Politics Thread!

[(o)(o)]

A truly extraordinary moment occurred today in the house of conmens during the budget speech.

[Note IDS makes a stabbing gesture not just one hand, but with both hands simultaneously! KILL KILL KILL!]



This is a highly sophisticated PR-framed budget far too sophisticated to be Osbourne's own handiwork.

Behind the window dressing mask of spiel (living wage? piss off it's minimum wage) is the rotting spectre of the cabal of global elitist shape shifting lizards, devouring the human species brain by brain whilst pursuing their globalist elitist agenda.

Brimming with Tory ideology as usual and laden with more measures to ostracise and marginalise the poor, sick and unemployed. Couple of sweeteners in there, but the social cleansing continues apace, and landlords are already responding to the tax relief trigger by lashing out at tenants with threats of stroke-inducing rent increases.

I'm sure it all sounds 'super duper' to the DM-infused working men who haven't yet realised they are unwitting mules.

[k345y]

It's also another four year pay cut for me and my wife as we are public sector workers.
1 percent capped wage rise for the next four years is a disgrace. We already endured the past 5 years at 1 percent and my wages according to my union in the past 10 years are effectively down 17 percent.

Tories hate us.

I keep reasoning and trying to see it different ut when we're being told wages are rising at 3 percent and the country is recovering with the good times on their way again for haRd working families the only conclusion I can arrive at is that not only do they hate the sick and the poor but also the hard working families they claim to champion. The hard working public sector who already do a shit load of work above their role.

They hate us.

[venusian]

I don't think they hate you, just you don't vote for them so fuck you. That's why pensioners are protected whilst students and the under-25s get shafted.

[Wudzi]

You really are screwed if you're young now and poor.

If you're working, you're not entitled to the "Living Wage" so you'll be on fuck all and no ability to top up with tax credits. You'll also get no provision for any kind of housing benefit, and it you want to try your hand at uni instead, you're going to end up in even more debt than you would have done.

Less than half of 25 year olds vote though, and if they do, they aren't especially like to vote for us so fuck 'em, is what the Tories have decided.

[Dio]

I'm not sure it's entirely malicious. They have a gigantic blind spot there. They assume that everyone under 25 will still live with their families, but they really don't comprehend the possibilities of kids and parents falling out, and that that gets more likely as you move down the income and social scales.

Same as it ever was to some extent too - at uni 25 years ago the poorest people were the ones who didn't get a grant and didn't get the money they were due from their parents.

[Wudzi]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-33463864

[VNVObit]

they're a bunch of charmers

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015 ... udget-rape

[pogo]

At last

Osborne tears up planning laws to let Londoners build extra storeys on homes

This is much more like it. There’s still a long way to go before it becomes law but the intent seems clear. Two key points

* bypassing planning altogether. This is key because no matter the incentives put in place local planners still seem able throttle development.
* give new building rights to existing property owners. This makes sense for two reasons: it lessens the impact as you are just adding to existing properties, not building new ones. And it gets locals on-side, normally the strongest opponents of any change.

Building more floors and extensions would normally have less impact on housing supply, except in London where larger properties tend to be subdivided and let out anyway, so whole new flats can be created this way.

Some of it is London only which is a disappointment. Sure it’s mostly needed there but the housing shortage is a national issue, and prices in London are not totally disconnected from the rest of the economy. They should relax regulations nationally and let people decide where it’s worth expanding supply.

[gravy]

We'll see though the majority case for adding floors is making houses more valuable rather than creating increasing capacity overall.

It's more likely a move to stimulate the housing market a bit in London after a slight slowing with the new stamp duty rates for high end houses.

Thr brownfield rules are more encouraging if they're rolled out nationwide.

[VNVObit]

it's only bypassing planning in certain circumstances.
Still a need for planning to ensure all the relevant infrastructure is in place to support development (something pogo always ignores)
It may be attempting to streamline planning process but that doesn't necessarily mean that'll be quicker for developers, particularly the ones who chance their arm with overdevelopment

Brownfield is welcome

doubt it'll address the issue of supply except around the margins but not sure that'll make up for the impact on housing associations who've lost between 15% to 30% of their financial strength following the budget announcements

[pogo]

We’ll see. There’s another reason to be positive about it too: it seems to be part of a general productivity drive, solving the productivity puzzle and all that. It’s good that housing is being recognised as a key part of that, and it hopefully means it won’t be as easily derailed by nimbyist backbenchers.

As for adding extra capacity the London market is really something to behold. Never lived there myself but have friends there and the whole rented sector for them is flats, or not even proper flats but rooms in shared houses, with communal bathrooms and kitchens, but you pay twice as much as renting a house around here. As in many cities houses are often bigger due to the wealth of the city when they were build. But that makes them far too large and expensive for the current market, and if not redeveloped or converted to offices they get subdivided.

[gravy]

This won't create any new flats though will it? Just make some bigger.

I'm not completely up on it but I'm assuming that creating a seperate dwelling has a different set of regs than an extension

[VNVObit]

The no planning options just refer to keeping up with the neighbours.
Creation of new dwellings, through subdivision or other extension have numerous safety regs to comply with and would require planning.

Don't recognise pogo's description of London housing as a true holistic picture but then I live in London and work in housing sector

[pogo]

This won't create any new flats though will it? Just make some bigger.

I'm not completely up on it but I'm assuming that creating a seperate dwelling has a different set of regs than an extension

The BBC says:

Another change would see ministers seek to scrap the need for planning permission in London for developers who want to extend buildings to the height of neighbouring properties.

So not just extensions on homes. Extra storeys on blocks of flats, including houses that have been subdivided. And in theory every room created can be rented out in much of London. E.g. people are already doing things like this, 'sheds with beds', and charging £800 a month.

Even better if you can do it within the planning laws, so safe and legal, and probably charge even more.

[venusian]

The brownfield site stuff doesn't address any real problem at all but potentially creates more for the future.

It is already very easy to get planning permission for brownfield sites. The reasons they're not built on is because it's not profitable: the costs of cleaning the site are high and the location of most brownfield sites is such that the value of the houses will likely be low. The only real reason brownfield planning permission would be refused is if the developer isn't going to provide adequate infrastructure.

But now a developer may be able to build swathes crap houses with no supporting infrastructure and no thought given to area plans. In 20 years they'll be problems estates and then slums.