In 2015, without a particular reason to vote for or against a contender in the constituency, I felt that the Lib Dems deserved reward for doing the right thing in going into coalition more than they deserved punishment for the half the time in government they spent acting as if they were in opposition.
Sadly, since the election they have a leader who seems to believe the opposite. He also wants to overturn the referendum result thus boosting UKIP - something the country can't afford.
I find the Tories under May far preferable to Labour under Corbyn - the latter being so bad that I even paid to vote against him.
That's the short version.
Interesting and I'd certainly agree as to preferring May over Corbyn.
I'll leave your observations on the Coalition for another time. I think the country benefited hugely from stable Government from 2010-15 but from the word go it was always going to be a one-off one-term arrangement specifically to provide that stability.
The wilful misrepresentation of the LD and Tim Farron's position is to be expected but needs to be challenged. Tim and the LDs are not proposing a "re-run" of the 2016 referendum but are proposing a referendum on the outcome of the A50 negotiations - the final Treaty (assuming there is one).
I have two problems with that position:
1) There's no scope for referenda within the A50 process. The final Treaty does have to be ratified by both the UK Government and the 27 EU Governments and it's not hard to imagine some problems with both. The negotiation period could be extended (whatever the rules currently say) if Poland or Croatia or Spain or whoever is sticking on a point.
2) What kind of Treaty would clear the UK Parliament ? I am opposed to the Single Market and Freedom of Movement but that doesn't mean I don't want a mutually advantageous economic arrangement with the EU. I also want a clear immigration policy applicable to all which allows for genuine refugees and the skills our economy needs but which may lack.
I suspect that's not where Tim and the LDs are though I could be wrong and until we see a negotiated Treaty it will be hard to judge.
My problem with it is he seems to be proposing "negotiated deal or Remain on previous terms", which is impossible.
"Negotiated deal or job deal at all/WTO" (the Noel Edmonds referendum) is possible but (as the Greeks showed) a really dumb idea. But that doesn't seem to be the proposal.
I don’t think anyones suggesting that as such. A policy of ‘we will listen to the people who are running thye NHS as to how much is is necessary, not try and fit the aservice to some pre-determined figure plucked out of the air’ might well attract support
Something like that, anyway!
I doubt that the country could afford to leave it to the suppliers to decide how much should be spent, Mr. Cole. There are after all other legitimate demands on the public purse. Furthermore, experience of the Brown years shows that turning on the money taps does not of itself result in a commensurate improvement in outcomes, and that is not only in relation to the NHS.
See what you mean. Perhaps has to be an overall figure. However what is indiputable is that this country spends something less on the NHS that other countries, excluding the US do on the comparative services, and AFAIK health spending iusn’t such a football elsewhere.
I stand by my opinion though, that leaving managment to manage and not indulging in re-organisation for it’s own sake woud be a Good Thing!
".... home ownership becomes increasingly difficult in cities ..."
I was up in Durham this last week and, as one does, took a peek into some estate agents windows. Property is insanely cheap up there. What down here in Sussex would be £1m plus can be had up there for less than £400k. A reasonable three bed semi for about £100K. Food and drink prices were pretty much on a par with the South East outside London but property was dirt cheap. Good jobs seem to be on offer too, if not in Durham itself then in towns in easy commutable distance (e.g. Darlington).
On the other side of the coin I read this morning that average house prices in London have now reached 12 times median income as opposed to 4 times in 1997.
Possibly the youngsters need to be looking North.
From personal anecdote many already have done so.
Twenty years ago it was very rare to hear a 'cockney' accent in South Yorkshire but now its an unusual trip to the supermarket when I don't hear one.
Whether the 'cockney' accents I hear are Londoners or more general south-east people I couldn't say.
Lets face it Roger you're about to become as obsolete as the British motorcycle industry.
Globalisation and automation are inexorable and all those 'creative' middle class types in the West will soon be creating nothing but their own sorrow and anger
It'll be Jeremy Kyle for you soon.
Still the really talented British creatives will become even richer. But that means SeanT not the hipsters of Hoxton.
If you want a picture of the future Roger, imagine SeanT stamping on your face - for ever.
Even SeanT needs awful, disgusting unpatriotic publicists, publishers and marketers to promote his
I seem to have touched a sore spot.
You know I'm right.
Globalisation and automation are going to cut a swathe through alling earnings, anger, housing problems and a longing for 'how things used to be'.
The middle class is by definition the middle income sector of the population with a reasonable level of education, there may emerge iddle class
There will still be middle class jobs but will there be middle class lifestyles to go
One aspect we're already seeing is the decline in Conservative performance in suburbia as home ownership becomes increasingly difficult in cities.
Or, to return to the beginning of the discussion, what happens to the London based 'creatives' who realise that globalisation and automation have destroyed the role they thought they would have (and acquired huge debts to do so).
Home ownership will increasingly depend on wealth being passed from parents to children in order to get on the housing ladder but on your broader point you ontinue for some time
In Britain at least home ownership is a necessary part of being middle class - if you can't afford a home where you live you're not really middle class.
Falling home ownership is going to have socio-political implications - from the collapse of the Conservative position in large urban areas to the bitterness those who have traditional middle class jobs but aren't home owners feel to working class home owners.
On the whole but if you rent privately in central London you are almost certainly middle class. Though again home ownership will increasingly depend on parents passing down some of their increased wealth to their children in order to get them on the housing ladder, it may be ownership at a later stage but it would still be ownership
".... home ownership becomes increasingly difficult in cities ..."
I was up in Durham this last week and, as one does, took a peek into some estate agents windows. Property is insanely cheap up there. What down here in Sussex would be £1m plus can be had up there for less than £400k. A reasonable three bed semi for about £100K. Food and drink prices were pretty much on a par with the South East outside London but property was dirt cheap. Good jobs seem to be on offer too, if not in Durham itself then in towns in easy commutable distance (e.g. Darlington).
On the other side of the coin I read this morning that average house prices in London have now reached 12 times median income as opposed to 4 times in 1997.
Possibly the youngsters need to be looking North.
Wages are lower up here, with less jobs. There's a reason why property is cheaper especially in County Durham.
Is that really so? Other prices seem commensurate with Sussex. A pint in an ordinary pub was about £3.80, a main course for £12 or so, a night's B&B for two £80. The pubs seemed full and no sign of excessive poverty (far less in fact that in Brighton or London).
The middle class is by definition the middle income sector of the population with a reasonable level of education, there may emerge iddle class
There will still be middle class jobs but will there be middle class lifestyles to go
One aspect we're already seeing is the decline in Conservative performance in suburbia as home ownership becomes increasingly difficult in cities.
Or, to return to the beginning of the discussion, what happens to the London based 'creatives' who realise that globalisation and automation have destroyed the role they thought they would have (and acquired huge debts to do so).
Home ownership will increasingly depend on wealth being passed from parents to children in order to get on the housing ladder but on your broader point you ontinue for some time
In Britain at least home ownership is a necessary part of being middle class - if you can't afford a home where you live you're not really middle class.
Falling home ownership is going to have socio-political implications - from the collapse of the Conservative position in large urban areas to the bitterness those who have traditional middle class jobs but aren't home owners feel to working class home owners.
On the whole but if you rent privately in central London you are almost certainly middle class. Though again home ownership will increasingly depend on parents passing down some of their increased wealth to their children in order to get them on the housing ladder, it may be ownership at a later stage but it would still be ownership
No, people who rent a room when they're young might be the future middle class.
But there's a point when people need to stop deceiving themselves and realise that they're not really middle class.
Now its possible that they could be middle class in other parts of the country but that's a choice they have to make - being actual middle class in places which sound like lower division teams or pretending to be middle class in places which sound like Premiership teams
That's not a criticism - for some people being based in London is by itself important, for others home ownership is.
In Britain at least home ownership is a necessary part of being middle class - if you can't afford a home where you live you're not really middle class.
Falling home ownership is going to have socio-political implications - from the collapse of the Conservative position in large urban areas to the bitterness those who have traditional middle class jobs but aren't home owners feel to working class home owners.
I see no long term reason why falling home ownership needs to be a reality outside London. Too many seem to think that nothing that exists outside the M25 matters.
".... home ownership becomes increasingly difficult in cities ..."
I was up in Durham this last week and, as one does, took a peek into some estate agents windows. Property is insanely cheap up there. What down here in Sussex would be £1m plus can be had up there for less than £400k. A reasonable three bed semi for about £100K. Food and drink prices were pretty much on a par with the South East outside London but property was dirt cheap. Good jobs seem to be on offer too, if not in Durham itself then in towns in easy commutable distance (e.g. Darlington).
On the other side of the coin I read this morning that average house prices in London have now reached 12 times median income as opposed to 4 times in 1997.
Possibly the youngsters need to be looking North.
Wages are lower up here, with less jobs. There's a reason why property is cheaper especially in County Durham.
Is that really so? Other prices seem commensurate with Sussex. A pint in an ordinary pub was about £3.80, a main course for £12 or so, a night's B&B for two £80. The pubs seemed full and no sign of excessive poverty (far less in fact that in Brighton or London).
Those prices seem quite high to me - are those from the City of Durham itself ?
If so they're likely to be lower in the surrounding area than in the touristy / studenty / middle class part of County Durham.
Here we are! Opinium 11th – 12th April Tory 38% (-3%) Labour 29% (+1%) UKIP 14% (+1%) LDem 7% (-1%) Other 12% (+2%)
I'd take that at a General Election. Would you?
At a General Election held in the next couple of months, I would. It also reiforces my view that Labour could poll 35% or so by 2020 under a new leader.
The middle class is by definition the middle income sector of the population with a reasonable level of education, there may emerge iddle class
There will still be middle class jobs but will there be middle class lifestyles to go
One aspect we're already seeing is the decline in Conservative performance in suburbia as home ownership becomes increasingly difficult in cities.
Or, to return to the beginning of the discussion, what happens to the London based 'creatives' who realise that globalisation and automation have destroyed the role they thought they would have (and acquired huge debts to do so).
Home ownership will increasingly depend on wealth being passed from parents to children in order to get on the housing ladder but on your broader point you ontinue for some time
In Britain at least home ownership is a necessary part of being middle class - if you can't afford a home where you live you're not really middle class.
Falling home ownership is going to have socio-political implications - from the collapse of the Conservative position in large urban areas to the bitterness those who have traditional middle class jobs but aren't home owners feel to working class home owners.
On the whole but if you rent privately in central London you are almost certainly middle class. Though again home ownership will increasingly depend on parents passing down some of their increased wealth to their children in order to get them on the housing ladder, it may be ownership at a later stage but it would still be ownership
No, people who rent a room when they're young might be the future middle class.
But there's a point when people need to stop deceiving themselves and realise that they're not really middle class.
Now its possible that they could be middle class in other parts of the country but that's a choice they have to make - being actual middle class in places which sound like lower division teams or pretending to be middle class in places which sound like Premiership teams
That's not a criticism - for some people being based in London is by itself important, for others home ownership is.
If your parents own a home in London or the South East then you get them to pass some of that wealth down to help you to get on the housing ladder if you live there
Here we are! Opinium 11th – 12th April Tory 38% (-3%) Labour 29% (+1%) UKIP 14% (+1%) LDem 7% (-1%) Other 12% (+2%)
I'd take that at a General Election. Would you?
At a General Election held in the next couple of months, I would. It also reiforces my view that Labour could poll 35% or so by 2020 under a new leader.
That's like a six percent swing. When did Labour as an opposition party last get a six percent Swing from what it was polling midterm? You could just as plausibly poll 23%
In Britain at least home ownership is a necessary part of being middle class - if you can't afford a home where you live you're not really middle class.
Falling home ownership is going to have socio-political implications - from the collapse of the Conservative position in large urban areas to the bitterness those who have traditional middle class jobs but aren't home owners feel to working class home owners.
I see no long term reason why falling home ownership needs to be a reality outside London. Too many seem to think that nothing that exists outside the M25 matters.
Certainly home ownership outside London will remain high and there's likely to be an increasing difference in home ownership levels between London and elsewhere.
That will be a problem if the political and economic establishment regard London as the 'normal' or as something the rest of the country should aspire to be like.
Here we are! Opinium 11th – 12th April Tory 38% (-3%) Labour 29% (+1%) UKIP 14% (+1%) LDem 7% (-1%) Other 12% (+2%)
I'd take that at a General Election. Would you?
At a General Election held in the next couple of months, I would. It also reiforces my view that Labour could poll 35% or so by 2020 under a new leader.
Fat chance, at most they would get Labour back to Ed Miliband levels, no way they get up to 35% by 2020
N.B. HOPE THIS COMES OUT OK; I'M HAVING TO EDIT OUT THE OLDER COMMENTS
In Britain at least home ownership is a necessary part of being middle class - if you can't afford a home where you live you're not really middle class.
Falling home ownership is going to have socio-political implications - from the collapse of the Conservative position in large urban areas to the bitterness those who have traditional middle class jobs but aren't home owners feel to working class home owners.
We'll have to change. I don't even think Americans are as committed to home ownership as we have been, partly because their suburban houses are glorified garden sheds (wood, felt roofs) and clearly aren't appreciating assets. They rot, burn and can be eaten by termites.
It was pointed out a while ago that Europe's highest owner-occupation rate is Bulgaria and its lowest is Switzerland. Where would you rather live?
Your point about obessession with owner-occupation wasn't entirely valid in the mid 20th.C. (Some on PB were born then!!)
There were middle class people in the 1950s and 1960s - e.g., some friends of my parents - who believed that it was perfectly OK to rent a home from the council their whole life. Going back a bit further, the Swedish Prime Minister in the 30s lived in a council house.
I think if you take away the tax giveaways, the incentive drops away. We'd become a bit more like Germany, where people who move around a lot between jobs tend to rent and people who run a business in one place all their life tend to become owners.
N.B. HOPE THIS COMES OUT OK; I'M HAVING TO EDIT OUT THE OLDER COMMENTS
'In Britain at least home ownership is a necessary part of being middle class - if you can't afford a home where you live you're not really middle class.
Falling home ownership is going to have socio-political implications - from the collapse of the Conservative position in large urban areas to the bitterness those who have traditional middle class jobs but aren't home owners feel to working class home owners.
We'll have to change. I don't even think Americans are as committed to home ownership as we have been, partly because their suburban houses are glorified garden sheds (wood, felt roofs) and clearly aren't appreciating assets. They rot, burn and can be eaten by termites.
It was pointed out a while ago that Europe's highest owner-occupation rate is Bulgaria and its lowest is Switzerland. Where would you rather live?
Your point about obessession with owner-occupation wasn't entirely valid in the mid 20th.C. (Some on PB were born then!!)
There were middle class people in the 1950s and 1960s - e.g., some friends of my parents - who believed that it was perfectly OK to rent a home from the council their whole life. Going back a bit further, the Swedish Prime Minister in the 30s lived in a council house.
I think if you take away the tax giveaways, the incentive drops away. We'd become a bit more like Germany, where people who move around a lot between jobs tend to rent and people who run a business in one place all their life tend to become owners'.
We need to be cautious about crossbreaks , but the details of the Opinium poll are interesting. The Tories are shown as 20% ahead of Labour in Scotland - and 2% ahead in Wales! I suspect that Tory strength in relation to Labour there is being somewhat exaggerated for both areas. On the other hand, the Tories only have a lead of 8% in England - compared with 9.5% in 2015. That implies a swing to Labour of 0.75% compare with two years ago. That also strikes me as unlikely at present!
Here we are! Opinium 11th – 12th April Tory 38% (-3%) Labour 29% (+1%) UKIP 14% (+1%) LDem 7% (-1%) Other 12% (+2%)
I'd take that at a General Election. Would you?
At a General Election held in the next couple of months, I would. It also reiforces my view that Labour could poll 35% or so by 2020 under a new leader.
Fat chance, at most they would get Labour back to Ed Miliband levels, no way they get up to 35% by 2020
A year ago they were polling in the low 30s - even under Corbyn!
We need to be cautious about crossbreaks , but the details of the Opinium poll are interesting. The Tories are shown as 20% ahead of Labour in Scotland - and 2% ahead in Wales! I suspect that Tory strength in relation to Labour there is being somewhat exaggerated for both areas. On the other hand, the Tories only have a lead of 8% in England - compared with 9.5% in 2015. That implies a swing to Labour of 0.75% compare with two years ago. That also strikes me as unlikely at present!
A 0.75% swing to Labour is something out of the Infinite Improbability Drive.
N.B. HOPE THIS COMES OUT OK; I'M HAVING TO EDIT OUT THE OLDER COMMENTS
'In Britain at least home ownership is a necessary part of being middle class - if you can't afford a home where you live you're not really middle class.
We'll have to change. I don't even think Americans are as committed to home ownership as we have been, partly because their suburban houses are glorified garden sheds (wood, felt roofs) and clearly aren't appreciating assets. They rot, burn and can be eaten by termites.
It was pointed out a while ago that Europe's highest owner-occupation rate is Bulgaria and its lowest is Switzerland. Where would you rather live?
Your point about obessession with owner-occupation wasn't entirely valid in the mid 20th.C. (Some on PB were born then!!)
There were middle class people in the 1950s and 1960s - e.g., some friends of my parents - who believed that it was perfectly OK to rent a home from the council their whole life. Going back a bit further, the Swedish Prime Minister in the 30s lived in a council house.
I think if you take away the tax giveaways, the incentive drops away. We'd become a bit more like Germany, where people who move around a lot between jobs tend to rent and people who run a business in one place all their life tend to become owners'.
Here we are! Opinium 11th – 12th April Tory 38% (-3%) Labour 29% (+1%) UKIP 14% (+1%) LDem 7% (-1%) Other 12% (+2%)
Do we know to what extend, if at all, they have adjusted their methodology since the 2015 catastrophe? I remember all the post mortems that the pollsters were carrying out, but I'm not sure what conclusions they came to or what was done as a result. Probably my inattentiveness rather than any lack of info on this or other sites...
Utter utter rubbish - are they honestly suggesting that since GE 2015 the Lib Dems have lost support and UKIP have gained?
Here we are! Opinium 11th – 12th April Tory 38% (-3%) Labour 29% (+1%) UKIP 14% (+1%) LDem 7% (-1%) Other 12% (+2%)
I'd take that at a General Election. Would you?
At a General Election held in the next couple of months, I would. It also reiforces my view that Labour could poll 35% or so by 2020 under a new leader.
Fat chance, at most they would get Labour back to Ed Miliband levels, no way they get up to 35% by 2020
A year ago they were polling in the low 30s - even under Corbyn!
So no better than Ed Miliband then and they are now polling worse than Miliband did
I don't even think Americans are as committed to home ownership as we have been, partly because their suburban houses are glorified garden sheds (wood, felt roofs) and clearly aren't appreciating assets. They rot, burn and can be eaten by termites.
No house is an appreciating asset as a result of how it's made. It only appreciates when demand increases - in the British context, demand that is either highly debt-fuelled (setting prices in the vast majority of the market) or a result of the very rich getting relatively richer (the top part of the market).
".... home ownership becomes increasingly difficult in cities ..."
I was up in Durham this last week and, as one does, took a peek into some estate agents windows. Property is insanely cheap up there. What down here in Sussex would be £1m plus can be had up there for less than £400k. A reasonable three bed semi for about £100K. Food and drink prices were pretty much on a par with the South East outside London but property was dirt cheap. Good jobs seem to be on offer too, if not in Durham itself then in towns in easy commutable distance (e.g. Darlington).
On the other side of the coin I read this morning that average house prices in London have now reached 12 times median income as opposed to 4 times in 1997.
Possibly the youngsters need to be looking North.
Wages are lower up here, with less jobs. There's a reason why property is cheaper especially in County Durham.
Is that really so? Other prices seem commensurate with Sussex. A pint in an ordinary pub was about £3.80, a main course for £12 or so, a night's B&B for two £80. The pubs seemed full and no sign of excessive poverty (far less in fact that in Brighton or London).
Those prices seem quite high to me - are those from the City of Durham itself ?
If so they're likely to be lower in the surrounding area than in the touristy / studenty / middle class part of County Durham.
I can confirm that property prices are much higher in Durham City than in surrounding areas. For real value for money get out to Spennymoor or Bishop Auckland. Just as easy to commute to Darlo.
Here we are! Opinium 11th – 12th April Tory 38% (-3%) Labour 29% (+1%) UKIP 14% (+1%) LDem 7% (-1%) Other 12% (+2%)
I'd take that at a General Election. Would you?
At a General Election held in the next couple of months, I would. It also reiforces my view that Labour could poll 35% or so by 2020 under a new leader.
That's like a six percent swing. When did Labour as an opposition party last get a six percent Swing from what it was polling midterm? You could just as plausibly poll 23%
N.B. HOPE THIS COMES OUT OK; I'M HAVING TO EDIT OUT THE OLDER COMMENTS
'In Britain at least home ownership is a necessary part of being middle class - if you can't afford a home where you live you're not really middle class.
We'll have to change. I don't even think Americans are as committed to home ownership as we have been, partly because their suburban houses are glorified garden sheds (wood, felt roofs) and clearly aren't appreciating assets. They rot, burn and can be eaten by termites.
It was pointed out a while ago that Europe's highest owner-occupation rate is Bulgaria and its lowest is Switzerland. Where would you rather live?
Your point about obessession with owner-occupation wasn't entirely valid in the mid 20th.C. (Some on PB were born then!!)
There were middle class people in the 1950s and 1960s - e.g., some friends of my parents - who believed that it was perfectly OK to rent a home from the council their whole life. Going back a bit further, the Swedish Prime Minister in the 30s lived in a council house.
I think if you take away the tax giveaways, the incentive drops away. We'd become a bit more like Germany, where people who move around a lot between jobs tend to rent and people who run a business in one place all their life tend to become owners'.
Split sample asking whether people approve of various Lab policies - half sample are told they are Lab policies, other half are told they are Corbyn policies - will show Corbyn effect:
N.B. HOPE THIS COMES OUT OK; I'M HAVING TO EDIT OUT THE OLDER COMMENTS
'In Britain at least home ownership is a necessary part of being middle class - if you can't afford a home where you live you're not really middle class.'
We'll have to change. I don't even think Americans are as committed to home ownership as we have been, partly because their suburban houses are glorified garden sheds (wood, felt roofs) and clearly aren't appreciating assets. They rot, burn and can be eaten by termites.
It was pointed out a while ago that Europe's highest owner-occupation rate is Bulgaria and its lowest is Switzerland. Where would you rather live?
Your point about obessession with owner-occupation wasn't entirely valid in the mid 20th.C. (Some on PB were born then!!)
There were middle class people in the 1950s and 1960s - e.g., some friends of my parents - who believed that it was perfectly OK to rent a home from the council their whole life. Going back a bit further, the Swedish Prime Minister in the 30s lived in a council house.
I think if you take away the tax giveaways, the incentive drops away. We'd become a bit more like Germany, where people who move around a lot between jobs tend to rent and people who run a business in one place all their life tend to become owners.
Good luck in changing from 'home ownership is good' to 'renting is good'.
Especially when home ownership is at higher levels in other countries.
The people who lose out from change - in this case those people who would have been able to own a home a decade or two ago but now can't - tend to be upset and tend to vote against governments which caused the change.
Here we are! Opinium 11th – 12th April Tory 38% (-3%) Labour 29% (+1%) UKIP 14% (+1%) LDem 7% (-1%) Other 12% (+2%)
I'd take that at a General Election. Would you?
At a General Election held in the next couple of months, I would. It also reiforces my view that Labour could poll 35% or so by 2020 under a new leader.
That's like a six percent swing. When did Labour as an opposition party last get a six percent Swing from what it was polling midterm? You could just as plausibly poll 23%
It is not 'swing' - but an increase in party vote share. 'Swing' is change in party lead divided by two. To answer your question re-precedent - in May 1999 Labour led the Tories by 20 - 24% in the polls. It won the 2001 election by circa 9%. . In May 2003 Labour led by roughly 10% on average - and went on to win in 2005 by 3%.
".... home ownership becomes increasingly difficult in cities ..."
I was up in Durham this last week and, as one does, took a peek into some estate agents windows. Property is insanely cheap up there. What down here in Sussex would be £1m plus can be had up there for less than £400k. A reasonable three bed semi for about £100K. Food and drink prices were pretty much on a par with the South East outside London but property was dirt cheap. Good jobs seem to be on offer too, if not in Durham itself then in towns in easy commutable distance (e.g. Darlington).
On the other side of the coin I read this morning that average house prices in London have now reached 12 times median income as opposed to 4 times in 1997.
Possibly the youngsters need to be looking North.
Wages are lower up here, with less jobs. There's a reason why property is cheaper especially in County Durham.
Is that really so? Other prices seem commensurate with Sussex. A pint in an ordinary pub was about £3.80, a main course for £12 or so, a night's B&B for two £80. The pubs seemed full and no sign of excessive poverty (far less in fact that in Brighton or London).
Those prices seem quite high to me - are those from the City of Durham itself ?
If so they're likely to be lower in the surrounding area than in the touristy / studenty / middle class part of County Durham.
Yes, from the City itself, as were the property prices I mentioned in an earlier post. The pubs we used were not all in the city centre but admittedly within a ten minute walk of it. Tea shops were also on a par with SE prices, though the standard of cake was generally higher.
I'll take this occasion to put in a plug for the Victoria Inn, Hallgarth Street, where we stayed. A fine unspoilt victorian boozer, excellent beer, lovely people on both sides of the bar, very comfortable rooms and a decent breakfast. Oh, and fine home made pickled eggs.
Here we are! Opinium 11th – 12th April Tory 38% (-3%) Labour 29% (+1%) UKIP 14% (+1%) LDem 7% (-1%) Other 12% (+2%)
I'd take that at a General Election. Would you?
At a General Election held in the next couple of months, I would. It also reiforces my view that Labour could poll 35% or so by 2020 under a new leader.
Fat chance, at most they would get Labour back to Ed Miliband levels, no way they get up to 35% by 2020
A year ago they were polling in the low 30s - even under Corbyn!
So no better than Ed Miliband then and they are now polling worse than Miliband did
Miliband was a good leader. The Tory media hatchet job [ bacon sandwich ] was done to destroy him early. After all, there was a swing to Labour from the Tories in England.
Certainly home ownership outside London will remain high and there's likely to be an increasing difference in home ownership levels between London and elsewhere.
Especially given that people in London are more likely to live in flats and flats in Britain are rarely properly owned by their residents.
Split sample asking whether people approve of various Lab policies - half sample are told they are Lab policies, other half are told they are Corbyn policies - will show Corbyn effect: [snip]
That looks as though it may be a fascinating poll for once – or not… Roll on 6pm.
We need to be cautious about crossbreaks , but the details of the Opinium poll are interesting. The Tories are shown as 20% ahead of Labour in Scotland - and 2% ahead in Wales! I suspect that Tory strength in relation to Labour there is being somewhat exaggerated for both areas. On the other hand, the Tories only have a lead of 8% in England - compared with 9.5% in 2015. That implies a swing to Labour of 0.75% compare with two years ago. That also strikes me as unlikely at present!
A 0.75% swing to Labour is something out of the Infinite Improbability Drive.
Very unlikely at the moment - though not impossible in London perhaps. The figures for Wales and Scotland seem unlikely in the opposite direction.
Here we are! Opinium 11th – 12th April Tory 38% (-3%) Labour 29% (+1%) UKIP 14% (+1%) LDem 7% (-1%) Other 12% (+2%)
I'd take that at a General Election. Would you?
At a General Election held in the next couple of months, I would. It also reiforces my view that Labour could poll 35% or so by 2020 under a new leader.
That's like a six percent swing. When did Labour as an opposition party last get a six percent Swing from what it was polling midterm? You could just as plausibly poll 23%
Justin did say under a new leader. So you cannot compare with the recent past. Look what happened to the SPD in Germany.
Here we are! Opinium 11th – 12th April Tory 38% (-3%) Labour 29% (+1%) UKIP 14% (+1%) LDem 7% (-1%) Other 12% (+2%)
I'd take that at a General Election. Would you?
At a General Election held in the next couple of months, I would. It also reiforces my view that Labour could poll 35% or so by 2020 under a new leader.
Fat chance, at most they would get Labour back to Ed Miliband levels, no way they get up to 35% by 2020
A year ago they were polling in the low 30s - even under Corbyn!
So no better than Ed Miliband then and they are now polling worse than Miliband did
Miliband was a good leader. The Tory media hatchet job [ bacon sandwich ] was done to destroy him early. After all, there was a swing to Labour from the Tories in England.
Drivel, the Ed Miliband hatchet job started with Peter Mendelson before Ed was even elected.
Look what supporting the UK did to Labour in Scotland ? We were correctly labelled Tory poodle because that is what we were and still are. SLAB should be independent and then should come out for independence.
Here we are! Opinium 11th – 12th April Tory 38% (-3%) Labour 29% (+1%) UKIP 14% (+1%) LDem 7% (-1%) Other 12% (+2%)
I'd take that at a General Election. Would you?
At a General Election held in the next couple of months, I would. It also reiforces my view that Labour could poll 35% or so by 2020 under a new leader.
Fat chance, at most they would get Labour back to Ed Miliband levels, no way they get up to 35% by 2020
A year ago they were polling in the low 30s - even under Corbyn!
So no better than Ed Miliband then and they are now polling worse than Miliband did
Miliband was a good leader. The Tory media hatchet job [ bacon sandwich ] was done to destroy him early. After all, there was a swing to Labour from the Tories in England.
As a Labour leader Miliband was better than Foot and Corbyn but worse than Kinnock
Look what supporting the UK did to Labour in Scotland ? We were correctly labelled Tory poodle because that is what we were and still are. SLAB should be independent and then should come out for independence.
Wrong on both counts. You were portrayed as the SNP poodle which would be even more true to English voters if Labour came out for independence while your remaining Scottish unionist voters would move to the Tories or LDs
".... home ownership becomes increasingly difficult in cities ..."
I was up in Durham this last week and, as one does, took a peek into some estate agents windows. Property is insanely cheap up there. What down here in Sussex would be £1m plus can be had up there for less than £400k. A reasonable three bed semi for about £100K. Food and drink prices were pretty much on a par with the South East outside London but property was dirt cheap. Good jobs seem to be on offer too, if not in Durham itself then in towns in easy commutable distance (e.g. Darlington).
On the other side of the coin I read this morning that average house prices in London have now reached 12 times median income as opposed to 4 times in 1997.
Possibly the youngsters need to be looking North.
The Land Registry figures show that house prices in several London boroughs are falling at an annualised rate of 20% since January so perhaps a correction is underway.
Split sample asking whether people approve of various Lab policies - half sample are told they are Lab policies, other half are told they are Corbyn policies - will show Corbyn effect:
Here we are! Opinium 11th – 12th April Tory 38% (-3%) Labour 29% (+1%) UKIP 14% (+1%) LDem 7% (-1%) Other 12% (+2%)
I'd take that at a General Election. Would you?
At a General Election held in the next couple of months, I would. It also reiforces my view that Labour could poll 35% or so by 2020 under a new leader.
That's like a six percent swing. When did Labour as an opposition party last get a six percent Swing from what it was polling midterm? You could just as plausibly poll 23%
Justin did say under a new leader. So you cannot compare with the recent past. Look what happened to the SPD in Germany.
N.B. HOPE THIS COMES OUT OK; I'M HAVING TO EDIT OUT THE OLDER COMMENTS
'In Britain at least home ownership is a necessary part of being middle class - if you can't afford a home where you live you're not really middle class.'
We'll have to change. I don't even think Americans are as committed to home ownership as we have been, partly because their suburban houses are glorified garden sheds (wood, felt roofs) and clearly aren't appreciating assets. They rot, burn and can be eaten by termites.
It was pointed out a while ago that Europe's highest owner-occupation rate is Bulgaria and its lowest is Switzerland. Where would you rather live?
Your point about obessession with owner-occupation wasn't entirely valid in the mid 20th.C. (Some on PB were born then!!)
There were middle class people in the 1950s and 1960s - e.g., some friends of my parents - who believed that it was perfectly OK to rent a home from the council their whole life. Going back a bit further, the Swedish Prime Minister in the 30s lived in a council house.
I think if you take away the tax giveaways, the incentive drops away. We'd become a bit more like Germany, where people who move around a lot between jobs tend to rent and people who run a business in one place all their life tend to become owners.
Good luck in changing from 'home ownership is good' to 'renting is good'.
Especially when home ownership is at higher levels in other countries.
The people who lose out from change - in this case those people who would have been able to own a home a decade or two ago but now can't - tend to be upset and tend to vote against governments which caused the change.
Home ownership is at lower levels in other civilised countries, e.g. Germany, Switzerland. The UK is about level with Denmark, US, New Zealand.
Fair rent/secure tenancies applies to most rented accommodation in Germany. That's why people don't mind renting. If your landlord is Peter Rachman, of course you'll be desperate to buy a place.
Ditto if the government gives you total relief from capital gains tax and no longer imposes any tax on the notional rental value (the former rates), plus lenders want to give you 95% loans (it's 60% maximum in Germany). Those tax perks guarantee that people with enough money will queue up to speculate with borrowed money and triple their 5% equity in 1-2 years.
Here we are! Opinium 11th – 12th April Tory 38% (-3%) Labour 29% (+1%) UKIP 14% (+1%) LDem 7% (-1%) Other 12% (+2%)
I'd take that at a General Election. Would you?
At a General Election held in the next couple of months, I would. It also reiforces my view that Labour could poll 35% or so by 2020 under a new leader.
Fat chance, at most they would get Labour back to Ed Miliband levels, no way they get up to 35% by 2020
A year ago they were polling in the low 30s - even under Corbyn!
So no better than Ed Miliband then and they are now polling worse than Miliband did
Miliband was a good leader. The Tory media hatchet job [ bacon sandwich ] was done to destroy him early. After all, there was a swing to Labour from the Tories in England.
Lol - he was so good that it only took a bacon sandwich to destroy him - what 's the weather like on your planet?
Here we are! Opinium 11th – 12th April Tory 38% (-3%) Labour 29% (+1%) UKIP 14% (+1%) LDem 7% (-1%) Other 12% (+2%)
I'd take that at a General Election. Would you?
At a General Election held in the next couple of months, I would. It also reiforces my view that Labour could poll 35% or so by 2020 under a new leader.
Fat chance, at most they would get Labour back to Ed Miliband levels, no way they get up to 35% by 2020
A year ago they were polling in the low 30s - even under Corbyn!
So no better than Ed Miliband then and they are now polling worse than Miliband did
Miliband was a good leader. The Tory media hatchet job [ bacon sandwich ] was done to destroy him early. After all, there was a swing to Labour from the Tories in England.
Lol - he was so good that it only took a bacon sandwich to destroy him - what 's the weather like on your planet?
And some serious rewriting of history by surbution of how the incident came about.
And of course all the other times he made a twat of himself was evil Tory medias fault. Even left wing comedians thought he was a total joke.
Look what supporting the UK did to Labour in Scotland ? We were correctly labelled Tory poodle because that is what we were and still are. SLAB should be independent and then should come out for independence.
Here we are! Opinium 11th – 12th April Tory 38% (-3%) Labour 29% (+1%) UKIP 14% (+1%) LDem 7% (-1%) Other 12% (+2%)
I'd take that at a General Election. Would you?
At a General Election held in the next couple of months, I would. It also reiforces my view that Labour could poll 35% or so by 2020 under a new leader.
Fat chance, at most they would get Labour back to Ed Miliband levels, no way they get up to 35% by 2020
A year ago they were polling in the low 30s - even under Corbyn!
So no better than Ed Miliband then and they are now polling worse than Miliband did
Miliband was a good leader. The Tory media hatchet job [ bacon sandwich ] was done to destroy him early. After all, there was a swing to Labour from the Tories in England.
Lol - he was so good that it only took a bacon sandwich to destroy him - what 's the weather like on your planet?
And some serious rewriting of history by surbution of how the incident came about.
And of course all the other times he made a twat of himself was evil Tory medias fault. Even left wing comedians thought he was a total joke.
Indeed, as one Tory rag put it: - Ed Miliband fails to look normal while eating bacon sandwich ahead of campaign tour. - Advisers had to intervene – just a few bites in – when it became clear the breakfast was not going to be an elegant affair.
He'd be with the Palestinian refugees. He was one.
?!
Surely you know the story? He was born on the West Bank, in the Roman province called Palestine, and his family had to flee to Egypt in response to the murderous policy of the Roman-appointed Jewish king Herod.
N.B. HOPE THIS COMES OUT OK; I'M HAVING TO EDIT OUT THE OLDER COMMENTS
'In Britain at least home ownership is a necessary part of being middle class - if you can't afford a home where you live you're not really middle class.'
We'll have to change. I don't even think Americans are as committed to home ownership as we have been, partly because their suburban houses are glorified garden sheds (wood, felt roofs) and clearly aren't appreciating assets. They rot, burn and can be eaten by termites.
It was pointed out a while ago that Europe's highest owner-occupation rate is Bulgaria and its lowest is Switzerland. Where would you rather live?
Your point about obessession with owner-occupation wasn't entirely valid in the mid 20th.C. (Some on PB were born then!!)
There were middle class people in the 1950s and 1960s - e.g., some friends of my parents - who believed that it was perfectly OK to rent a home from the council their whole life. Going back a bit further, the Swedish Prime Minister in the 30s lived in a council house.
I think if you take
Good luck in changing from 'home ownership is good' to 'renting is good'.
Especially when home ownership is at higher levels in other countries.
The people who lose out from change - in this case those people who would have been able to own a home a decade or two ago but now can't - tend to be upset and tend to vote against governments which caused the change.
Home ownership is at lower levels in other civilised countries, e.g. Germany, Switzerland. The UK is about level with Denmark, US, New Zealand.
Fair rent/secure tenancies applies to most rented accommodation in Germany. That's why people don't mind renting. If your landlord is Peter Rachman, of course you'll be desperate to buy a place.
Ditto if the government gives you total relief from capital gains tax and no longer imposes any tax on the notional rental value (the former rates), plus lenders want to give you 95% loans (it's 60% maximum in Germany). Those tax perks guarantee that people with enough money will queue up to speculate with borrowed money and triple their 5% equity in 1-2 years.
There are several reasons buy rather than rent, but amongst them is because for the last 50 years property has been an excellent investment. At multiples of incomes I doubt that this remains so, even if affordability is still ok because of rock bottom interest rates.
Would I rent or buy in the current market? I would only buy if definitely settled in one place in a secure job and no prospect of moving. For most millennials that is not going to be the case. There is too much uncertainty, and real risk to incomes and expenses. I remember the negative equity that blighted friends in the early nineties.
Ha ! I'm a Hamilton fan, but delighted by this result, as it should throw up some better odds in future races... and makes this year just a bit more interesting. (& also resisted the MD tip.)
He'd be with the Palestinian refugees. He was one.
?!
Surely you know the story? He was born on the West Bank, in the Roman province called Palestine, and his family had to flee to Egypt in response to the murderous policy of the Roman-appointed Jewish king Herod.
He'd be with the Palestinian refugees. He was one.
?!
Surely you know the story? He was born on the West Bank, in the Roman province called Palestine, and his family had to flee to Egypt in response to the murderous policy of the Roman-appointed Jewish king Herod.
Hahahahahaha
Which bit of Cyan's summary do you find amusing? It is a fairly accurate precis of the story in the Gospels.
OT. For those who always suspected advertising agents were unscrupulous opportunists will not be surprised that 'progressive' Steve Hilton-Cameron's modernising guru-having taken a leading role in Brexit and declaring himself for Trump has now got a job with Fox.
Even that article still says she is likely to make the runoff
Agreed she is still more likely than not to make the runoff, but the writer of the article is assuming that she will get a quarter of the vote, which no polls are giving her now.
She is certainly less likely than she was a few days ago.
He'd be with the Palestinian refugees. He was one.
?!
Surely you know the story? He was born on the West Bank, in the Roman province called Palestine, and his family had to flee to Egypt in response to the murderous policy of the Roman-appointed Jewish king Herod.
Hahahahahaha
Which bit of Cyan's summary do you find amusing? It is a fairly accurate precis of the story in the Gospels.
OT. For those who always suspected advertising agents were unscrupulous opportunists will not be surprised that 'progressive' Steve Hilton-Cameron's modernising guru-having taken a leading role in Brexit and declaring himself for Trump has now got a job with Fox.
He'd be with the Palestinian refugees. He was one.
?!
Surely you know the story? He was born on the West Bank, in the Roman province called Palestine, and his family had to flee to Egypt in response to the murderous policy of the Roman-appointed Jewish king Herod.
Hahahahahaha
Which bit of Cyan's summary do you find amusing? It is a fairly accurate precis of the story in the Gospels.
I suspect because the anachronism in linking the two is meant to be funny?
Of course in truth it's about as historically accurate to connect the two as it would be to call most US citizens who were born in the country "Native Americans".
Hope the ComRes poll makes more sense than the latest Opinium, which is becoming more than a little bit embarressing and hard to accept, its the split between the Lib Dems, Ukip and the Greens. I wonder if they feel something is wrong with their method of data collection.
He'd be with the Palestinian refugees. He was one.
?!
Surely you know the story? He was born on the West Bank, in the Roman province called Palestine, and his family had to flee to Egypt in response to the murderous policy of the Roman-appointed Jewish king Herod.
Hahahahahaha
Which bit of Cyan's summary do you find amusing? It is a fairly accurate precis of the story in the Gospels.
I do think Hamilton had the pace, had he not buggered up the middle sector. Ah well. Slightly more shaken up at the sharp end than I might have expected.
Hulkenberg was impressive. Over a second ahead of his team mate.
Places 4-6 covered by less than two-tenths.
Anyway, time to start writing the pre-race ramble. Have to wait and see whether it goes up today or tomorrow.
£84 billion a year is generated by the creative industries. As the residents of Hartlipool and other Brexiteers spend all day watching Jeremy Kyle this wont be of concern to them but for those of us responsible for generating this huge contribution to the economy Brexit is seen as a catastrophy. Seriously.
The low value of the £ is actually seeing more films being filmed in the UK at the moment
The fact that Trump will have blown us all up before the worst effects of Brexit are felt would be a more apposite comment
I am no Trump fan, but to be briefly fair to him, no US president would be able to tolerate NK having intercontinental missiles.
But they can't reach the French riviera, the nicer Paris bistros or Glyndebourne, so what's the problem
NK is putting them in submarines, so maybe they can...
Good luck to Pyongyang in getting their submarine half a mile into international waters without a terrible 'accident' befalling it.
Realistically, I can't see how military action can be avoided at some point. Very bleak situation.
Not looking good, is it? I think the country with the key to this is China, they have Kim's ear more than anyone else and are probably the only nation that can talk him down. The Chinese also don't want a war on their doorstep or a 'Western' nation sharing a border.
That said, South Korea and Japan have made it quite clear that if NK want to have a war they'll get one - and they have US backing. Kim looks as if he's poking the bear with shorter and shorter sticks.
I just can't see this developing into a serious shooting match.
We have been here before more than once.
The North Koreans think they can scream and threaten and then they get treats.In this case lets say the test doesn't happen (because it never was going to (their spin) they then can tell the world that their fighting talk made the Americans blink.
Mr. Rabbit, I'd left before seeing your question of some time ago.
My stakes for the tips I offer in my blog are always the same for a season and go up or down between seasons depending on how I do (I have two formulae, one for a positive season, one for a negative season, but the weirdness of 2016 meant I had to ignore it).
The stakes are not large.
For tips/rambling here, between races, or on long term markets, the stakes are usually even smaller. I don't like getting into specifics. Oh, and because I had a good run with Ladbrokes and a terrible run with Betfair a few years ago, my Ladbrokes stakes (for blog tips) are larger than my Betfair ones.
£84 billion a year is generated by the creative industries. As the residents of Hartlipool and other Brexiteers spend all day watching Jeremy Kyle this wont be of concern to them but for those of us responsible for generating this huge contribution to the economy Brexit is seen as a catastrophy. Seriously.
The low value of the £ is actually seeing more films being filmed in the UK at the moment
The fact that Trump will have blown us all up before the worst effects of Brexit are felt would be a more apposite comment
I am no Trump fan, but to be briefly fair to him, no US president would be able to tolerate NK having intercontinental missiles.
But they can't reach the French riviera, the nicer Paris bistros or Glyndebourne, so what's the problem
NK is putting them in submarines, so maybe they can...
Good luck to Pyongyang in getting their submarine half a mile into international waters without a terrible 'accident' befalling it.
Realistically, I can't see how military action can be avoided at some point. Very bleak situation.
Not looking good, is it? I think the country with the key to this is China, they have Kim's ear more than anyone else and are probably the only nation that can talk him down. The Chinese also don't want a war on their doorstep or a 'Western' nation sharing a border.
That said, South Korea and Japan have made it quite clear that if NK want to have a war they'll get one - and they have US backing. Kim looks as if he's poking the bear with shorter and shorter sticks.
I just can't see this developing into a serious shooting match.
We have been here before more than once.
The North Koreans think they can scream and threaten and then they get treats.In this case lets say the test doesn't happen (because it never was going to (their spin) they then can tell the world that their fighting talk made the Americans blink.
Ha ! I'm a Hamilton fan, but delighted by this result, as it should throw up some better odds in future races... and makes this year just a bit more interesting. (& also resisted the MD tip.)
Absolutely, great to see Bottas do well. He's had a steep learning curve moving up to Mercedes at short notice, and he made a terrrible mistake last time out to spin behind the safety car. Great comeback to snatch pole from the best driver out there in the same car.
I don't even think Americans are as committed to home ownership as we have been, partly because their suburban houses are glorified garden sheds (wood, felt roofs) and clearly aren't appreciating assets. They rot, burn and can be eaten by termites.
No house is an appreciating asset as a result of how it's made. It only appreciates when demand increases - in the British context, demand that is either highly debt-fuelled (setting prices in the vast majority of the market) or a result of the very rich getting relatively richer (the top part of the market).
And wood is a great material for a house.
The notion of property as an appreciating asset is a particularly British fixation.
Until the post 9/11 property bubble inflation adjusted American house prices were flat for the previous century.
I do think Hamilton had the pace, had he not buggered up the middle sector. Ah well. Slightly more shaken up at the sharp end than I might have expected.
Hulkenberg was impressive. Over a second ahead of his team mate.
Places 4-6 covered by less than two-tenths.
Anyway, time to start writing the pre-race ramble. Have to wait and see whether it goes up today or tomorrow.
You were only 3/100ths a a second away from getting it right!
The Tories used to talk about broken Britain and Britain being a Third World country when they were in opposition. It's what happens.
Being critical of government policy and action is not the same as talking Britain down. Boris Johnson's absolute incapacity to represent the UK competently and effectively abroad is more damaging to this country's interests than anything an irrelevance from the Labour party can say. Likewise, when cabinet ministers like Liam Fox's assert that we share values with a murderous thug like the President of the Philippines that does more harm to perceptions of us abroad than anything written by a left-wing journalist in a UK newspaper.
Having just been to the Philippines and then to Manila on business it quite clear that Duterte has the support of the people. Very much like Modi in India. We may find some of their policies distasteful but from speaking to people (in both countries) they are behind both their leaders and the policies.
I want this country to trade more with the Philippines (and Brexit was a fairly big subject on my second visit) and a few cheap (free) words about Duterte to smooth the process helps our profile in the country. You didn't have any such problems when Osborne was wining and dining the Chinese a couple of years ago or when they got the full state visit treatment with Dave. China is a full on police state with no free elections, yet when we befriend a democratic nation suddenly it's terrible.
Additionally most people out of the country don't give a shit what Liam Fox says or does, his comments are purely for the domestic audience of the country he is visiting. And I think we do have a lot to admire about Duterte, he was given the worst hand in all of SE Asia, now the Philippine economy is booming, there is hope for the millions of poor where under previous leaders there was absolutely fuck all.
I am sure that Duterte does have the support of people in the Philippines. That does not mean we have to say we share his values. That we feel we have to in order to "smooth the process" shows exactly what kind of situation we find ourselves in. And, yes, that is noticed across the world.
Max worships mammon, he would sell his granny to make mor
Home ownership is at lower levels in other civilised countries, e.g. Germany, Switzerland. The UK is about level with Denmark, US, New Zealand.
Fair rent/secure tenancies applies to most rented accommodation in Germany. That's why people don't mind renting. If your landlord is Peter Rachman, of course you'll be desperate to buy a place.
Ditto if the government gives you total relief from capital gains tax and no longer imposes any tax on the notional rental value (the former rates), plus lenders want to give you 95% loans (it's 60% maximum in Germany). Those tax perks guarantee that people with enough money will queue up to speculate with borrowed money and triple their 5% equity in 1-2 years.
Having grown up in Denmark, where excellent rented accommodation is abundant, I found it really hard to adjust to the idea that I ought to be clambering onto the property ladder and earningthe right to worry about the roof, fix the stove, attack the damp, etc. etc. I can see the attraction when prices keep going up, but otherwise I'd much rather let a professional landlord worry about all that stuff while I get on with living.
Well its official. My Newcastle born Labour/Lib Dem voting Dad who has lived in Solihull for the last 30 years is voting for the Tory candidate in the WM mayoral election.
Well its official. My Newcastle born Labour/Lib Dem voting Dad who has lived in Solihull for the last 30 years is voting for the Tory candidate in the WM majority elections.
What swung him, if I may ask? If he has voted Labour and LD, presumably not of the one true faith of Corbynism?
Comments
https://twitter.com/Teddicchi/status/853234562838781955
"Negotiated deal or job deal at all/WTO" (the Noel Edmonds referendum) is possible but (as the Greeks showed) a really dumb idea. But that doesn't seem to be the proposal.
So the answer is completely in character.
I stand by my opinion though, that leaving managment to manage and not indulging in re-organisation for it’s own sake woud be a Good Thing!
Twenty years ago it was very rare to hear a 'cockney' accent in South Yorkshire but now its an unusual trip to the supermarket when I don't hear one.
Whether the 'cockney' accents I hear are Londoners or more general south-east people I couldn't say.
There's cheaper places than Durham as well:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-47433228.html
£27k for a terraced house in Gainsborough if you want to still live in a safe Conservative constituency.
https://twitter.com/PollingDigest/status/853256785360236545
Will that cause a reduction in house prices because supply of houses in Tory seats will go up?
But there's a point when people need to stop deceiving themselves and realise that they're not really middle class.
Now its possible that they could be middle class in other parts of the country but that's a choice they have to make - being actual middle class in places which sound like lower division teams or pretending to be middle class in places which sound like Premiership teams
That's not a criticism - for some people being based in London is by itself important, for others home ownership is.
If so they're likely to be lower in the surrounding area than in the touristy / studenty / middle class part of County Durham.
Fun indeed.
That will be a problem if the political and economic establishment regard London as the 'normal' or as something the rest of the country should aspire to be like.
In Britain at least home ownership is a necessary part of being middle class - if you can't afford a home where you live you're not really middle class.
Falling home ownership is going to have socio-political implications - from the collapse of the Conservative position in large urban areas to the bitterness those who have traditional middle class jobs but aren't home owners feel to working class home owners.
We'll have to change. I don't even think Americans are as committed to home ownership as we have been, partly because their suburban houses are glorified garden sheds (wood, felt roofs) and clearly aren't appreciating assets. They rot, burn and can be eaten by termites.
It was pointed out a while ago that Europe's highest owner-occupation rate is Bulgaria and its lowest is Switzerland. Where would you rather live?
Your point about obessession with owner-occupation wasn't entirely valid in the mid 20th.C. (Some on PB were born then!!)
There were middle class people in the 1950s and 1960s - e.g., some friends of my parents - who believed that it was perfectly OK to rent a home from the council their whole life. Going back a bit further, the Swedish Prime Minister in the 30s lived in a council house.
I think if you take away the tax giveaways, the incentive drops away. We'd become a bit more like Germany, where people who move around a lot between jobs tend to rent and people who run a business in one place all their life tend to become owners.
Crucify the heretic!
Falling home ownership is going to have socio-political implications - from the collapse of the Conservative position in large urban areas to the bitterness those who have traditional middle class jobs but aren't home owners feel to working class home owners.
We'll have to change. I don't even think Americans are as committed to home ownership as we have been, partly because their suburban houses are glorified garden sheds (wood, felt roofs) and clearly aren't appreciating assets. They rot, burn and can be eaten by termites.
It was pointed out a while ago that Europe's highest owner-occupation rate is Bulgaria and its lowest is Switzerland. Where would you rather live?
Your point about obessession with owner-occupation wasn't entirely valid in the mid 20th.C. (Some on PB were born then!!)
There were middle class people in the 1950s and 1960s - e.g., some friends of my parents - who believed that it was perfectly OK to rent a home from the council their whole life. Going back a bit further, the Swedish Prime Minister in the 30s lived in a council house.
I think if you take away the tax giveaways, the incentive drops away. We'd become a bit more like Germany, where people who move around a lot between jobs tend to rent and people who run a business in one place all their life tend to become owners'.
At the moment the UK is 42nd out of 49 largely OECD nations in terms of home ownership
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_home_ownership_rate
Interesting though to see Singapore and Hong Kong at opposites ends.
And wood is a great material for a house.
Split sample asking whether people approve of various Lab policies - half sample are told they are Lab policies, other half are told they are Corbyn policies - will show Corbyn effect:
https://twitter.com/NCPoliticsUK?original_referer=http://www2.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2015/03/04/the-latest-batch-of-ashcroft-marginals-polling-finds/&tw_i=573192912663650304&tw_p=tweetembed
Especially when home ownership is at higher levels in other countries.
The people who lose out from change - in this case those people who would have been able to own a home a decade or two ago but now can't - tend to be upset and tend to vote against governments which caused the change.
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2017/04/why-marine-le-pens-bid-french-presidency-could-be-over-matter-days
To answer your question re-precedent - in May 1999 Labour led the Tories by 20 - 24% in the polls. It won the 2001 election by circa 9%. . In May 2003 Labour led by roughly 10% on average - and went on to win in 2005 by 3%.
I'll take this occasion to put in a plug for the Victoria Inn, Hallgarth Street, where we stayed. A fine unspoilt victorian boozer, excellent beer, lovely people on both sides of the bar, very comfortable rooms and a decent breakfast. Oh, and fine home made pickled eggs.
Fair rent/secure tenancies applies to most rented accommodation in Germany. That's why people don't mind renting. If your landlord is Peter Rachman, of course you'll be desperate to buy a place.
Ditto if the government gives you total relief from capital gains tax and no longer imposes any tax on the notional rental value (the former rates), plus lenders want to give you 95% loans (it's 60% maximum in Germany). Those tax perks guarantee that people with enough money will queue up to speculate with borrowed money and triple their 5% equity in 1-2 years.
And of course all the other times he made a twat of himself was evil Tory medias fault. Even left wing comedians thought he was a total joke.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ed-miliband-fails-to-look-normal-while-eating-bacon-sandwich-ahead-of-whistle-stop-campaign-tour-9409301.html
Would I rent or buy in the current market? I would only buy if definitely settled in one place in a secure job and no prospect of moving. For most millennials that is not going to be the case. There is too much uncertainty, and real risk to incomes and expenses. I remember the negative equity that blighted friends in the early nineties.
I'm a Hamilton fan, but delighted by this result, as it should throw up some better odds in future races... and makes this year just a bit more interesting.
(& also resisted the MD tip.)
Pass the sick bag Ethel.
She is certainly less likely than she was a few days ago.
Of course in truth it's about as historically accurate to connect the two as it would be to call most US citizens who were born in the country "Native Americans".
I wonder if they feel something is wrong with their method of data collection.
Asking for a friend/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/15/children-happier-term-time-easter-holidays-gloomy-study-finds/
F1: I didn't get qualifying right, did I?
I do think Hamilton had the pace, had he not buggered up the middle sector. Ah well. Slightly more shaken up at the sharp end than I might have expected.
Hulkenberg was impressive. Over a second ahead of his team mate.
Places 4-6 covered by less than two-tenths.
Anyway, time to start writing the pre-race ramble. Have to wait and see whether it goes up today or tomorrow.
We have been here before more than once.
The North Koreans think they can scream and threaten and then they get treats.In this case lets say the test doesn't happen (because it never was going to (their spin) they then can tell the world that their fighting talk made the Americans blink.
It's an old game of theirs.
My stakes for the tips I offer in my blog are always the same for a season and go up or down between seasons depending on how I do (I have two formulae, one for a positive season, one for a negative season, but the weirdness of 2016 meant I had to ignore it).
The stakes are not large.
For tips/rambling here, between races, or on long term markets, the stakes are usually even smaller. I don't like getting into specifics. Oh, and because I had a good run with Ladbrokes and a terrible run with Betfair a few years ago, my Ladbrokes stakes (for blog tips) are larger than my Betfair ones.
Until the post 9/11 property bubble inflation adjusted American house prices were flat for the previous century.
Japanese houses deprecate at lightning speed.
Mr. B, good that one of us showed good judgement
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/rex-tillerson-trump-favorite-237246
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-04-15/le-pen-faces-disaster-election-after-monumental-computer-error
New ComRes poll for Independent/S Mirror: Con 46(+4) Lab 25(-) Lib D 11(-1) UKIP 9(-1)
That Labour floor of 25 is still really solid looking though. #silver linings