it links to the report's findings, which I have summarise below, but aren't particularly exciting.
There are two obvious actual policy commitments, although they would require primary legislation: 1. mandating tenant relocation payments for ‘no tenant fault’ evictions; and 2. Establish a universal register of landlords to ensure policy-makers can access accurate information about the private rental market, private landlords, their properties, and rents for individual homes, and which would also support enforcement of standards in the private rented sector. (This would effectively be an extension to selective licensing.)
Then there are some other recommendations which sound like policies, but don't seem to go further than the Government's own proposed housing bill:
1. Starting with their first two recommendations, they state "replacing Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) with open-ended tenancies and ending 'no fault' Section 21 evictions". I am not sure what the former adds to the latter; most residential tenants are already occupying under statutory periodic tenancies following the expiry of the fixed term, and, with the abolition of Section 21 (which is a government commitment as well), all such tenancies would be open-ended.
2. Then a bit further down, it states that we should "increase landlord-to-tenant notice periods to four months", but again, is that in respect of Section 21? Or Section 8 where the Landlord shows a breach of the tenancy agreement? Is it just the same thing again - the government effectively has this as a back up option to abolition of Section 21 as well.
Then in respect of rent control: 1. "The Mayor could implement simple rent stabilisation measures, such as caps on rent increases both between and within tenancies to mitigate the impacts of high rents on Londoners while the long-term solution is being designed." We have Part 13, which nobody uses. Probably start with that? 2. As to a model of rent control, there is a taskforce. I mean commission. I mean never going to happen. That's it, by the way, there isn't even a preferred option to consider, the paper just lists 11 ideas which I could have come up with in a couple of house.
So the interesting point is that Khan believes it in his interests to promote a system of rent control he hasn't worked out yet, rather than promote the first two ideas for renter protection which are vastly more achievable.
Actually the most interesting thing about Hartlepool tbh, is whether Keir the arch Remainer causes massive issues or not. The Tories are not currently going on about it much, either because they're waiting for the end of the campaign or because their polling says it is weak ground.
It os not a naturally Tory seat. It is quite different to the likes of Stockton south or Darlington. There are rampers on here who've labelled it close in order to give Starmer a faux triumph. They will get their wish.
You're doing the exact same thing Felix.
Which of my points do you disagree with?
Tory MPs seem quite confident about winning if the reports are to be believed.
I would love Labour to lose. I do not expect it. It has not yet made the move of other Red Wall seats as the GE showed. It may happen I just doubt it. A Labour loss would be a disaster while for the Tories a loss would be 'meh'. I do not think you are one of the rampers as it happens - just that Labour will hold on a low turnout.
Does this mean I might not be a 'moaning whore' after all?
No, you're still moaning like a whore for refusing to have your jab then moaning about lockdown not ending sooner.
We're 80 days from all legal limits on social contacts being lifted, so long as enough people get vaccinated ASAP.
Are we?
You'd like to think so, but this is nothing more than ministerial rhetoric: the published advice about Step 4 is absolutely riddled with get out clauses.
I shall believe it when I see it.
Exactly, the government is now clearly trying to link removal of all measures to the domestic vaccine passport system. Labour are the key here, if they grow some fucking bollocks they will oppose it and force the government to back down or introduce a very hard sunset clause. The numbers aren't there on the Tory benches for its introduction.
Successful vaccination campaign yet infections now rising rapidly.
I don't think it's a mystery. If you're not yet at herd immunity levels and you have unmitigated community transmission, then you will get exponential growth.
Does this mean I might not be a 'moaning whore' after all?
No, you're still moaning like a whore for refusing to have your jab then moaning about lockdown not ending sooner.
We're 80 days from all legal limits on social contacts being lifted, so long as enough people get vaccinated ASAP.
Are we?
You'd like to think so, but this is nothing more than ministerial rhetoric: the published advice about Step 4 is absolutely riddled with get out clauses.
I shall believe it when I see it.
All - don't hold your breath waiting for 21 June 'abolition of all legal restrictions' to occur.
I 100% expect this to occur.
Quite frankly deaths will be as close to zero as possible by then and the vulnerable will have been double vaccinated, and we will be at herd immunity for single doses.
Politics and sensibility will ensure we must unlock. TINA applies.
From I understand this is one of those policies that is doomed to failure, isnt it? Everywhere it is introduced it causes unexpected consequences.
I'm all for evidence based policy, even if it is counter to my gut instinct. Please someone show me where rent controls have been net beneficial.
It’s the policy that unites economists of every political colour in condemning it. There isn’t a housing situation out there that you can’t make worse by introducing rent controls.
The only rent control that works is where the state owns the housing, so the state sets the rent. E.g. (before the PB right has a collective aneurysm) that oh so lefty socialist state of Singapore, where 80% of residents live in state-owned accommodation.
Attempting to fix private housing issues by introducing rent controls is essentially a doomed enterprise that establishes a new, privileged elite (those who happen to occupy housing at the time the rent control is introduced) at the expense of two groups: property owners (to which most on the left would probably say: bring it on ) but also, future renters & those on the margins who occupy unofficial rented accommodation. This wealth transfer also brings a significant economic drag as people become reluctant to move in case they lose their rent controlled rent, whilst simultaneously landlords become increasingly reluctant to rent to anyone except the most copper-bottomed clients as the cost of being wrong escalates.
It is possible to mitigate some of the worst effects of rent control, but the effect of dividing the population into "haves" and "have nots" usually remains. (See, e.g. San Francisco) & the haves tend to vote, so once you bring it in it’s very hard to get rid of.
Personally, I think the answer to high rents is a combination of Georgist land taxes on property owners & a proper building program, but neither of those seem to be likely to be brought in by a UK government at the current time!
Yes forget rent price controls. Bring in land value tax, remove govt props like htb or stamp duty cuts, councils funded to build housing, and scale housing benefit back to pre 2010 levels. Rents will be cheaper and closer to true market value without all the problems rent controls bring.
The longer the Tories ignore the problem, the more chance of solutions that make things even worse becoming electorally successful.
"after telling this newspaper yesterday that vaccine passports were against “the British instinct”, [Starmer's] aides then rushed to explain that this didn’t mean he actually opposes them."
Telegraph.
Starmer in a nutshell it seems.
I doubt Lucy Powell would have endorsed them for large events if Starmer was opposed
Exactly. He has effectively changed his frigging mind in the space of 24 hours on one of the most far reaching policy decisions he may ever have to oppose or support.
He would have been one of the leading Trojans welcoming their lovely new wooden horse into the city.
Look, he's just doing his best to become Priam Minister...
From I understand this is one of those policies that is doomed to failure, isnt it? Everywhere it is introduced it causes unexpected consequences.
I'm all for evidence based policy, even if it is counter to my gut instinct. Please someone show me where rent controls have been net beneficial.
It’s the policy that unites economists of every political colour in condemning it. There isn’t a housing situation out there that you can’t make worse by introducing rent controls.
The only rent control that works is where the state owns the housing, so the state sets the rent. E.g. (before the PB right has a collective aneurysm) that oh so lefty socialist state of Singapore, where 80% of residents live in state-owned accommodation.
Attempting to fix private housing issues by introducing rent controls is essentially a doomed enterprise that establishes a new, privileged elite (those who happen to occupy housing at the time the rent control is introduced) at the expense of two groups: property owners (to which most on the left would probably say: bring it on ) but also, future renters & those on the margins who occupy unofficial rented accommodation. This wealth transfer also brings a significant economic drag as people become reluctant to move in case they lose their rent controlled rent, whilst simultaneously landlords become increasingly reluctant to rent to anyone except the most copper-bottomed clients as the cost of being wrong escalates.
It is possible to mitigate some of the worst effects of rent control, but the effect of dividing the population into "haves" and "have nots" usually remains. (See, e.g. San Francisco) & the haves tend to vote, so once you bring it in it’s very hard to get rid of.
Personally, I think the answer to high rents is a combination of Georgist land taxes on property owners & a proper building program, but neither of those seem to be likely to be brought in by a UK government at the current time!
House price problems seem to be - since 2010 - very much a London specific issue.
It’s weird, therefore, that London is comparatively low rise —- and that there are large stretches of effectively vacant, post industrial land towards the East.
Does this mean I might not be a 'moaning whore' after all?
No, you're still moaning like a whore for refusing to have your jab then moaning about lockdown not ending sooner.
We're 80 days from all legal limits on social contacts being lifted, so long as enough people get vaccinated ASAP.
Are we?
You'd like to think so, but this is nothing more than ministerial rhetoric: the published advice about Step 4 is absolutely riddled with get out clauses.
I shall believe it when I see it.
All - don't hold your breath waiting for 21 June 'abolition of all legal restrictions' to occur.
Imagine that - you are all vaccined up and STILL you aren't free.
Does this mean I might not be a 'moaning whore' after all?
No, you're still moaning like a whore for refusing to have your jab then moaning about lockdown not ending sooner.
We're 80 days from all legal limits on social contacts being lifted, so long as enough people get vaccinated ASAP.
Are we?
You'd like to think so, but this is nothing more than ministerial rhetoric: the published advice about Step 4 is absolutely riddled with get out clauses.
I shall believe it when I see it.
All - don't hold your breath waiting for 21 June 'abolition of all legal restrictions' to occur.
I 100% expect this to occur.
Quite frankly deaths will be as close to zero as possible by then and the vulnerable will have been double vaccinated, and we will be at herd immunity for single doses.
Politics and sensibility will ensure we must unlock. TINA applies.
Does this mean I might not be a 'moaning whore' after all?
No, you're still moaning like a whore for refusing to have your jab then moaning about lockdown not ending sooner.
We're 80 days from all legal limits on social contacts being lifted, so long as enough people get vaccinated ASAP.
Are we?
You'd like to think so, but this is nothing more than ministerial rhetoric: the published advice about Step 4 is absolutely riddled with get out clauses.
I shall believe it when I see it.
All - don't hold your breath waiting for 21 June 'abolition of all legal restrictions' to occur.
Imagine that - you are all vaccined up and STILL you aren't free.
Not going to happen.
Border controls are the only restriction that makes sense.
Does this mean I might not be a 'moaning whore' after all?
No, you're still moaning like a whore for refusing to have your jab then moaning about lockdown not ending sooner.
We're 80 days from all legal limits on social contacts being lifted, so long as enough people get vaccinated ASAP.
Are we?
You'd like to think so, but this is nothing more than ministerial rhetoric: the published advice about Step 4 is absolutely riddled with get out clauses.
I shall believe it when I see it.
Exactly, the government is now clearly trying to link removal of all measures to the domestic vaccine passport system. Labour are the key here, if they grow some fucking bollocks they will oppose it and force the government to back down or introduce a very hard sunset clause. The numbers aren't there on the Tory benches for its introduction.
We seemed to have moved a long way from
'Boris is a libertarian that does not want you in lockdown for a MINUTE longer that absolutely necessary....'''
The brick wall mantra I have been faced with for a year....
From I understand this is one of those policies that is doomed to failure, isnt it? Everywhere it is introduced it causes unexpected consequences.
I'm all for evidence based policy, even if it is counter to my gut instinct. Please someone show me where rent controls have been net beneficial.
It’s the policy that unites economists of every political colour in condemning it. There isn’t a housing situation out there that you can’t make worse by introducing rent controls.
The only rent control that works is where the state owns the housing, so the state sets the rent. E.g. (before the PB right has a collective aneurysm) that oh so lefty socialist state of Singapore, where 80% of residents live in state-owned accommodation.
Attempting to fix private housing issues by introducing rent controls is essentially a doomed enterprise that establishes a new, privileged elite (those who happen to occupy housing at the time the rent control is introduced) at the expense of two groups: property owners (to which most on the left would probably say: bring it on ) but also, future renters & those on the margins who occupy unofficial rented accommodation. This wealth transfer also brings a significant economic drag as people become reluctant to move in case they lose their rent controlled rent, whilst simultaneously landlords become increasingly reluctant to rent to anyone except the most copper-bottomed clients as the cost of being wrong escalates.
It is possible to mitigate some of the worst effects of rent control, but the effect of dividing the population into "haves" and "have nots" usually remains. (See, e.g. San Francisco) & the haves tend to vote, so once you bring it in it’s very hard to get rid of.
Personally, I think the answer to high rents is a combination of Georgist land taxes on property owners & a proper building program, but neither of those seem to be likely to be brought in by a UK government at the current time!
House price problems seem to be - since 2010 - very much a London specific issue.
It’s weird, therefore, that London is comparatively low rise —- and that there are large stretches of effectively vacant, post industrial land towards the East.
But everyone wants to live in North, North West, North East, West London and up to Zone 2 in East or South London. It means places further out than Walthamstow or Leyton out East get little interest but places like Islington or Haringey are overcrowded.
it links to the report's findings, which I have summarise below, but aren't particularly exciting.
There are two obvious actual policy commitments, although they would require primary legislation: 1. mandating tenant relocation payments for ‘no tenant fault’ evictions; and 2. Establish a universal register of landlords to ensure policy-makers can access accurate information about the private rental market, private landlords, their properties, and rents for individual homes, and which would also support enforcement of standards in the private rented sector. (This would effectively be an extension to selective licensing.)
Then there are some other recommendations which sound like policies, but don't seem to go further than the Government's own proposed housing bill:
1. Starting with their first two recommendations, they state "replacing Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) with open-ended tenancies and ending 'no fault' Section 21 evictions". I am not sure what the former adds to the latter; most residential tenants are already occupying under statutory periodic tenancies following the expiry of the fixed term, and, with the abolition of Section 21 (which is a government commitment as well), all such tenancies would be open-ended.
2. Then a bit further down, it states that we should "increase landlord-to-tenant notice periods to four months", but again, is that in respect of Section 21? Or Section 8 where the Landlord shows a breach of the tenancy agreement? Is it just the same thing again - the government effectively has this as a back up option to abolition of Section 21 as well.
Then in respect of rent control: 1. "The Mayor could implement simple rent stabilisation measures, such as caps on rent increases both between and within tenancies to mitigate the impacts of high rents on Londoners while the long-term solution is being designed." We have Part 13, which nobody uses. Probably start with that? 2. As to a model of rent control, there is a taskforce. I mean commission. I mean never going to happen. That's it, by the way, there isn't even a preferred option to consider, the paper just lists 11 ideas which I could have come up with in a couple of house.
So the interesting point is that Khan believes it in his interests to promote a system of rent control he hasn't worked out yet, rather than promote the first two ideas for renter protection which are vastly more achievable.
So ALL of it is "sex I am going to enjoy once somebody else has fitted me with a penis" territory.
A further point - If you take the 94% for the 70+ groups as the achievable limit (it hasn't moved much in a while), and multiply out for the other groups...
On March 28th, there were 1.6 million vaccinations to go until the over 50 groups were all vaccinated to 94%
From I understand this is one of those policies that is doomed to failure, isnt it? Everywhere it is introduced it causes unexpected consequences.
I'm all for evidence based policy, even if it is counter to my gut instinct. Please someone show me where rent controls have been net beneficial.
It’s the policy that unites economists of every political colour in condemning it. There isn’t a housing situation out there that you can’t make worse by introducing rent controls.
The only rent control that works is where the state owns the housing, so the state sets the rent. E.g. (before the PB right has a collective aneurysm) that oh so lefty socialist state of Singapore, where 80% of residents live in state-owned accommodation.
Attempting to fix private housing issues by introducing rent controls is essentially a doomed enterprise that establishes a new, privileged elite (those who happen to occupy housing at the time the rent control is introduced) at the expense of two groups: property owners (to which most on the left would probably say: bring it on ) but also, future renters & those on the margins who occupy unofficial rented accommodation. This wealth transfer also brings a significant economic drag as people become reluctant to move in case they lose their rent controlled rent, whilst simultaneously landlords become increasingly reluctant to rent to anyone except the most copper-bottomed clients as the cost of being wrong escalates.
It is possible to mitigate some of the worst effects of rent control, but the effect of dividing the population into "haves" and "have nots" usually remains. (See, e.g. San Francisco) & the haves tend to vote, so once you bring it in it’s very hard to get rid of.
Personally, I think the answer to high rents is a combination of Georgist land taxes on property owners & a proper building program, but neither of those seem to be likely to be brought in by a UK government at the current time!
House price problems seem to be - since 2010 - very much a London specific issue.
It’s weird, therefore, that London is comparatively low rise —- and that there are large stretches of effectively vacant, post industrial land towards the East.
But everyone wants to live in North, North West, North East, West London and up to Zone 2 in East or South London. It means places further out than Walthamstow or Leyton out East get little interest but places like Islington or Haringey are overcrowded.
Sure.
But pretty much everyone is priced out of somewhere.
My point is simply that we could expand supply considerably, though it likely takes direct govt action beyond even simple regulatory liberalisation, ie into direct housebuilding and/or incentives to develop, expand, and sub-divide.
If only they had a pan-European medicines agency that could advise on such matters. Utterly bonkers.
Have we seen any scientific evidence to back Gottlieb's claim that the Oxford vector is 'so immunogenic'? If that is true, it is a major blow to Oxford, as it means that the vector itself is a once (or few) and done vehicle for vaccines of any type - i.e. their adenovirus vector cannot be used now for COVID, and then later for Ebola/next emerging pandemic.
Isn't it just a generic issue with adenovirus vectors?
From I understand this is one of those policies that is doomed to failure, isnt it? Everywhere it is introduced it causes unexpected consequences.
I'm all for evidence based policy, even if it is counter to my gut instinct. Please someone show me where rent controls have been net beneficial.
It’s the policy that unites economists of every political colour in condemning it. There isn’t a housing situation out there that you can’t make worse by introducing rent controls.
The only rent control that works is where the state owns the housing, so the state sets the rent. E.g. (before the PB right has a collective aneurysm) that oh so lefty socialist state of Singapore, where 80% of residents live in state-owned accommodation.
Attempting to fix private housing issues by introducing rent controls is essentially a doomed enterprise that establishes a new, privileged elite (those who happen to occupy housing at the time the rent control is introduced) at the expense of two groups: property owners (to which most on the left would probably say: bring it on ) but also, future renters & those on the margins who occupy unofficial rented accommodation. This wealth transfer also brings a significant economic drag as people become reluctant to move in case they lose their rent controlled rent, whilst simultaneously landlords become increasingly reluctant to rent to anyone except the most copper-bottomed clients as the cost of being wrong escalates.
It is possible to mitigate some of the worst effects of rent control, but the effect of dividing the population into "haves" and "have nots" usually remains. (See, e.g. San Francisco) & the haves tend to vote, so once you bring it in it’s very hard to get rid of.
Personally, I think the answer to high rents is a combination of Georgist land taxes on property owners & a proper building program, but neither of those seem to be likely to be brought in by a UK government at the current time!
House price problems seem to be - since 2010 - very much a London specific issue.
It’s weird, therefore, that London is comparatively low rise —- and that there are large stretches of effectively vacant, post industrial land towards the East.
But everyone wants to live in North, North West, North East, West London and up to Zone 2 in East or South London. It means places further out than Walthamstow or Leyton out East get little interest but places like Islington or Haringey are overcrowded.
Sure.
But pretty much everyone is priced out of somewhere.
My point is simply that we could expand supply considerably, though it likely takes direct govt action beyond even simple regulatory liberalisation, ie into direct housebuilding and/or incentives to develop, expand, and sub-divide.
This is the same as politicians talking about building houses up north or something like that. They need to build houses where people want to live or failing that create more owner occupier supply in those places. It's not going to be easy to increase quality housing supply on Islington or Hampstead but it would be a piece of piss to kick the landlords out to a degree which lowers prices for owner occupiers to be able to buy.
A further point - If you take the 94% for the 70+ groups as the achievable limit (it hasn't moved much in a while), and multiply out for the other groups...
On March 28th, there were 1.6 million vaccinations to go until the over 50 groups were all vaccinated to 94%
40-49 will probably be up to 70% before 50-54 hits 90.
Lots of people are very keen (70%), others take their time (71 -> 80%) and still more are hesitant (81 -> 94%) - then there are some that won't be recommended and outright refusers (Final 6%)
If only they had a pan-European medicines agency that could advise on such matters. Utterly bonkers.
Have we seen any scientific evidence to back Gottlieb's claim that the Oxford vector is 'so immunogenic'? If that is true, it is a major blow to Oxford, as it means that the vector itself is a once (or few) and done vehicle for vaccines of any type - i.e. their adenovirus vector cannot be used now for COVID, and then later for Ebola/next emerging pandemic.
Isn't it just a generic issue with adenovirus vectors?
Yes, it's one of the reasons Sputnik is a bit smarter than AZ or J&J. It uses two different vectors, however that comes with its own set of issues becuase the second vector needs to be sufficiently different to the first. Sputnik has had to resort to using the Ad5 vector which is a pretty questionable decision.
If you're in your 20s and 30s, I genuinely think there is nothing like London in the UK. Beyond that, yeah I will leave
Truthfully, I’ve never liked the place, although I’m still in my 30s. And I liked it much less in my twenties because I had to spend a lot more time there.
I think London is, when you have no money, the most tedious and unpleasant place in the world.
Yes. To enjoy london you have to be young, or rich.
If you're in your 20s and 30s, I genuinely think there is nothing like London in the UK. Beyond that, yeah I will leave
Truthfully, I’ve never liked the place, although I’m still in my 30s. And I liked it much less in my twenties because I had to spend a lot more time there.
I think London is, when you have no money, the most tedious and unpleasant place in the world.
Yes. To enjoy london you have to be young, or rich.
Yeah, I'd say being under 30 or with an income of over £45k is necessary to enjoy life in London. If you have both then it's even better!
I don't think it's in the Tories' interest to win Hartlepool if it would stampede Labour into finding someone better than Starmer. Far better to let him limp on, bloodied and bowed, until the next election. They don't need Hartlepool to extend their majority but they do need increasingly ineffectual Starmer to consolidate their recent gains.
A further point - If you take the 94% for the 70+ groups as the achievable limit (it hasn't moved much in a while), and multiply out for the other groups...
On March 28th, there were 1.6 million vaccinations to go until the over 50 groups were all vaccinated to 94%
40-49 will probably be up to 70% before 50-54 hits 90.
Lots of people are very keen (70%), others take their time (71 -> 80%) and still more are hesitant (81 -> 94%) - then there are some that won't be recommended and outright refusers (Final 6%)
Yes indeed. This is one of the ways the UK vaccination program was sensible.
Before it started, remember the demands for group x to be vaccinated first? Instead, they seem to have assumed a 75% "accuracy" in delivery. That is, 75% of the first vaccinations seem to go to the targeted group.
This got the NHS vaccinated a while back, almost as a side effect of the vaccination program.
I am quite sure that the next weekly release will show a rise in sub-50 vaccinations in line with this - that is that something like 75% of the new fist jabs are actually going to over 50s.
If you're in your 20s and 30s, I genuinely think there is nothing like London in the UK. Beyond that, yeah I will leave
Truthfully, I’ve never liked the place, although I’m still in my 30s. And I liked it much less in my twenties because I had to spend a lot more time there.
I think London is, when you have no money, the most tedious and unpleasant place in the world.
Yes. To enjoy london you have to be young, or rich.
Yeah, I'd say being under 30 or with an income of over £45k is necessary to enjoy life in London. If you have both then it's even better!
That is, I would say, something of a sweeping statement.
"after telling this newspaper yesterday that vaccine passports were against “the British instinct”, [Starmer's] aides then rushed to explain that this didn’t mean he actually opposes them."
Telegraph.
Starmer in a nutshell it seems.
I doubt Lucy Powell would have endorsed them for large events if Starmer was opposed
Exactly. He has effectively changed his frigging mind in the space of 24 hours on one of the most far reaching policy decisions he may ever have to oppose or support.
He would have been one of the leading Trojans welcoming their lovely new wooden horse into the city.
Look, he's just doing his best to become Priam Minister...
If you're in your 20s and 30s, I genuinely think there is nothing like London in the UK. Beyond that, yeah I will leave
Truthfully, I’ve never liked the place, although I’m still in my 30s. And I liked it much less in my twenties because I had to spend a lot more time there.
I think London is, when you have no money, the most tedious and unpleasant place in the world.
Yes. To enjoy london you have to be young, or rich.
Yeah, I'd say being under 30 or with an income of over £45k is necessary to enjoy life in London. If you have both then it's even better!
Be under 30, have a massive deposit for a house and be earning over £45K and you'll be laughing
Because we have given Boris and the government a free pass this last year to introduce any measure they damn well please we now need Steve BakerThe LibDemsThe Labour Party absolutely anyone to save us.
Every such measure these past 12 months has been loudly applauded by 99% of PB posters and anyone who dared voice concern was dismissed ruthlessly for not being "right".
And the 99% failed at each point to understand that it wasn't about Covid, it was about the government introducing measures that restrict our liberty and doing so with everyone applauding.
And look at the polling. Why on earth would they not do this?
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
German media reporting that the 2 million under 60s who have had a first dose of AZ will be offered a second dose of Pfizer/Moderna or AZ if they want and doctor agrees. Though I think the final decision isn't until Wednesday.
So, why don't we stop implementing policies that jack house prices up?
No? Okay then, just watch London go further and further to Labour
The only way to stop house prices going up is to build more houses. It isn't rocket science.
Despite your perverse obsession with the insane notion that taxing buyers more makes buying easier.
I very rarely respond to you because you post utter crap but this is embarrassing, even for you. I recall when you suggested the solution to London living was to live outside and to commute in, you recommended I cycle in three and a half hours to Central. You know nothing, yet you rattle on like you live in London - you don't, it's obvious.
You were schooled last time about why the stamp duty cut is a disaster for housing and why it makes houses more expensive and therefore harder to obtain - but here you are again spouting nonsense.
The reason I don't respond to your posts is because you don't listen.
If you're in your 20s and 30s, I genuinely think there is nothing like London in the UK. Beyond that, yeah I will leave
Truthfully, I’ve never liked the place, although I’m still in my 30s. And I liked it much less in my twenties because I had to spend a lot more time there.
I think London is, when you have no money, the most tedious and unpleasant place in the world.
Yes. To enjoy london you have to be young, or rich.
Yeah, I'd say being under 30 or with an income of over £45k is necessary to enjoy life in London. If you have both then it's even better!
Be under 30, have a massive deposit for a house and be earning over £45K and you'll be laughing
I don't think Keir Starmer is an Iain Duncan Smith. The latter is, in my view, a complete berk. I would say a Tim Nice-But-Dim except that I don't think he's very nice.
KS is a good man in lots of ways: very worthy. He's more of a John Smith than an IDS. I think John Smith would have beaten Major but not by the same landslide that the charismatic Tony Blair achieved. Of course, John Smith was Scottish (with a lovely brogue) and would have carried the north in a way that I'm afraid Starmer never will.
I fear for Sir Keir. Unless from here Boris makes a total balls-up, which is always possible with him, the next election is probably by now lost to Labour in my view.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
Interesting. Personally, I'd like around 4 wfh/1 day in office per week when I am doing research or writing/preparing materials, but obviously all in person when doing consulting/workshops.
I hate videoconferencing for anything related to innovation, creativity, relationship building/maintaining, teamwork, learning ... All of these, and much more, are betting in person. But when I really need to put in the hard hours of grunt work or anything requiring prolonged periods of deep concentration, wfh is the way to go.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yes, massively. We've got our first work post-lockdown drinks in April, sign up has been very, very strong. Enough that we've had to speak to the pub about possibly having their whole outdoor area but they said it contravenes regulations as we'd be a party of 80 rather than 14 parties of 5/6.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yes, massively. We've got our first work post-lockdown drinks in April, sign up has been very, very strong. Enough that we've had to speak to the pub about possibly having their whole outdoor area but they said it contravenes regulations as we'd be a party of 80 rather than 14 parties of 5/6.
Conversely, we've seen no appetite whatsoever to go back to our Central London office any time soon.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yes, massively. We've got our first work post-lockdown drinks in April, sign up has been very, very strong. Enough that we've had to speak to the pub about possibly having their whole outdoor area but they said it contravenes regulations as we'd be a party of 80 rather than 14 parties of 5/6.
I have never played golf in my life but am thinking of signing up to a Golf Day in April which includes (a long, outdoor, boozy) lunch.
According to your models when are 18+ yr olds due to have had their second jab (or their jab if it is by that time a one jab protocol)?
Middle to end of June. One thing to note is that Novavax won't only be delivering from GSK, they will also be delivering from Germany. The GSK deal is a strong backup plan for the government to ensure the EU hasn't got any leverage over us for a domestically produced vaccine.
However, I think we'll have reached herd immunty by the middle of May once almost all over 40s and the majority of over 30s have had their first doses.
German media reporting that the 2 million under 60s who have had a first dose of AZ will be offered a second dose of Pfizer/Moderna or AZ if they want and doctor agrees. Though I think the final decision isn't until Wednesday.
To clarify, Spahn said they would be offered a second dose of an "mrna vaccine" but could still have second dose of AZ if they ask for it. Maybe this Bruno guy doesn't follow the news?
If only they had a pan-European medicines agency that could advise on such matters. Utterly bonkers.
Have we seen any scientific evidence to back Gottlieb's claim that the Oxford vector is 'so immunogenic'? If that is true, it is a major blow to Oxford, as it means that the vector itself is a once (or few) and done vehicle for vaccines of any type - i.e. their adenovirus vector cannot be used now for COVID, and then later for Ebola/next emerging pandemic.
Isn't it just a generic issue with adenovirus vectors?
Yes, it's one of the reasons Sputnik is a bit smarter than AZ or J&J. It uses two different vectors, however that comes with its own set of issues becuase the second vector needs to be sufficiently different to the first. Sputnik has had to resort to using the Ad5 vector which is a pretty questionable decision.
I was not questioning whether adenoviruses are immunogenic, but Gottlieb's 'so immunogenic' statement. What does this mean for how many times this viral vector can be used?
If only they had a pan-European medicines agency that could advise on such matters. Utterly bonkers.
Have we seen any scientific evidence to back Gottlieb's claim that the Oxford vector is 'so immunogenic'? If that is true, it is a major blow to Oxford, as it means that the vector itself is a once (or few) and done vehicle for vaccines of any type - i.e. their adenovirus vector cannot be used now for COVID, and then later for Ebola/next emerging pandemic.
Isn't it just a generic issue with adenovirus vectors?
Yes, it's one of the reasons Sputnik is a bit smarter than AZ or J&J. It uses two different vectors, however that comes with its own set of issues becuase the second vector needs to be sufficiently different to the first. Sputnik has had to resort to using the Ad5 vector which is a pretty questionable decision.
I was not questioning whether adenoviruses are immunogenic, but Gottlieb's 'so immunogenic' statement. What does this mean for how many times this viral vector can be used?
I've not seen any research on it, would be very interested to though as it would give us a good idea of whether AZ could be used for annual booster shots without needing to reformulate the vector.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yep. In 12 months they will be returning in droves: all those Good Life people who thought they could hack it through an English winter under the pall of death-grey skies, incessant rain and mud, non-existent social life, far distant amenities: all combined with extremely pissy locals.
You'll be able to stand on a bridge over the A303 and watch them all limping back to the cities.
Then we'll have to endure a couple of years of the same Metropolitan twats writing about their experiences in the Saturday and Sunday newspapers.
Meanwhile, er, Leon, Thailand has just announced it's re-opening to the vaccinated international traveller on 01st October for six destinations providing direct entry (except Pattaya in which case you can go via BKK): Phuket, Krabi, Phangnga, Koh Samui, Chonburi (Pattaya), and Chiang Mai.
According to your models when are 18+ yr olds due to have had their second jab (or their jab if it is by that time a one jab protocol)?
Middle to end of June. One thing to note is that Novavax won't only be delivering from GSK, they will also be delivering from Germany. The GSK deal is a strong backup plan for the government to ensure the EU hasn't got any leverage over us for a domestically produced vaccine.
However, I think we'll have reached herd immunty by the middle of May once almost all over 40s and the majority of over 30s have had their first doses.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yes, massively. We've got our first work post-lockdown drinks in April, sign up has been very, very strong. Enough that we've had to speak to the pub about possibly having their whole outdoor area but they said it contravenes regulations as we'd be a party of 80 rather than 14 parties of 5/6.
Conversely, we've seen no appetite whatsoever to go back to our Central London office any time soon.
I guess it depends on the office culture. We worked very hard for a couple of years to bring in a lot of best practices and make the office somewhere people wanted to be for 40h per week. The extra money we spent on it was nothing compared to the gains we made in employee churn which was a really big problem for my team when I took it over.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yes, massively. We've got our first work post-lockdown drinks in April, sign up has been very, very strong. Enough that we've had to speak to the pub about possibly having their whole outdoor area but they said it contravenes regulations as we'd be a party of 80 rather than 14 parties of 5/6.
Conversely, we've seen no appetite whatsoever to go back to our Central London office any time soon.
I guess it depends on the office culture. We worked very hard for a couple of years to bring in a lot of best practices and make the office somewhere people wanted to be for 40h per week. The extra money we spent on it was nothing compared to the gains we made in employee churn which was a really big problem for my team when I took it over.
It also depends on the person.
I would like to go back to the office at some point - am not rushing back - but never for 40 hours a week ever again.
Balance is what a good employer should offer, work from home when you want.
"after telling this newspaper yesterday that vaccine passports were against “the British instinct”, [Starmer's] aides then rushed to explain that this didn’t mean he actually opposes them."
Telegraph.
Starmer in a nutshell it seems.
I doubt Lucy Powell would have endorsed them for large events if Starmer was opposed
Exactly. He has effectively changed his frigging mind in the space of 24 hours on one of the most far reaching policy decisions he may ever have to oppose or support.
He would have been one of the leading Trojans welcoming their lovely new wooden horse into the city.
Look, he's just doing his best to become Priam Minister...
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yep. In 12 months they will be returning in droves: all those Good Life people who thought they could hack it through an English winter under the pall of death-grey skies, incessant rain and mud, non-existent social life, far distant amenities: all combined with extremely pissy locals.
You'll be able to stand on a bridge over the A303 and watch them all limping back to the cities.
Then we'll have to endure a couple of years of the same Metropolitan twats writing about their experiences in the Saturday and Sunday newspapers.
Meanwhile, er, Leon, Thailand has just announced it's re-opening to the vaccinated international traveller on 01st October for six destinations providing direct entry (except Pattaya in which case you can go via BKK): Phuket, Krabi, Phangnga, Koh Samui, Chonburi (Pattaya), and Chiang Mai.
Yes, the first lockdown and then the summer were unreal. Perfect weather, for much of it. Everything was novel. It was so much better to be in the glorious countryside compared to eerie, locked down London. And even when we had some unlockdowning, london remained largely shut. No theatres. No cinemas. No clubs. Pubs demanding bookings. Yawn.
Then came lockdowns 2 and 3 and a long cold English winter. Gardens almost useless. Lonely freezing walks in fields. Hmm.
Friends of mine who moved out permanently last year are already sounding very nostalgic about bars and restaurants and urban life....
Gibraltar's statistics are staggering, 94% of the population vaccinated there. Which begs the question are there in fact any children at all on the rock ?
The official population data must be off, or they're vaccinating spaniards in the official stats. 20% of the pop under 14 apparently.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yes, massively. We've got our first work post-lockdown drinks in April, sign up has been very, very strong. Enough that we've had to speak to the pub about possibly having their whole outdoor area but they said it contravenes regulations as we'd be a party of 80 rather than 14 parties of 5/6.
Conversely, we've seen no appetite whatsoever to go back to our Central London office any time soon.
I guess it depends on the office culture. We worked very hard for a couple of years to bring in a lot of best practices and make the office somewhere people wanted to be for 40h per week. The extra money we spent on it was nothing compared to the gains we made in employee churn which was a really big problem for my team when I took it over.
It also depends on the person.
I would like to go back to the office at some point - am not rushing back - but never for 40 hours a week ever again.
Balance is what a good employer should offer, work from home when you want.
My employer is letting us opt for mostly in the office (up to 2 WFH days a week) or mostly at home, with only occasionally in the office. The main discriminant will be that if you opt for mostly WFH you'll be able to expense a desk and chair for home but you'll have to hot-desk at the office. If you opt for mostly at office you get no home provision but (if you're an engineer) you'll have a desk at the office.
Historically the company was very keen on in-office work, but have been pleasantly surprised at how well enforced WFH has worked in practice. We'd also pre-pandemic been constantly running short on office space and having to acquire more, so I think they've decided being flexible will save money in the long term.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yes, massively. We've got our first work post-lockdown drinks in April, sign up has been very, very strong. Enough that we've had to speak to the pub about possibly having their whole outdoor area but they said it contravenes regulations as we'd be a party of 80 rather than 14 parties of 5/6.
Conversely, we've seen no appetite whatsoever to go back to our Central London office any time soon.
I guess it depends on the office culture. We worked very hard for a couple of years to bring in a lot of best practices and make the office somewhere people wanted to be for 40h per week. The extra money we spent on it was nothing compared to the gains we made in employee churn which was a really big problem for my team when I took it over.
I think the length of your commute also matters. It takes me 90 mins door to door. I want to be back in the office to meet people and to have works drinks, but I want to retain 2-3 days a week WFH focused on writing stuff or planning. I also want to continue to save commuting cash.
A further point - If you take the 94% for the 70+ groups as the achievable limit (it hasn't moved much in a while), and multiply out for the other groups...
On March 28th, there were 1.6 million vaccinations to go until the over 50 groups were all vaccinated to 94%
Had my 2nd vaccine invitation today, for next week - that's be just over 8 weeks (Pfizer). Pretty good!
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yes, massively. We've got our first work post-lockdown drinks in April, sign up has been very, very strong. Enough that we've had to speak to the pub about possibly having their whole outdoor area but they said it contravenes regulations as we'd be a party of 80 rather than 14 parties of 5/6.
Conversely, we've seen no appetite whatsoever to go back to our Central London office any time soon.
I guess it depends on the office culture. We worked very hard for a couple of years to bring in a lot of best practices and make the office somewhere people wanted to be for 40h per week. The extra money we spent on it was nothing compared to the gains we made in employee churn which was a really big problem for my team when I took it over.
I think the length of your commute also matters. It takes me 90 mins door to door. I want to be back in the office to meet people and to have works drinks, but I want to retain 2-3 days a week WFH focused on writing stuff or planning. I also want to continue to save commuting cash.
I think I’m quite typical of commuters.
Yes, I think it helps that the majority of our people live within tfl zones 1-4, I think 1-3 actually. I think banking and tech are two industries that will push for office returns.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yep. In 12 months they will be returning in droves: all those Good Life people who thought they could hack it through an English winter under the pall of death-grey skies, incessant rain and mud, non-existent social life, far distant amenities: all combined with extremely pissy locals.
You'll be able to stand on a bridge over the A303 and watch them all limping back to the cities.
Then we'll have to endure a couple of years of the same Metropolitan twats writing about their experiences in the Saturday and Sunday newspapers.
Meanwhile, er, Leon, Thailand has just announced it's re-opening to the vaccinated international traveller on 01st October for six destinations providing direct entry (except Pattaya in which case you can go via BKK): Phuket, Krabi, Phangnga, Koh Samui, Chonburi (Pattaya), and Chiang Mai.
Yes, the first lockdown and then the summer were unreal. Perfect weather, for much of it. Everything was novel. It was so much better to be in the glorious countryside compared to eerie, locked down London. And even when we had some unlockdowning, london remained largely shut. No theatres. No cinemas. No clubs. Pubs demanding bookings. Yawn.
Then came lockdowns 2 and 3 and a long cold English winter. Gardens almost useless. Lonely freezing walks in fields. Hmm.
Friends of mine who moved out permanently last year are already sounding very nostalgic about bars and restaurants and urban life....
There's a huge variety of possibilities between ultra urban and ultra rural.
Outer suburbia is perhaps the best place in the spring - the bulbs and blossom of sizeable gardens plus the countryside within a short walk.
it links to the report's findings, which I have summarise below, but aren't particularly exciting.
There are two obvious actual policy commitments, although they would require primary legislation: 1. mandating tenant relocation payments for ‘no tenant fault’ evictions; and 2. Establish a universal register of landlords to ensure policy-makers can access accurate information about the private rental market, private landlords, their properties, and rents for individual homes, and which would also support enforcement of standards in the private rented sector. (This would effectively be an extension to selective licensing.)
Then there are some other recommendations which sound like policies, but don't seem to go further than the Government's own proposed housing bill:
1. Starting with their first two recommendations, they state "replacing Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) with open-ended tenancies and ending 'no fault' Section 21 evictions". I am not sure what the former adds to the latter; most residential tenants are already occupying under statutory periodic tenancies following the expiry of the fixed term, and, with the abolition of Section 21 (which is a government commitment as well), all such tenancies would be open-ended.
2. Then a bit further down, it states that we should "increase landlord-to-tenant notice periods to four months", but again, is that in respect of Section 21? Or Section 8 where the Landlord shows a breach of the tenancy agreement? Is it just the same thing again - the government effectively has this as a back up option to abolition of Section 21 as well.
Then in respect of rent control: 1. "The Mayor could implement simple rent stabilisation measures, such as caps on rent increases both between and within tenancies to mitigate the impacts of high rents on Londoners while the long-term solution is being designed." We have Part 13, which nobody uses. Probably start with that? 2. As to a model of rent control, there is a taskforce. I mean commission. I mean never going to happen. That's it, by the way, there isn't even a preferred option to consider, the paper just lists 11 ideas which I could have come up with in a couple of house.
So the interesting point is that Khan believes it in his interests to promote a system of rent control he hasn't worked out yet, rather than promote the first two ideas for renter protection which are vastly more achievable.
Sadiq's leaflet says he will campaign for rent controls. It does not say he will implement them.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yes, massively. We've got our first work post-lockdown drinks in April, sign up has been very, very strong. Enough that we've had to speak to the pub about possibly having their whole outdoor area but they said it contravenes regulations as we'd be a party of 80 rather than 14 parties of 5/6.
Conversely, we've seen no appetite whatsoever to go back to our Central London office any time soon.
I guess it depends on the office culture. We worked very hard for a couple of years to bring in a lot of best practices and make the office somewhere people wanted to be for 40h per week. The extra money we spent on it was nothing compared to the gains we made in employee churn which was a really big problem for my team when I took it over.
I think the length of your commute also matters. It takes me 90 mins door to door. I want to be back in the office to meet people and to have works drinks, but I want to retain 2-3 days a week WFH focused on writing stuff or planning. I also want to continue to save commuting cash.
I think I’m quite typical of commuters.
Yes, I think it helps that the majority of our people live within tfl zones 1-4, I think 1-3 actually. I think banking and tech are two industries that will push for office returns.
Well I work in tech and I don't see a lot of companies pushing for people to come back quickly, to be honest.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yes, massively. We've got our first work post-lockdown drinks in April, sign up has been very, very strong. Enough that we've had to speak to the pub about possibly having their whole outdoor area but they said it contravenes regulations as we'd be a party of 80 rather than 14 parties of 5/6.
Conversely, we've seen no appetite whatsoever to go back to our Central London office any time soon.
I guess it depends on the office culture. We worked very hard for a couple of years to bring in a lot of best practices and make the office somewhere people wanted to be for 40h per week. The extra money we spent on it was nothing compared to the gains we made in employee churn which was a really big problem for my team when I took it over.
I think the length of your commute also matters. It takes me 90 mins door to door. I want to be back in the office to meet people and to have works drinks, but I want to retain 2-3 days a week WFH focused on writing stuff or planning. I also want to continue to save commuting cash.
I think I’m quite typical of commuters.
This. I'm opting for permanent WFH under my employer's new plan (see previous post) but I'm planning to go in for sprint planning every other week once the office reopens. For me, WFH is partly about avoiding the distractions of a noisy office (but I did that anyway by spending a lot of time working from my laptop in the office's "quiet" areas) but is mostly about avoiding a 90-minute each way commuter rail plus subway journey. Also, one thing that is pretty cheap in comparison in the NYC area is transit costs (monthly rail season ticket + monthly subway Metrocard is about $430 a month) whereas in the UK I was spending maybe 1/15 of my gross salary on commuting. That would be a big deal for a lot of people.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
Interesting. Personally, I'd like around 4 wfh/1 day in office per week when I am doing research or writing/preparing materials, but obviously all in person when doing consulting/workshops.
I hate videoconferencing for anything related to innovation, creativity, relationship building/maintaining, teamwork, learning ... All of these, and much more, are betting in person. But when I really need to put in the hard hours of grunt work or anything requiring prolonged periods of deep concentration, wfh is the way to go.
Agreed, it's very individual, and sensible employers should try to make more than one choice possible to reflect that. My place (100 staff) is at the other extreme from Max - we won't go back at all till September, if then, though one can organise a face-to-face session if one really wants it. One group of 4 have done it, once. But my office has mostly people doing different specific roles - one who talks to politicians, one who organises campaign events, and so on. They need to coordinate but there's very little joint work.
The staff have the usual mix of people who hate lockdown through to those who are fine with it. But everyone agrees that being able to see friends and family is the BIG thing, and even lockdown fans relish that. Being able to commute to work and sit round a table with colleagues instead of seeing the same people on the screen is much less in demand. So, curiously, I think that social lockdown easing is going to lead to less pressure to go back to the office.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yes, massively. We've got our first work post-lockdown drinks in April, sign up has been very, very strong. Enough that we've had to speak to the pub about possibly having their whole outdoor area but they said it contravenes regulations as we'd be a party of 80 rather than 14 parties of 5/6.
Conversely, we've seen no appetite whatsoever to go back to our Central London office any time soon.
I guess it depends on the office culture. We worked very hard for a couple of years to bring in a lot of best practices and make the office somewhere people wanted to be for 40h per week. The extra money we spent on it was nothing compared to the gains we made in employee churn which was a really big problem for my team when I took it over.
I think the length of your commute also matters. It takes me 90 mins door to door. I want to be back in the office to meet people and to have works drinks, but I want to retain 2-3 days a week WFH focused on writing stuff or planning. I also want to continue to save commuting cash.
I think I’m quite typical of commuters.
Yes, I think it helps that the majority of our people live within tfl zones 1-4, I think 1-3 actually. I think banking and tech are two industries that will push for office returns.
Well I work in tech and I don't see a lot of companies pushing for people to come back quickly, to be honest.
A lot of my friends (and companies we've invested in) are talking about September. Anecdotal of course, but I'd be shocked if most London tech companies weren't back majority in office by the end of October and near fully open by the end of the year.
From I understand this is one of those policies that is doomed to failure, isnt it? Everywhere it is introduced it causes unexpected consequences.
I'm all for evidence based policy, even if it is counter to my gut instinct. Please someone show me where rent controls have been net beneficial.
It’s the policy that unites economists of every political colour in condemning it. There isn’t a housing situation out there that you can’t make worse by introducing rent controls.
The only rent control that works is where the state owns the housing, so the state sets the rent. E.g. (before the PB right has a collective aneurysm) that oh so lefty socialist state of Singapore, where 80% of residents live in state-owned accommodation.
Attempting to fix private housing issues by introducing rent controls is essentially a doomed enterprise that establishes a new, privileged elite (those who happen to occupy housing at the time the rent control is introduced) at the expense of two groups: property owners (to which most on the left would probably say: bring it on ) but also, future renters & those on the margins who occupy unofficial rented accommodation. This wealth transfer also brings a significant economic drag as people become reluctant to move in case they lose their rent controlled rent, whilst simultaneously landlords become increasingly reluctant to rent to anyone except the most copper-bottomed clients as the cost of being wrong escalates.
It is possible to mitigate some of the worst effects of rent control, but the effect of dividing the population into "haves" and "have nots" usually remains. (See, e.g. San Francisco) & the haves tend to vote, so once you bring it in it’s very hard to get rid of.
Personally, I think the answer to high rents is a combination of Georgist land taxes on property owners & a proper building program, but neither of those seem to be likely to be brought in by a UK government at the current time!
House price problems seem to be - since 2010 - very much a London specific issue.
It’s weird, therefore, that London is comparatively low rise —- and that there are large stretches of effectively vacant, post industrial land towards the East.
But everyone wants to live in North, North West, North East, West London and up to Zone 2 in East or South London. It means places further out than Walthamstow or Leyton out East get little interest but places like Islington or Haringey are overcrowded.
Sure.
But pretty much everyone is priced out of somewhere.
My point is simply that we could expand supply considerably, though it likely takes direct govt action beyond even simple regulatory liberalisation, ie into direct housebuilding and/or incentives to develop, expand, and sub-divide.
This is the same as politicians talking about building houses up north or something like that. They need to build houses where people want to live or failing that create more owner occupier supply in those places. It's not going to be easy to increase quality housing supply on Islington or Hampstead but it would be a piece of piss to kick the landlords out to a degree which lowers prices for owner occupiers to be able to buy.
We should not be paying more money for tossers to get cheaper houses in London. Time our money was spent fixing outside London. If they want to live there then pay for it themselves.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yes, massively. We've got our first work post-lockdown drinks in April, sign up has been very, very strong. Enough that we've had to speak to the pub about possibly having their whole outdoor area but they said it contravenes regulations as we'd be a party of 80 rather than 14 parties of 5/6.
Conversely, we've seen no appetite whatsoever to go back to our Central London office any time soon.
I guess it depends on the office culture. We worked very hard for a couple of years to bring in a lot of best practices and make the office somewhere people wanted to be for 40h per week. The extra money we spent on it was nothing compared to the gains we made in employee churn which was a really big problem for my team when I took it over.
I think the length of your commute also matters. It takes me 90 mins door to door. I want to be back in the office to meet people and to have works drinks, but I want to retain 2-3 days a week WFH focused on writing stuff or planning. I also want to continue to save commuting cash.
I think I’m quite typical of commuters.
Personally, I think offices have passed into 'art'. Like writing letters as a form of communication, horse and carriage as a form of transportation, paintings as a form of conveying reality, open fires as a form of heating, analogue watches as a form of telling the time etc. etc. etc. They are no longer necessary. That doesn't mean you don't have them if you can afford them - indeed some of these things are still extremely widespread. But I don't think they will ever be universal again.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yep. In 12 months they will be returning in droves: all those Good Life people who thought they could hack it through an English winter under the pall of death-grey skies, incessant rain and mud, non-existent social life, far distant amenities: all combined with extremely pissy locals.
You'll be able to stand on a bridge over the A303 and watch them all limping back to the cities.
Then we'll have to endure a couple of years of the same Metropolitan twats writing about their experiences in the Saturday and Sunday newspapers.
Meanwhile, er, Leon, Thailand has just announced it's re-opening to the vaccinated international traveller on 01st October for six destinations providing direct entry (except Pattaya in which case you can go via BKK): Phuket, Krabi, Phangnga, Koh Samui, Chonburi (Pattaya), and Chiang Mai.
Yes, the first lockdown and then the summer were unreal. Perfect weather, for much of it. Everything was novel. It was so much better to be in the glorious countryside compared to eerie, locked down London. And even when we had some unlockdowning, london remained largely shut. No theatres. No cinemas. No clubs. Pubs demanding bookings. Yawn.
Then came lockdowns 2 and 3 and a long cold English winter. Gardens almost useless. Lonely freezing walks in fields. Hmm.
Friends of mine who moved out permanently last year are already sounding very nostalgic about bars and restaurants and urban life....
There's a huge variety of possibilities between ultra urban and ultra rural.
Outer suburbia is perhaps the best place in the spring - the bulbs and blossom of sizeable gardens plus the countryside within a short walk.
Depends on the spring. It’s quite sunny here in London today. But cold. 10C. Very different to last April. And it’s meant to get even colder next week. 7C maxima. That’s bloody winter again.
I’m so bored of cold walks in parks (or fields or beaches or anywhere)
I want my city back. And I want holidays in hot sun. Enough
it links to the report's findings, which I have summarise below, but aren't particularly exciting.
There are two obvious actual policy commitments, although they would require primary legislation: 1. mandating tenant relocation payments for ‘no tenant fault’ evictions; and 2. Establish a universal register of landlords to ensure policy-makers can access accurate information about the private rental market, private landlords, their properties, and rents for individual homes, and which would also support enforcement of standards in the private rented sector. (This would effectively be an extension to selective licensing.)
Then there are some other recommendations which sound like policies, but don't seem to go further than the Government's own proposed housing bill:
1. Starting with their first two recommendations, they state "replacing Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) with open-ended tenancies and ending 'no fault' Section 21 evictions". I am not sure what the former adds to the latter; most residential tenants are already occupying under statutory periodic tenancies following the expiry of the fixed term, and, with the abolition of Section 21 (which is a government commitment as well), all such tenancies would be open-ended.
2. Then a bit further down, it states that we should "increase landlord-to-tenant notice periods to four months", but again, is that in respect of Section 21? Or Section 8 where the Landlord shows a breach of the tenancy agreement? Is it just the same thing again - the government effectively has this as a back up option to abolition of Section 21 as well.
Then in respect of rent control: 1. "The Mayor could implement simple rent stabilisation measures, such as caps on rent increases both between and within tenancies to mitigate the impacts of high rents on Londoners while the long-term solution is being designed." We have Part 13, which nobody uses. Probably start with that? 2. As to a model of rent control, there is a taskforce. I mean commission. I mean never going to happen. That's it, by the way, there isn't even a preferred option to consider, the paper just lists 11 ideas which I could have come up with in a couple of house.
So the interesting point is that Khan believes it in his interests to promote a system of rent control he hasn't worked out yet, rather than promote the first two ideas for renter protection which are vastly more achievable.
Sadiq's leaflet says he will campaign for rent controls. It does not say he will implement them.
It is pretty cheap to campaign on things that are not in your gift. It's like the SNP having views on nuclear warheads.
Anyway, rent control isn't the problem. The problem is: the massive areas you can't build at all - Green belt and all that, the lack of social housing, the artificial market from overseas investment buyers, NIMBYs, a strategic failure to run a balanced economy and society in which London isn't the centre for everything on the planet, the problem of builders liking high house prices because they can make the same money for less cost to them.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yes, massively. We've got our first work post-lockdown drinks in April, sign up has been very, very strong. Enough that we've had to speak to the pub about possibly having their whole outdoor area but they said it contravenes regulations as we'd be a party of 80 rather than 14 parties of 5/6.
Conversely, we've seen no appetite whatsoever to go back to our Central London office any time soon.
I guess it depends on the office culture. We worked very hard for a couple of years to bring in a lot of best practices and make the office somewhere people wanted to be for 40h per week. The extra money we spent on it was nothing compared to the gains we made in employee churn which was a really big problem for my team when I took it over.
I think the length of your commute also matters. It takes me 90 mins door to door. I want to be back in the office to meet people and to have works drinks, but I want to retain 2-3 days a week WFH focused on writing stuff or planning. I also want to continue to save commuting cash.
I think I’m quite typical of commuters.
Yes, I think it helps that the majority of our people live within tfl zones 1-4, I think 1-3 actually. I think banking and tech are two industries that will push for office returns.
Yes. I expect a lot of younger team members to want office space because working off a laptop on your knees is shit.
Put it this way. I probably could afford a flat in inner London if I was single and I wanted to. If I had that, I would not waste effort making my second bedroom an office when I could just go in to the office. Living outside of London, I have a comfy office in my house because I can. So if I have something to write, why wouldn’t I do it there?
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yep. In 12 months they will be returning in droves: all those Good Life people who thought they could hack it through an English winter under the pall of death-grey skies, incessant rain and mud, non-existent social life, far distant amenities: all combined with extremely pissy locals.
You'll be able to stand on a bridge over the A303 and watch them all limping back to the cities.
Then we'll have to endure a couple of years of the same Metropolitan twats writing about their experiences in the Saturday and Sunday newspapers.
Meanwhile, er, Leon, Thailand has just announced it's re-opening to the vaccinated international traveller on 01st October for six destinations providing direct entry (except Pattaya in which case you can go via BKK): Phuket, Krabi, Phangnga, Koh Samui, Chonburi (Pattaya), and Chiang Mai.
Yes, the first lockdown and then the summer were unreal. Perfect weather, for much of it. Everything was novel. It was so much better to be in the glorious countryside compared to eerie, locked down London. And even when we had some unlockdowning, london remained largely shut. No theatres. No cinemas. No clubs. Pubs demanding bookings. Yawn.
Then came lockdowns 2 and 3 and a long cold English winter. Gardens almost useless. Lonely freezing walks in fields. Hmm.
Friends of mine who moved out permanently last year are already sounding very nostalgic about bars and restaurants and urban life....
There's a huge variety of possibilities between ultra urban and ultra rural.
Outer suburbia is perhaps the best place in the spring - the bulbs and blossom of sizeable gardens plus the countryside within a short walk.
Depends on the spring. It’s quite sunny here in London today. But cold. 10C. Very different to last April. And it’s meant to get even colder next week. 7C maxima. That’s bloody winter again.
I’m so bored of cold walks in parks (or fields or beaches or anywhere)
I want my city back. And I want holidays in hot sun. Enough
Temperature is of little significance - its just an extra layer of clothes or not - as long as its sunny and dry.
And once you go above 20C it starts to have negative effects if you're exercising or working outside.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yep. In 12 months they will be returning in droves: all those Good Life people who thought they could hack it through an English winter under the pall of death-grey skies, incessant rain and mud, non-existent social life, far distant amenities: all combined with extremely pissy locals.
You'll be able to stand on a bridge over the A303 and watch them all limping back to the cities.
Then we'll have to endure a couple of years of the same Metropolitan twats writing about their experiences in the Saturday and Sunday newspapers.
Meanwhile, er, Leon, Thailand has just announced it's re-opening to the vaccinated international traveller on 01st October for six destinations providing direct entry (except Pattaya in which case you can go via BKK): Phuket, Krabi, Phangnga, Koh Samui, Chonburi (Pattaya), and Chiang Mai.
Just catching up after a walk; thanks for the news about Thailand. Looks like I'd better start checking flights.
Successful vaccination campaign yet infections now rising rapidly.
It takes 3-5 weeks for immunity to properly kick in (for Pfizer and AZ, anyway; God only knows for Sinovac). So their current infections are occurring against the vaccination baseline of 3-5 weeks ago:15%-20%
If people aren't sufficiently social distancing, that won't make much difference. And, of course, we have the effect seen in Israel of people dropping their guard immediately after getting jabbed (there were plenty of anecdotes of elderly grandparents instantly inviting their entire families over for dinner to celebrate getting home from the jab, and a concomitant increase in cases in the week after being jabbed).
Our drop in infections happened primarily due to the lockdown; we're looking a month back for the effect on infections. And 40+days back for the affect on hospitals, and 50+ days back for the effect on deaths (albeit we targeted the most vulnerable very well, so our outcome was multiplied).
For infections: equivalent of c 15-20% jabbed For hospitalisations: equivalent of c. 10% jabbed For deaths: equivalent of c. 5% jabbed (as it takes 3-5 weeks for protection, and then 3 weeks for the deaths that didn't happen due to the infections that didn't happen).
And that's before we consider if their vaccine is any good or not.
House price problems seem to be - since 2010 - very much a London specific issue.
It’s weird, therefore, that London is comparatively low rise —- and that there are large stretches of effectively vacant, post industrial land towards the East.
You mean that outside London people don't find house prices too high? I was passing an estate agent yesterday and glanced in the window - prices for semis round here start at £400K and detached homes are typically over a million. And Godalming is reasonably prosperous but it's not Mayfair. Essentially, if you grow up here you need to stay with your parents, get 50 grand from your parents for a deposit, or move somewhere far away. It's seen as a real problem by everyone, including Tories. Much of the southeast seems in a similar dilemma.
Rents similarly. I pay £1K/month for my one-bedroom flat, and paid exactly half that for an almost identical flat in Nottingham. If I could definitely work from home full-time, I'd go back there tomorrow. Possibly HS2 will change the calculations.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yep. In 12 months they will be returning in droves: all those Good Life people who thought they could hack it through an English winter under the pall of death-grey skies, incessant rain and mud, non-existent social life, far distant amenities: all combined with extremely pissy locals.
You'll be able to stand on a bridge over the A303 and watch them all limping back to the cities.
Then we'll have to endure a couple of years of the same Metropolitan twats writing about their experiences in the Saturday and Sunday newspapers.
Meanwhile, er, Leon, Thailand has just announced it's re-opening to the vaccinated international traveller on 01st October for six destinations providing direct entry (except Pattaya in which case you can go via BKK): Phuket, Krabi, Phangnga, Koh Samui, Chonburi (Pattaya), and Chiang Mai.
Yes, the first lockdown and then the summer were unreal. Perfect weather, for much of it. Everything was novel. It was so much better to be in the glorious countryside compared to eerie, locked down London. And even when we had some unlockdowning, london remained largely shut. No theatres. No cinemas. No clubs. Pubs demanding bookings. Yawn.
Then came lockdowns 2 and 3 and a long cold English winter. Gardens almost useless. Lonely freezing walks in fields. Hmm.
Friends of mine who moved out permanently last year are already sounding very nostalgic about bars and restaurants and urban life....
There's a huge variety of possibilities between ultra urban and ultra rural.
Outer suburbia is perhaps the best place in the spring - the bulbs and blossom of sizeable gardens plus the countryside within a short walk.
Depends on the spring. It’s quite sunny here in London today. But cold. 10C. Very different to last April. And it’s meant to get even colder next week. 7C maxima. That’s bloody winter again.
I’m so bored of cold walks in parks (or fields or beaches or anywhere)
I want my city back. And I want holidays in hot sun. Enough
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yes, massively. We've got our first work post-lockdown drinks in April, sign up has been very, very strong. Enough that we've had to speak to the pub about possibly having their whole outdoor area but they said it contravenes regulations as we'd be a party of 80 rather than 14 parties of 5/6.
Conversely, we've seen no appetite whatsoever to go back to our Central London office any time soon.
I guess it depends on the office culture. We worked very hard for a couple of years to bring in a lot of best practices and make the office somewhere people wanted to be for 40h per week. The extra money we spent on it was nothing compared to the gains we made in employee churn which was a really big problem for my team when I took it over.
I think the length of your commute also matters. It takes me 90 mins door to door. I want to be back in the office to meet people and to have works drinks, but I want to retain 2-3 days a week WFH focused on writing stuff or planning. I also want to continue to save commuting cash.
I think I’m quite typical of commuters.
Yes, I think it helps that the majority of our people live within tfl zones 1-4, I think 1-3 actually. I think banking and tech are two industries that will push for office returns.
Well I work in tech and I don't see a lot of companies pushing for people to come back quickly, to be honest.
The arts and media will mostly go back to the office, because they are extrovert businesses that demand social interaction: face to face meetings, lunches, brainstorm sessions. You can't do it on Zoom
There will also, I reckon, be career pressure on people to go back to the office, but it will be slow and near-invisible (at first). If you work from home most of the time you will miss out on all the chance stuff - lucky encounters, water cooler moments, ideas in the pub after work - which can often advance careers (and build team spirit)
The WFHers will become outsiders. Possibly resented by those who slog into the office
I know a woman in an arts related job who worked from home long before Covid, when the rule was office for everyone. She got away with it because she was notably successful, efficient and likeable, but even SHE generated resentment, and she knew it. One slip up and she'd have been sacked
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yep. In 12 months they will be returning in droves: all those Good Life people who thought they could hack it through an English winter under the pall of death-grey skies, incessant rain and mud, non-existent social life, far distant amenities: all combined with extremely pissy locals.
You'll be able to stand on a bridge over the A303 and watch them all limping back to the cities.
Then we'll have to endure a couple of years of the same Metropolitan twats writing about their experiences in the Saturday and Sunday newspapers.
Meanwhile, er, Leon, Thailand has just announced it's re-opening to the vaccinated international traveller on 01st October for six destinations providing direct entry (except Pattaya in which case you can go via BKK): Phuket, Krabi, Phangnga, Koh Samui, Chonburi (Pattaya), and Chiang Mai.
Yes, the first lockdown and then the summer were unreal. Perfect weather, for much of it. Everything was novel. It was so much better to be in the glorious countryside compared to eerie, locked down London. And even when we had some unlockdowning, london remained largely shut. No theatres. No cinemas. No clubs. Pubs demanding bookings. Yawn.
Then came lockdowns 2 and 3 and a long cold English winter. Gardens almost useless. Lonely freezing walks in fields. Hmm.
Friends of mine who moved out permanently last year are already sounding very nostalgic about bars and restaurants and urban life....
There's a huge variety of possibilities between ultra urban and ultra rural.
Outer suburbia is perhaps the best place in the spring - the bulbs and blossom of sizeable gardens plus the countryside within a short walk.
Depends on the spring. It’s quite sunny here in London today. But cold. 10C. Very different to last April. And it’s meant to get even colder next week. 7C maxima. That’s bloody winter again.
I’m so bored of cold walks in parks (or fields or beaches or anywhere)
I want my city back. And I want holidays in hot sun. Enough
Yep which is another thing. One crap British summer will soon put staycations on the back burner. We may be lucky but it doesn't take much to produce an absolute stinker on these isles.
If China have been selling a duffer vaccine, like they allowed duff PPE and other medical equipment to be exported, I presume the reaction of the world will be shrug and move on.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yep. In 12 months they will be returning in droves: all those Good Life people who thought they could hack it through an English winter under the pall of death-grey skies, incessant rain and mud, non-existent social life, far distant amenities: all combined with extremely pissy locals.
You'll be able to stand on a bridge over the A303 and watch them all limping back to the cities.
Then we'll have to endure a couple of years of the same Metropolitan twats writing about their experiences in the Saturday and Sunday newspapers.
Meanwhile, er, Leon, Thailand has just announced it's re-opening to the vaccinated international traveller on 01st October for six destinations providing direct entry (except Pattaya in which case you can go via BKK): Phuket, Krabi, Phangnga, Koh Samui, Chonburi (Pattaya), and Chiang Mai.
Yes, the first lockdown and then the summer were unreal. Perfect weather, for much of it. Everything was novel. It was so much better to be in the glorious countryside compared to eerie, locked down London. And even when we had some unlockdowning, london remained largely shut. No theatres. No cinemas. No clubs. Pubs demanding bookings. Yawn.
Then came lockdowns 2 and 3 and a long cold English winter. Gardens almost useless. Lonely freezing walks in fields. Hmm.
Friends of mine who moved out permanently last year are already sounding very nostalgic about bars and restaurants and urban life....
There's a huge variety of possibilities between ultra urban and ultra rural.
Outer suburbia is perhaps the best place in the spring - the bulbs and blossom of sizeable gardens plus the countryside within a short walk.
Depends on the spring. It’s quite sunny here in London today. But cold. 10C. Very different to last April. And it’s meant to get even colder next week. 7C maxima. That’s bloody winter again.
I’m so bored of cold walks in parks (or fields or beaches or anywhere)
I want my city back. And I want holidays in hot sun. Enough
Yep which is another thing. One crap British summer will soon put staycations on the back burner. We may be lucky but it doesn't take much to produce an absolute stinker on these isles.
A holiday in your own country is not a staycation.
Google to recall all staff to in office work with only a maximum of 14 defined WFH days allowed per year or as agreed by management.
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
I get the sense a lot of people are now craving city life. Lockdown has gone on so long the charms of country walks and lavish gardens are starting to pall. It’s just a walk. It’s just a garden. It’s not a life.
Yep. In 12 months they will be returning in droves: all those Good Life people who thought they could hack it through an English winter under the pall of death-grey skies, incessant rain and mud, non-existent social life, far distant amenities: all combined with extremely pissy locals.
You'll be able to stand on a bridge over the A303 and watch them all limping back to the cities.
Then we'll have to endure a couple of years of the same Metropolitan twats writing about their experiences in the Saturday and Sunday newspapers.
Meanwhile, er, Leon, Thailand has just announced it's re-opening to the vaccinated international traveller on 01st October for six destinations providing direct entry (except Pattaya in which case you can go via BKK): Phuket, Krabi, Phangnga, Koh Samui, Chonburi (Pattaya), and Chiang Mai.
Yes, the first lockdown and then the summer were unreal. Perfect weather, for much of it. Everything was novel. It was so much better to be in the glorious countryside compared to eerie, locked down London. And even when we had some unlockdowning, london remained largely shut. No theatres. No cinemas. No clubs. Pubs demanding bookings. Yawn.
Then came lockdowns 2 and 3 and a long cold English winter. Gardens almost useless. Lonely freezing walks in fields. Hmm.
Friends of mine who moved out permanently last year are already sounding very nostalgic about bars and restaurants and urban life....
There's a huge variety of possibilities between ultra urban and ultra rural.
Outer suburbia is perhaps the best place in the spring - the bulbs and blossom of sizeable gardens plus the countryside within a short walk.
Depends on the spring. It’s quite sunny here in London today. But cold. 10C. Very different to last April. And it’s meant to get even colder next week. 7C maxima. That’s bloody winter again.
I’m so bored of cold walks in parks (or fields or beaches or anywhere)
I want my city back. And I want holidays in hot sun. Enough
Temperature is of little significance - its just an extra layer of clothes or not - as long as its sunny and dry.
And once you go above 20C it starts to have negative effects if you're exercising or working outside.
Must be a personal thing. But walking out into a 25C day is very different, for me, to walking out into a 10C day with a stiff wind, even if they are both sunny.
The first - for me - is an absolute pleasure in itself, shirtsleeve order, you can lie down on the grass in the park, you can have a lovely picnic with cold white wine, the human body evolved in these temperatures - on the savannah - that's why we love them, they are our comfort zone.
A chilly, windy, sunny 10C is preferable to rain or fog or sleet or whatever, but I do not smile and think Aaaaaah.
They must be spending a fortune. They are going to need to do a lot better than the likes of Sky News.
It'll be interesting. I don't see a long term revenue stream, but what do I know about broadcasting.
I don't see it either. Sky News has always lost money and now there is a huge amount of established "competition" via YouTube. There are loads of very popular talking heads on the YouTubes that don't even have to pretend to be vaguely impartial and not paying big salaries to a big cast of faces.
Yeah this is starting to look like a really serious proposition. British Fox News it ain’t.
Both BBC and Sky are London centric and indeed Sky introduce themselves as the only broadcaster coming from the heart of Westminster, without realising just how Metropolitan that sounds
I am surprised at the number of good quality journalists signing for GBnews and it will be interesting to see just how well they are received, and whether the other two realise the UK is not just London
Comments
Successful vaccination campaign yet infections now rising rapidly.
it links to the report's findings, which I have summarise below, but aren't particularly exciting.
There are two obvious actual policy commitments, although they would require primary legislation:
1. mandating tenant relocation payments for ‘no tenant fault’ evictions; and
2. Establish a universal register of landlords to ensure policy-makers can access accurate information about the private rental market, private landlords, their properties, and rents for individual homes, and which would also support enforcement of standards in the private rented sector. (This would effectively be an extension to selective licensing.)
Then there are some other recommendations which sound like policies, but don't seem to go further than the Government's own proposed housing bill:
1. Starting with their first two recommendations, they state "replacing Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) with open-ended tenancies and ending 'no fault' Section 21 evictions". I am not sure what the former adds to the latter; most residential tenants are already occupying under statutory periodic tenancies following the expiry of the fixed term, and, with the abolition of Section 21 (which is a government commitment as well), all such tenancies would be open-ended.
2. Then a bit further down, it states that we should "increase landlord-to-tenant notice periods to four months", but again, is that in respect of Section 21? Or Section 8 where the Landlord shows a breach of the tenancy agreement? Is it just the same thing again - the government effectively has this as a back up option to abolition of Section 21 as well.
Then in respect of rent control:
1. "The Mayor could implement simple rent stabilisation measures, such as caps on rent increases both between and within tenancies to mitigate the impacts of high rents on Londoners while the long-term solution is being designed." We have Part 13, which nobody uses. Probably start with that?
2. As to a model of rent control, there is a taskforce. I mean commission. I mean never going to happen. That's it, by the way, there isn't even a preferred option to consider, the paper just lists 11 ideas which I could have come up with in a couple of house.
So the interesting point is that Khan believes it in his interests to promote a system of rent control he hasn't worked out yet, rather than promote the first two ideas for renter protection which are vastly more achievable.
Quite frankly deaths will be as close to zero as possible by then and the vulnerable will have been double vaccinated, and we will be at herd immunity for single doses.
Politics and sensibility will ensure we must unlock. TINA applies.
The longer the Tories ignore the problem, the more chance of solutions that make things even worse becoming electorally successful.
Hence NIMIS - which takes ONS 2019 population data and projects forward. 29 year olds becoming 31 etc.... plus some adjustments for deaths, births etc
Using that gives us, for first vaccinations
Under 50 23.57%
50-54 77.76%
55-59 82.50%
60-64 86.94%
65-69 90.45%
70-74 93.31%
75-79 94.37%
80+ 93.85%
and numbers unvaccinated
Under 50 20,532,219
50-54 933,311
55-59 709,827
60-64 449,286
65-69 276,097
70-74 192,716
75-79 118,060
80+ 176,779
It’s weird, therefore, that London is comparatively low rise —- and that there are large stretches of effectively vacant, post industrial land towards the East.
Let's check back in 80 days...
Border controls are the only restriction that makes sense.
'Boris is a libertarian that does not want you in lockdown for a MINUTE longer that absolutely necessary....'''
The brick wall mantra I have been faced with for a year....
On March 28th, there were 1.6 million vaccinations to go until the over 50 groups were all vaccinated to 94%
But pretty much everyone is priced out of somewhere.
My point is simply that we could expand supply considerably, though it likely takes direct govt action beyond even simple regulatory liberalisation, ie into direct housebuilding and/or incentives to develop, expand, and sub-divide.
https://twitter.com/angie_rasmussen/status/1356625858547470337
Lots of people are very keen (70%), others take their time (71 -> 80%) and still more are hesitant (81 -> 94%) - then there are some that won't be recommended and outright refusers (Final 6%)
Before it started, remember the demands for group x to be vaccinated first? Instead, they seem to have assumed a 75% "accuracy" in delivery. That is, 75% of the first vaccinations seem to go to the targeted group.
This got the NHS vaccinated a while back, almost as a side effect of the vaccination program.
I am quite sure that the next weekly release will show a rise in sub-50 vaccinations in line with this - that is that something like 75% of the new fist jabs are actually going to over 50s.
How does this “silent form of protest” differ from “theft”?
Because we have given Boris and the government a free pass this last year to introduce any measure they damn well please we now need
Steve BakerThe LibDemsThe Labour Partyabsolutely anyone to save us.Every such measure these past 12 months has been loudly applauded by 99% of PB posters and anyone who dared voice concern was dismissed ruthlessly for not being "right".
And the 99% failed at each point to understand that it wasn't about Covid, it was about the government introducing measures that restrict our liberty and doing so with everyone applauding.
And look at the polling. Why on earth would they not do this?
So dies the dream of lockdown fanatics that companies will shift to a new working pattern. The rest of the tech industry will follow Google's lead and where tech goes, banking will also follow and one by one all of the other industries will fall in line.
Rishi was right all the way back in May of last year when he said remote workers and majority WFH types would find their careers curtailed.
In other news we've got the full result of our office survey back. As part of the London office culture committee (a fancy way of saying I help organise ensuring there is enough money to restock the beer fridges on Friday) I'm tasked with ensuring people are happy to come back. It's been easy. The main issues people have are that they won't come back if there is mask wearing required in office or social distancing required. We've pushed our reopening schedule back to August so we can be sure that neither of these are required.
Not a single person took issue with sharing vaccine status to ensure we can operate a full capacity office and we're expecting around 90% of people to return to in office working for 4 or 5 days per week. That number is much higher than we expected. We've also essentially said no to permanent remote working, only two people have had it approved and both have got long term family situations and they've been granted it on compassionate grounds. We're also not allowing any overseas remote working due to data concerns.
This is a predominantly under 50s office in Liverpool Street and we're a Japanese company so there is definitely some level of pushback against homeworking from senior management in Tokyo.
You were schooled last time about why the stamp duty cut is a disaster for housing and why it makes houses more expensive and therefore harder to obtain - but here you are again spouting nonsense.
The reason I don't respond to your posts is because you don't listen.
Now I will go back to ignoring you. Bye.
KS is a good man in lots of ways: very worthy. He's more of a John Smith than an IDS. I think John Smith would have beaten Major but not by the same landslide that the charismatic Tony Blair achieved. Of course, John Smith was Scottish (with a lovely brogue) and would have carried the north in a way that I'm afraid Starmer never will.
I fear for Sir Keir. Unless from here Boris makes a total balls-up, which is always possible with him, the next election is probably by now lost to Labour in my view.
According to your models when are 18+ yr olds due to have had their second jab (or their jab if it is by that time a one jab protocol)?
I hate videoconferencing for anything related to innovation, creativity, relationship building/maintaining, teamwork, learning ... All of these, and much more, are betting in person. But when I really need to put in the hard hours of grunt work or anything requiring prolonged periods of deep concentration, wfh is the way to go.
However, I think we'll have reached herd immunty by the middle of May once almost all over 40s and the majority of over 30s have had their first doses.
I was not questioning whether adenoviruses are immunogenic, but Gottlieb's 'so immunogenic' statement. What does this mean for how many times this viral vector can be used?
You'll be able to stand on a bridge over the A303 and watch them all limping back to the cities.
Then we'll have to endure a couple of years of the same Metropolitan twats writing about their experiences in the Saturday and Sunday newspapers.
Meanwhile, er, Leon, Thailand has just announced it's re-opening to the vaccinated international traveller on 01st October for six destinations providing direct entry (except Pattaya in which case you can go via BKK): Phuket, Krabi, Phangnga, Koh Samui, Chonburi (Pattaya), and Chiang Mai.
I would like to go back to the office at some point - am not rushing back - but never for 40 hours a week ever again.
Balance is what a good employer should offer, work from home when you want.
Socialising in the country especially as an outsider is tediously hard work.
Then came lockdowns 2 and 3 and a long cold English winter. Gardens almost useless. Lonely freezing walks in fields. Hmm.
Friends of mine who moved out permanently last year are already sounding very nostalgic about bars and restaurants and urban life....
Which begs the question are there in fact any children at all on the rock ?
The official population data must be off, or they're vaccinating spaniards in the official stats. 20% of the pop under 14 apparently.
Historically the company was very keen on in-office work, but have been pleasantly surprised at how well enforced WFH has worked in practice. We'd also pre-pandemic been constantly running short on office space and having to acquire more, so I think they've decided being flexible will save money in the long term.
I think I’m quite typical of commuters.
https://twitter.com/BBCRosAtkins/status/1377700051431133188?s=20
Outer suburbia is perhaps the best place in the spring - the bulbs and blossom of sizeable gardens plus the countryside within a short walk.
The staff have the usual mix of people who hate lockdown through to those who are fine with it. But everyone agrees that being able to see friends and family is the BIG thing, and even lockdown fans relish that. Being able to commute to work and sit round a table with colleagues instead of seeing the same people on the screen is much less in demand. So, curiously, I think that social lockdown easing is going to lead to less pressure to go back to the office.
I’m so bored of cold walks in parks (or fields or beaches or anywhere)
I want my city back. And I want holidays in hot sun. Enough
Anyway, rent control isn't the problem. The problem is: the massive areas you can't build at all - Green belt and all that, the lack of social housing, the artificial market from overseas investment buyers, NIMBYs, a strategic failure to run a balanced economy and society in which London isn't the centre for everything on the planet, the problem of builders liking high house prices because they can make the same money for less cost to them.
Put it this way. I probably could afford a flat in inner London if I was single and I wanted to. If I had that, I would not waste effort making my second bedroom an office when I could just go in to the office. Living outside of London, I have a comfy office in my house because I can. So if I have something to write, why wouldn’t I do it there?
And once you go above 20C it starts to have negative effects if you're exercising or working outside.
https://twitter.com/ShaunLintern/status/1377994087610122240
BBC and Sky facing competition soon
If people aren't sufficiently social distancing, that won't make much difference.
And, of course, we have the effect seen in Israel of people dropping their guard immediately after getting jabbed (there were plenty of anecdotes of elderly grandparents instantly inviting their entire families over for dinner to celebrate getting home from the jab, and a concomitant increase in cases in the week after being jabbed).
Our drop in infections happened primarily due to the lockdown; we're looking a month back for the effect on infections. And 40+days back for the affect on hospitals, and 50+ days back for the effect on deaths (albeit we targeted the most vulnerable very well, so our outcome was multiplied).
For infections: equivalent of c 15-20% jabbed
For hospitalisations: equivalent of c. 10% jabbed
For deaths: equivalent of c. 5% jabbed (as it takes 3-5 weeks for protection, and then 3 weeks for the deaths that didn't happen due to the infections that didn't happen).
And that's before we consider if their vaccine is any good or not.
Last week 6,187
New deaths 52
Last week 70
Rents similarly. I pay £1K/month for my one-bedroom flat, and paid exactly half that for an almost identical flat in Nottingham. If I could definitely work from home full-time, I'd go back there tomorrow. Possibly HS2 will change the calculations.
6187 last Friday.
There will also, I reckon, be career pressure on people to go back to the office, but it will be slow and near-invisible (at first). If you work from home most of the time you will miss out on all the chance stuff - lucky encounters, water cooler moments, ideas in the pub after work - which can often advance careers (and build team spirit)
The WFHers will become outsiders. Possibly resented by those who slog into the office
I know a woman in an arts related job who worked from home long before Covid, when the rule was office for everyone. She got away with it because she was notably successful, efficient and likeable, but even SHE generated resentment, and she knew it. One slip up and she'd have been sacked
Are we now awaiting a 100% vaccine?
The first - for me - is an absolute pleasure in itself, shirtsleeve order, you can lie down on the grass in the park, you can have a lovely picnic with cold white wine, the human body evolved in these temperatures - on the savannah - that's why we love them, they are our comfort zone.
A chilly, windy, sunny 10C is preferable to rain or fog or sleet or whatever, but I do not smile and think Aaaaaah.
I am surprised at the number of good quality journalists signing for GBnews and it will be interesting to see just how well they are received, and whether the other two realise the UK is not just London