Thread 8 Starmer : Cat fur on new clothes

[DuncinToffee]

Previous thread

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5157500-thread-7-starmer-cats-and-conferences?page=40&reply=138415767

There was a whole trend for buying to let as an investment for a while. Realistically it would be better to build more social housing and proper affordable housing as opposed to what the large building companies designate as affordable housing.

Labour lost the vote on the WFA at conference. They need to listen!

www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/sep/25/labour-leadership-loses-conference-vote-on-winter-fuel-payments

This is right. The house builders have every incentive to manipulate and monopolise the market. Social housing (and housing that cannot be bought ever) is needed.

Absolutely. It’s the only way the housing crisis will ever be solved.

Yes - also there was a period where people could make money out of paying interest only mortgages and claiming the payments as tax relief (or something) so it was quite attractive to people to keep an existing flat and rent it when they upgraded. But that loophole is closed so those LL have sold and the "big" landlords have just passed on the costs (and the costs of Trusses mortgage mayhem).

I think the market is fucked to the point it can't be sorted by free market principles so rent control probably is the only option

Gove has a new job.

https://inews.co.uk/news/michael-gove-appointed-editor-spectator-3294634

He has been been appointed as the new editor of The Spectator magazine after its takeover by GB new co-owner Sir Paul Marshall.

I get that but with every policy there’s one minority or another that is affected negatively. Or alternatively if they try to tax the rich they’re chasing investment away or it’s the politics of envy. I don’t think they can win whatever they do. And sadly even the folk who’ll benefit by those policies will be influenced on SM to oppose them. That’s really how stupid some of us are. It’s really quite despairing..

Another headline, another froth thread on MN

Impressive speech from David Lammy

https://x.com/PoliticsJOE_UK/status/1838890883221000508

"I stand here also as a black man... whose ancestors rose up and fought in a great rebellion of the enslaved. Imperialism. I know it when I see it."

David Lamm accuses Russia of being a mafia state in unbelievable speech at the UN.

That was amazing. So powerful. 👏🏻👏🏻

Boom 💥
That kind of thing makes me proud to be British. Well done David Lammy 👏

I'm actually feeling quite emotional at listening to a foreign secretary in a government that I voted for say exactly what I want them to say. It's such a change.

That speech was something else, I've listened to it twice

I know. It’s so heartening. I loved his reference to the Russian representative being on his phone without breaking stride too. He’s a very impressive public speaker.

Yes, a very good speech. Happy with that.

I note his reference to Russian involvement in African countries. I think we've barely scratched the surface of Putin's influence, men and money there. I say 'we' - I am sure our securities services know a lot, it just doesn't make the media often.

I think that's a very good point re rent and interest rates on mortgaged let properties.

If you had a rental where your mortgage was £500 a month you may have rented at day £750.

If that £500 mortgage is now £750 your rent needs to increase dramatically to make it worth your while. Or sell.

Dues to rentals around here being high (£1.2 for 2 bed flat) I'm seeing more and more young people priced out of buying. They just cannot get a mortgage for £1k a month despite evidence of renting at a higher rate for years.

Isn't it just.

It worries me a lot when people don't speak up and speak out due to fear.

It's how we ended up in some situations especially where we had minority groups fighting over top trumps of who matters most.

We need people to stand up and speak the truth. Well done Lammy 👏👏👏

I never understood this when I rented. I still don’t understand it now I bought my home. Why?

I don't understand it either.

But there also seems to be an increase of requiring guarantor or for renting.

Maybe a similar thing for mortgages would work?

My issue with the removal of the WFA allowance from those not on Pension Credit quite apart from the disproportionate impact the further north you go is the lack of notice . Especially after he had a go at Sunak for considering it at PMQs in May

Being voted on quite literally weeks before people were expecting to receive it doesn't give people time to budget nor to apply for Pension Credits, given that there are many eligible who don't get it . I don't have personal experience, but I understand that the process for applying is not as simple and straightforward as it might be

It would've been much fairer to announce it as being put in place for next winter, so that people had a chance to plan and/or apply for Pension Credit if applicable.

The Labour Party is not managing its message well as at the moment it would appear that all its efforts to "plug the black hole" are impacting most on "ordinary" people: pensioners, potentially the long term sick, welfare recipients, non-repeal of the two child cap...

There doesn't appear to have been much done to address tax evasion (illegal), tax avoidance (legal but more should be done on loopholes), non-doms, energy pricing (and I don't count setting up GB Energy as addressing that ).....

There may be work going on but as I say, their messaging is crap at the moment.

I think it’s the law about what you can lend as a mortgage company which means it is based on income and long term financial risk. A guarantee arrangement for younger people would help a bit.

Economics really isn’t my strong point, I do think it’s daft that someone paying over a thousand a month if not much more whilst renting can’t get a mortgage as they have very little in the way of savings why can’t a mortgage be granted on proof of a clear rent account over say 2-3 years, some one upthread was musing that some properties could be bought at auction by LA for social housing I’ve noticed over the last few months on rightmove previous council flats for sale at fairly reasonable prices (for the area I live in) could the LA purchase these as start for replenishing housing stock, dunno must be innovative ways of acquiring housing, wish the government would be brave like they were after the war & embark on a massive house building programme, was reading an article recently on how some councils encouraged architects to design really amazing homes especially in the sixties & these buildings are still celebrated now.
yy David Lammy extremely powerful & very heartening.

There are people who had Northern Rock mortgages which were then sold on who are paying usurious rates of interest but can't get lower interest rate mortgages (and pay less ) because they fail the "affordability" test

So they are "mortgage prisoners" stuck paying even more because they supposedly can't pay more

https://amp.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/jul/23/northern-rock-mortgage-prisoners-sue-tsb-subsidiary-whistletree-bought-loans

https://somersetleveller.co.uk/news/somerset-veteran-among-thousands-of-mortgage-prisoners-hoping-for-compensation/

Confused, you will be

"It turns out all these years I've confused 'Journalist' with 'Mouthpiece.'"

High profile political journalist excited to reveal that he's recently discovered how to do journalism, just in time for the change in government.

https://x.com/Exploding_Heads/status/1838930222483116487

They are cheesed off because they have no drinkie invites and Labour is as tight as a drum by having next to no comms. And they have to write actual things