They don't even bother showing up anymore!

Local forces would have the risk of being sympathetic towards people they knew, and lived amongst. The Met on the other hand wouldn't

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
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Sorry for being a bit late with my reply to this. Work gets in the
Way of HOL sometimes.

I wasn't trying to pump up my relatives just intending to highlight that some came out of the Thatcher years in better shape than others. So it wasn't all bad for everyone

The lack of housing stock can't be dumped totally at the feet of Thatcher's home ownership drive. Many of those houses sold,were built during the Wilson years (his record in this area was impressive) and would be around 50 years old today. My father's house has had extensive renovation upgrades to keep it habitable. So the key issue is actual social house building since the Thatcher years.

Some blame for the lack of housing stock has to be attributed to the Major, Blair, Brown and Cameron/Clegg governments for not attempting to replenish the stocks. There is also blame that can be attached to the dysfunctional relationship between Westminster and local governments responsible. The targets for building new government stock indicated back in 2007 were never reached -- partly due to the advent of the GFC and the accompanying budgetary restraints and battles between the relevant government bodies.

It's 23 years since Thatcher left office. Labour Blair/Brown were in charge for almost half of that time and did little -- as did the Tories.

The question of affordability is not isolated to the UK. I have seen it in the U.S. Japan and here in Australia.

Public housing was created to assist the less financially fortunate at a given time in history. Nowhere is it written that it would always be there for future generations. Houses (especially the quality of council houses) do not last forever. They need to be replaced/rebuilt

Edited by Farawayeagle (12 Apr 2013 1.24am)

Edited by Farawayeagle (12 Apr 2013 1.32am)

R.I.P. DJ Hardline -- Gone Way Too Soon

GKAS Member 54

David Cameron has just sent his official letter to the Thatcher residence.

I starts "I regret to inform you that due to recent tragic events you now have one too many bedrooms....."

MISSED MORE THAN YOU'LL EVER KNOW
RIP LUKE 26.5.1987-3.4.2004
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Social housing started with the Marshall plan aid money and continued through into Wilson's time. If that's what you mean by 'given time'....We needed those houses and still do.

Your last paragraph doesn't make sense. The social housing was created to home people who had no housing to live in......How is that bloody different to now? For this generation?

You left this country and sit in another country paying into their tax system. That's your right and choice, however I find it hard to imagine you can know much about how that ladder being pulled up has damaged people's opportunities compared to what it should have been.

I am working class, I grew up in a council estate I actually give a monkeys about the more restricted life chances of younger people starting out now. Many of whom I see regularly in my role as a Teacher.

Fault for our housing crisis isn't at the feet of those who benefited from it but from those who created and implemented the rules.

Of course Thatcher left over twenty years ago and that the blame for not restocking social housing is a collective blame......But she started it and for that she deserves the greater blame....And in general I also regard Thatcher as the necessary 'shock jock' this country needed.....However of all her policies it's this one and 'care in the community' that annoys me the most.

However the self justifying attitude of some people who took advantage of 'the right to buy' sickens me. They don't give a fig about what's best for the country it's only about them....I don't blame them for that...Who doesn't look to feather their own nest.

But I detest the policy being defended as being anything other than it was.....A vote winner that preyed upon the selfishness of our natures.

Yeah, who gives a fig for people looking for and needing affordable housing now?....Someone else's problem.

Edited by Stirlingsays (12 Apr 2013 3.28am)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

It's a very good response and there's lot to admire in the background you provide.

Still, we obviously are going to differ with you on your expressed opinion that because your father was a hard worker that this meant that he had a right to buy property....Well, yeah...There are people working really hard now but they can't even get on a housing list. Not your family's responsibility of course but it's evidence that the policy pulled the ladder up.

Of course it's a reward of wonderment and social mobility. And it was obviously very helpful to a few. But it came at a high price for others. I can't see how a balanced view of that sees that as a positive thing for society.

The stark economic reality is that it costs the system considerable money to build significant social housing.....We were flogging these houses at massively discounted rates compared to their market worth.

It's unrealistic to expect governments to spend on replacing stock...There's no way to ensure that. Very few governments ever operate outside of the short term.

The policy was always going to mean that we wouldn't have enough social housing for a aging vulnerable population that was always going to increase and young or needy people now who sit on the list for many years.

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)