Comments on: Private rents are soaring: is it time the state stepped in?

By: Guest

Guest — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 19:06:00 +0000

In reply to Guest. LordBlagger's not a socialist? Who knew!

By: Guest

Guest — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 23:03:00 +0000

In reply to Guest. But as you've said on here many times, you're not a socialist either. So if you're not a Labour supporter, and you're not a socialist, which party do you put your x next to on polling day?

By: Guest

Guest — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 16:00:00 +0000

In reply to Dave Roberts. If you want a Labour government, you're not a left winger.

By: Dave Roberts

Dave Roberts — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 19:22:00 +0000

In reply to Guest. I am of the left, whoever you are, just not the loony variety. I actively want to see a Labour government and Mayor of London not gesture politics.

By: Leon Wolfeson

Leon Wolfeson — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 18:57:00 +0000

There hasn’t been a free market for housing in the UK for some time, please don’t insult free market advocates. The reality is that the market hasn’t delivered sufficient housing in well over a century, and we’re now in year 34 of substantially below-demand house building…which is falling.

So yes, it’s past time for the state to intervene. Not by allowing mansions to be built on greenbelt land, however.

* Rent caps, based on both area and energy efficiency. The caps should be no higher than housing benefit for 51% of the housing stock – returning us to the old, workable, situation there.
(The energy efficiency is important, as it means Landlords will have a strong interest in improving the housing stock by adding i.e. loft insulation)
* Taxation on empty houses
* Taxation on empty brownfield sites, said tax to rise the longer the site is unused
* A massive council house building program

Oh, and as a side issue;

* Forcing energy companies to have people with pre-pay energy meters to use standard tariffs, with only the actual additional costs (I’d suggest 2%) to be added.

By: Guest

Guest — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 18:51:00 +0000

In reply to Dave Roberts.

No, this is your topic – attacking the left for any excuse, and trying to cause division.

Oh, and spam.

By: Dave Roberts

Dave Roberts — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 08:22:00 +0000

Off topic I know but Labour List is now deleting comments critical of Ken Livingstone especially in relations to Islamic fundamentalists and the current Mayor of Tower Hamlets. They even deleted a post b Like Akehurst that they first published. I reproduce it here, if I may?

http://www.labourlist.org.2012/05/the-irresistible-fall-of-ken-livingstone/ They are celebrating his return to the NEC and are in denial about two GLA defeats and is cosying up to Muslim extremists and his remarks about Jews.