RugbyRebels

1) The housing crisis can be greatly mitigated if we ban purchases by foreigners. Let them buy new build only. (I stole this policy from NZ). Slap a tax on empty homes.

2) The NHS can be saved by investment, we simply have to pony up more cash.

3) The railways - after each franchise runs out, bring these into joint gov/worker ownership.

Any other big ones? I left Brexit out because it's too complicated.

Would it be incredibly dense of me to ask how you’re defining foreigners?

Citizenship, or anyone with a suspicious looking tan?

Non-resident for tax purposes would seem a sensible starting point.

To allow a foreign interest to buy a limited resource (real estate) for the purpose of capital gains or to rent it back to the local residents doesn't smell right to me.

Mikey Brown wrote:Would it be incredibly dense of me to ask how you’re defining foreigners?

And to what degree foreign ownership is tinkering on the margins rather than a plan of how to solve the housing problem? Still with such absent of thought nationalism you could get Farage and Trump excited

Zhivago wrote:1) The housing crisis can be greatly mitigated if we ban purchases by foreigners. Let them buy new build only. (I stole this policy from NZ). Slap a tax on empty homes.

Farage-esque gesture politics with no substance

Zhivago wrote: 2) The NHS can be saved by investment, we simply have to pony up more cash.

The NHS is about to get the £350m per week we're saving by leaving the EU, isn't it? ISN'T IT!?

Zhivago wrote: 3) The railways - after each franchise runs out, bring these into joint gov/worker ownership.

...and now switched to Corban-esque gesture politics with no substance.

Zhivago wrote: Any other big ones? I left Brexit out because it's too complicated.

Why not propose solving Climate Change by banning the use of fossil fuels....?

J Dory wrote:Non-resident for tax purposes would seem a sensible starting point.

To allow a foreign interest to buy a limited resource (real estate) for the purpose of capital gains or to rent it back to the local residents doesn't smell right to me.

Yes something long these lines. You could even let councils have some say in the limitations or otherwise respond to local needs with more precision.

Digby wrote:

Mikey Brown wrote:Would it be incredibly dense of me to ask how you’re defining foreigners?

And to what degree foreign ownership is tinkering on the margins rather than a plan of how to solve the housing problem? Still with such absent of thought nationalism you could get Farage and Trump excited

Sure you can add other measures. For example there might be regulation around what properties can be rented (e.g.must meet certain criteria such as size). You can also address the constriction of supply caused by airbnb... Etc

Zhivago wrote:

Digby wrote:

Mikey Brown wrote:Would it be incredibly dense of me to ask how you’re defining foreigners?

And to what degree foreign ownership is tinkering on the margins rather than a plan of how to solve the housing problem? Still with such absent of thought nationalism you could get Farage and Trump excited

Sure you can add other measures. For example there might be regulation around what properties can be rented (e.g.must meet certain criteria such as size). You can also address the constriction of supply caused by airbnb... Etc

It's still tinkering. I don't know how many properties there are in the UK nor how many make up the housing market at any point in time, but airbnb can't be that big an issue. The gap between the new homes target and the number of new homes, the social housing stock, and the poor standard of build in materials and lack of worker skills are where to address the issue, though that's hard as that's also where the real problem is

Stones of granite wrote:

Zhivago wrote:1) The housing crisis can be greatly mitigated if we ban purchases by foreigners. Let them buy new build only. (I stole this policy from NZ). Slap a tax on empty homes.

Farage-esque gesture politics with no substance

Zhivago wrote: 2) The NHS can be saved by investment, we simply have to pony up more cash.

The NHS is about to get the £350m per week we're saving by leaving the EU, isn't it? ISN'T IT!?

Zhivago wrote: 3) The railways - after each franchise runs out, bring these into joint gov/worker ownership.

...and now switched to Corban-esque gesture politics with no substance.

Zhivago wrote: Any other big ones? I left Brexit out because it's too complicated.

Why not propose solving Climate Change by banning the use of fossil fuels....?

Climate change is an incredibly tough issue. It is primarily a global issue and the USA and China have by far the biggest impact in terms of whether we will be successful in solving that issue.

I would not ban fossil fuels, just tax the externalities from their use. And if we are talking about their use perhaps that might include plastics, which are made from them.

Digby wrote:

Zhivago wrote:

Digby wrote:
And to what degree foreign ownership is tinkering on the margins rather than a plan of how to solve the housing problem? Still with such absent of thought nationalism you could get Farage and Trump excited

Sure you can add other measures. For example there might be regulation around what properties can be rented (e.g.must meet certain criteria such as size). You can also address the constriction of supply caused by airbnb... Etc

It's still tinkering. I don't know how many properties there are in the UK nor how many make up the housing market at any point in time, but airbnb can't be that big an issue. The gap between the new homes target and the number of new homes, the social housing stock, and the poor standard of build in materials and lack of worker skills are where to address the issue, though that's hard as that's also where the real problem is

It's a matter of supply and demand.

If you want more new homes built then you need demand for them. There's clearly sufficient demand from non-residents, why not focus that demand into new builds so that the new build stock will increase.

Accurate robust housing data is frustratingly difficult to come by for the objective punter. Hard NZ data on buyer country of origin, how quickly houses are flicked on and how many properties individuals/individual entities own is buried deep within vested market interest in a very loosely regulated environment. There are issues with loss of control of resources like housing to speculators, and we in NZ have seen this with primary industries...a Harvard University based hedge fund, for example, has mopped up NZ's largest Pinus Radiata operation and a big chunk of dairy farming cooperatives and has been looking to flick them off for profit (e.g. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-harvar ... 1496741403). We have foolishly done the same sort of thing with fishing quotas. That is free-wheeling too much for my liking.

Zhivago wrote:

Digby wrote:

Zhivago wrote:
Sure you can add other measures. For example there might be regulation around what properties can be rented (e.g.must meet certain criteria such as size). You can also address the constriction of supply caused by airbnb... Etc

It's still tinkering. I don't know how many properties there are in the UK nor how many make up the housing market at any point in time, but airbnb can't be that big an issue. The gap between the new homes target and the number of new homes, the social housing stock, and the poor standard of build in materials and lack of worker skills are where to address the issue, though that's hard as that's also where the real problem is

It's a matter of supply and demand.

If you want more new homes built then you need demand for them. There's clearly sufficient demand from non-residents, why not focus that demand into new builds so that the new build stock will increase.

There is currently no shortage of demand for new-build houses. Lack of demand is not the problem, lack of supply of suitable land, and lack of supply of suitably skilled labour are far bigger issues.

Currently, the private sector rental market has a wide range of regulations with Local Authorities responsible for enforcement. That they are completely unable to effectively police existing regulations is obvious, going by the number of stories in the press and documentaries on TV. I wonder what makes you think they are going to be able to investigate the citizenship status of every private sector landlord on top of that.

The NHS can be saved by it growing a pair of baws.

Fark me. If the railways are deemed one of the three biggest problems in the UK, then we either live in near utopia or your priorities are horribly screwed up.

Mellsblue wrote:Fark me. If the railways are deemed one of the three biggest problems in the UK, then we either live in near utopia or your priorities are horribly screwed up.

It's a mess. I don't know if it is top 3, but it is an issue that came to mind quickly.

Stones of granite wrote:

Zhivago wrote:

Digby wrote:
It's still tinkering. I don't know how many properties there are in the UK nor how many make up the housing market at any point in time, but airbnb can't be that big an issue. The gap between the new homes target and the number of new homes, the social housing stock, and the poor standard of build in materials and lack of worker skills are where to address the issue, though that's hard as that's also where the real problem is

It's a matter of supply and demand.

If you want more new homes built then you need demand for them. There's clearly sufficient demand from non-residents, why not focus that demand into new builds so that the new build stock will increase.

There is currently no shortage of demand for new-build houses. Lack of demand is not the problem, lack of supply of suitable land, and lack of supply of suitably skilled labour are far bigger issues.

Currently, the private sector rental market has a wide range of regulations with Local Authorities responsible for enforcement. That they are completely unable to effectively police existing regulations is obvious, going by the number of stories in the press and documentaries on TV. I wonder what makes you think they are going to be able to investigate the citizenship status of every private sector landlord on top of that.

Really big issues, and there are roles for government to play in addressing them as it's the sort of area all the private firms will try and leave for each other. I would as above add the dire situation in falling stocks of social housing, I'm not going to say right to buy should be removed but both the Tories and Labour have been far too lenient on councils replacing any stock sold off and something needs to change in that situation

Digby wrote:

Stones of granite wrote:

Zhivago wrote:
It's a matter of supply and demand.

If you want more new homes built then you need demand for them. There's clearly sufficient demand from non-residents, why not focus that demand into new builds so that the new build stock will increase.

There is currently no shortage of demand for new-build houses. Lack of demand is not the problem, lack of supply of suitable land, and lack of supply of suitably skilled labour are far bigger issues.

Currently, the private sector rental market has a wide range of regulations with Local Authorities responsible for enforcement. That they are completely unable to effectively police existing regulations is obvious, going by the number of stories in the press and documentaries on TV. I wonder what makes you think they are going to be able to investigate the citizenship status of every private sector landlord on top of that.

Really big issues, and there are roles for government to play in addressing them as it's the sort of area all the private firms will try and leave for each other. I would as above add the dire situation in falling stocks of social housing, I'm not going to say right to buy should be removed but both the Tories and Labour have been far too lenient on councils replacing any stock sold off and something needs to change in that situation

Agree with this, but not only are the stocks of social housing falling, but the quality of the stock is falling. Local Authorities are exempt from many of the regulations that Private Sector landlords have to adhere to, and cut corners on maintenance. Of course, some Private Sector properties are appalling, but that is largely because the LAs are ineffective in their regulatory role. The majority of Private Sector landlords look after their own properties, leaving the cowboys and the Councils to run theirs into the ground.

Britain's biggest problem is the majority of people who live here are cunts

Banning overseas ownership of homes wouldn’t solve the issue. Much of that housing is unaffordable. Change planning regs and build more homes, with a mix of types.

Stop treating the NHS as something mythical and let ok at models where other means of investment can work, not just the US. I’d prefer mandatory health insurance to cover all non emergency procedures.

A return to BR? Dear God no. I’d prefer some long term, ie 20-50 year planning on how transport will function in this country. Then look to resource infrastructure accordingly. Also look at other investment to reduce the need to travel. And ditch HS2 and reinvest into something useful.

At the risk of coming over as a complete twat, look at the bigger picture fellas. Plastic usage, climate change, soil degredation, over population, electricity production... it may seem important now but an elastoplast for the NHS and a couple of houses here and there are going to be pretty fucking far down the list of priorities in 100 years time.

I genuinely think all the issues mentioned in the OP need to be reconsidered in respect of the bigger challenges facing the world, not just how do we fix them in the short term. And the fact that US and China are being dicks about these environmental issues doesn't mean we should just ignore them. We have to do our bit now, and leave others up to their own conscience.

Sorry, I ended up coming over as a twat anyway, but its how I feel.

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Donny osmond wrote:At the risk of coming over as a complete twat, look at the bigger picture fellas. Plastic usage, climate change, soil degredation, over population, electricity production... it may seem important now but an elastoplast for the NHS and a couple of houses here and there are going to be pretty fucking far down the list of priorities in 100 years time.

I genuinely think all the issues mentioned in the OP need to be reconsidered in respect of the bigger challenges facing the world, not just how do we fix them in the short term. And the fact that US and China are being dicks about these environmental issues doesn't mean we should just ignore them. We have to do our bit now, and leave others up to their own conscience.

Sorry, I ended up coming over as a twat anyway, but its how I feel.

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Nah, ye’re alright Donny. Zhivago’s original post came over as someone posting superficial shite for the sake of posting something. Sort of like a scaled down Rowan. But it doesn’t detract from the fact that there are serious issues that need to be addressed, even if we don’t all agree on exactly what the priorities are or the best ways to address them.

Donny osmond wrote:At the risk of coming over as a complete twat, look at the bigger picture fellas. Plastic usage, climate change, soil degredation, over population, electricity production... it may seem important now but an elastoplast for the NHS and a couple of houses here and there are going to be pretty fucking far down the list of priorities in 100 years time.

I genuinely think all the issues mentioned in the OP need to be reconsidered in respect of the bigger challenges facing the world, not just how do we fix them in the short term. And the fact that US and China are being dicks about these environmental issues doesn't mean we should just ignore them. We have to do our bit now, and leave others up to their own conscience.

Sorry, I ended up coming over as a twat anyway, but its how I feel.

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I kind of agree, but you can’t concentrate on environmental at the expense of other areas.

I’m still curious how the diesel ban is going to work and what the practical alternatives are, particular if the preferred option is hybrid or electric, in which case where is the power generated, which feds into your post.

Sandydragon wrote:

Donny osmond wrote:At the risk of coming over as a complete twat, look at the bigger picture fellas. Plastic usage, climate change, soil degredation, over population, electricity production... it may seem important now but an elastoplast for the NHS and a couple of houses here and there are going to be pretty fucking far down the list of priorities in 100 years time.

I genuinely think all the issues mentioned in the OP need to be reconsidered in respect of the bigger challenges facing the world, not just how do we fix them in the short term. And the fact that US and China are being dicks about these environmental issues doesn't mean we should just ignore them. We have to do our bit now, and leave others up to their own conscience.

Sorry, I ended up coming over as a twat anyway, but its how I feel.

Sent from my HUAWEI VNS-L31 using Tapatalk

I kind of agree, but you can’t concentrate on environmental at the expense of other areas.

I’m still curious how the diesel ban is going to work and what the practical alternatives are, particular if the preferred option is hybrid or electric, in which case where is the power generated, which feds into your post.

I'm no absolutist, I recognize that other day to day issues are important, but we have to have things in perspective. Otherwise where do we stop? If we build all the houses we need this year, its just kicking the housing crisis into next year. If we all pony up and extra penny in tax for the NHS this year, it'll just mean that we need to have the same discussion again next year when the new, expanded NHS is again at capacity. Ditto travel, economy, etc. We cant just keep building our morality around an ever increasing economy, ever increasing population.

Is 'fixing the NHS' or building more houses or more roads or more cars necessarily always the right thing to do? If our only answer to a problem is to make more stuff and we live in a world running out of the resources needed to make more stuff... it kinda seems like we need to change our thinking, not just about how to address our problems but actually more fundamentally about what constitutes an actual problem.

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