Thread 1 Starmer: A New Hope

[DuncinToffee]

Please tread lightly on our dreams.

Previous thread
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5112428-thread-55-sunak-gives-up

What's STV?

Single Transferrable Vote. So you can order your preferences. Some variants include the ability to rank all the choices (or as many as you want).

Are you taking the piss? Labour haven't had time to sign and dental contracts, the tories were in charge of those for 14 years and could have changed them at any point if needed.

It's great that we've been building housing, Tower blocks have a smaller footprint. Unfortunately the housing built in the last few years has pretty much been a waste. It's not social housing which is desperately needed, and where we are is available for sale as freehold, so not what we need.

Here's to a new government with the chance to do better. Don't you think?

@L1ttledrummergirl

No. I'm not "taking the piss" but I understand my poorly written post has aided your confusion.

Under the "last" Labour government, unfortunately Tony Blair set in motion many things that were hidden by the outcry over Iraq then the credit crisis and so on.
Dental contracts that were set up under the Blair government are one of these things.
It was that the dentist on TV was quoting this am and he said its those contracts have led us to whereas we are and it needs to end.

Problem is those estates are not affordable council houses.

It’s the same in my town (Reading) - new apartments everywhere, but they are completely unaffordable to first time buyers. Even worse since the Elizabeth Line made Reading more of a commuter town than it already was.

And there is a national shortage, which is pushing up prices (supply and demand). And a crisis of families living in temporary accommodation.

This country hasn’t had a national house building plan really since the 70s.

With regards to dentists, I agree the dentist contracts were a disaster. They were brought in in 2006 and the Tories had 14 years to fix it. At least Labour is addressing it now.

That is ridiculous... but now we see if Labour scrap the right to buy council houses. I mean it's a bit late now since most of them have already been sold and they didn't scrap it when they were in power in the 90s. Or maybe they build new ones? But I doubt it, since the developers will run rings around them just like always.

Labour has a manifesto policy of building more social housing. Rayner has gone further and says she wants that to be her legacy. Commonsense dictates that right to buy has to go. The fly in that particular pot of ointment is that that’s how she got on the property ladder.

Does right to buy have to go, or would it work if the money raised from right to buy supplemental by additional money was given to councils to build new social housing?

That could work allied with reducing discounts and making qualification more stringent.

More appointments

Anneliese Dodds MP has been appointed Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

She has also been appointed Minister for Women and Equalities in the Department for Education

and

Nick Thomas-Symonds confirmed as Minister for the Constitution and European Relations

Sorry I can't read that. The smoke from FWR was in the way ...

Emily Thornberry confirms she’s not entering government and will return to the backbenches.

For a party that had no plan, they seem to have been busy planning ahead

Classy statement from Thornberry
https://x.com/EmilyThornberry/status/1810243213359288403

Oh bless her :(
I was wondering earlier if there was also an issue between dodds/nokes for women and equalities

Delighted re: AD

Not a fan of ET, but interesting she's been sidelined

Some really savvy appointments by the PM so far (excepting DL)

Personally, I'd like to see more done to tackle asb. It's a massive social issue and huge drain on resources

😅

Found this on twitter. No shi!t Sherlock...

Government have ended the onshore wind ban

I’ve mixed feelings on the house building front. It needs to be done with biodiversity in mind. Not these tiny unconnected little boxes which offer wildlife nothing.
it also needs to be done to make sure that people who live in the houses buy the houses. Not landlords bulk buying to rent out

A farm near us wanted to replace a no longer used grain silo with a wind turbine of similar height. Eventually it was permitted but the planning process was utterly ridiculous, and that was before the ban on new onshore wind.

They all seemed shocked about Brexit. Despite it looking at the very least close.
it strikes me they have spent 14 years surrounded by people who say how great they are

Ahhh, but he hasn’t specifically said he won’t be doing it, so that means he definitely will… 🤯

Very classy. It’s disappointing to see loyalty rewarded like this. Hopefully she’ll be given the chair of a heavyweight committee.

Welsh Labour scrapped it.