well, the Iranians seem to be doing quite well these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Futuroid Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 1 hour ago, Locke said: What wealth, exactly, did "we" take? Oh, all sorts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_Clearances Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locke Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 2 hours ago, Futuroid said: Oh, all sorts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_Clearances From Scottish Africa? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 (edited) 6 hours ago, Locke said: The Spanish took all of the South American gold and it totally destroyed their economy, so I don't think your thesis really stands up. "Wealth" really means "human labour". Gold in the ground is worth almost nothing. Pure gold, mined and refined, on the other hand is worth...however much someone is wiling to trade their time and effort for it. The value of slave labour pales in comparison to the value of the work done since the invention of the computer and is less than a rounding error compared to the labour produced through the internet. Oil...well, the Iranians seem to be doing quite well these days. Sorry to continue off topic, but... Spanish excess gold induced inflation was a negative consequence of them taking wealth that was regarded as money at the time. That they ended up with negative consequences has little bearing on the thesis that our inequality has been hidden/made bearable by wealth taken from our empire. The Bushveld is a PGM complex, not gold. The Iranians would have probably liked to have had a democracy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d'état edit: That physically shipping slave labour is less efficient than using facebookers for free doesn't have any bearing on the slaves being wealth (a valuable form of it at the time). 2nd edit: Could it possibly be said that the social media marketing 'we have x million eyeballs' may be a little analogous to the centuries old 'I own x thousand slaves'? Edited November 21, 2017 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dražen Petrović Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 11 hours ago, oatbake said: What percentage of Guardian journalists are into BTL? Have you ever heard about conflict of interest ? Journalists don't approve planning permissions, urban development project etc. but Councillors do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oatbake Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 11 minutes ago, Dražen Petrović said: Have you ever heard about conflict of interest ? Journalists don't approve planning permissions, urban development project etc. but Councillors do. This is hardly a surprise to anybody. Note, I'm not saying it's right: It is a clear conflict of interest. So is MPs owning BTL properties. I was merely pointing out that BTL is endemic amongst middle class types and is a sign of just how ridiculous the BTL situation has become. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Futuroid Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 1 hour ago, Locke said: From Scottish Africa? No, they stooped so low they took it from their own countrymen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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