Mr. kle4, elected, yes. Not 'freely'. Democracy requires more than just votes, it requires the absence of the state taking over or closing independent media, and the absence of arresting people with the temerity to disagree.
He won elections before he started doing that. And he'd probably win if he never had. The Turkish military seems to have a history of coups because the people keep electing the wrong people. Well, they did it again, and apparently will keep on doing it. Erdogan is therefore a problem, but not really the main one.
I suspect Erdogan could be the main problem. Any attack on democracy must be resisted,but it's not clear who is initiating the coup against whom in this case.
"Any attack on democracy must be resisted" What everywhere in every circumstances? I can think of one country I have lived in, which was and still is very much not a democracy, though there were mechanisms to give "the little people" a voice (probably better than in the UK), and yet the ruler was genuinely popular, the GDP/per head has consistently grown over 40 odd years and the wealth and welfare of the native peoples was the prime goal of government, after ensuring the safety of the state.
Actually universal suffrage democracy may not actually be the ideal solution.
Singapore? I would question an assumption that a lack of democracy is the root cause of that city's success. I think Churchill called this roughly right when he said democracy was the worst form of government, apart from all the others.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
I do.
It would be a pretty horrendous commute for your job, mind.
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
Also there's only so much of London &SE that is still OK to build on once you've excluded the Green Belt.
My local town is still the same size as it was during the 80s when I was growing up despite huge population increase. It hasn't seen anything like the expansion and development that occurred in the 60s and 70s, probably due to nimbyism.
To be honest, most towns could expand onto the next row of farmers fields around their fringes and provide hundreds of new decent homes in so doing.
Thousands. But no, houses should always be built 'someplace else', usually on brownfield sites, which are the housing equivalent of banker's bonuses or the international development budget - to opponents, it seems that you can fund everything just by taking away those few things, and can meet all demand just by building on brownfield.
What always surprises me is the number of people who, despite all evidence, still support localism. It is clear that absolutely nothing good ever comes from localism, the tiny number of people who actual vote in local elections are almost wholly consumed with Nimbyism.
Localism is a nice idea, in theory. However, and regrettably, there are plenty of situations where it turns out an overseeing strategic view that consults but is not driven by the views of the locals, can and usually is what is best for them and the wider nation. That probably makes me a snob, but I used to be a bit NIMBYish myself, and after seeing the endless arguments against development time and again, utilising the same arguments over and over - there's never been enough consultation no matter how much is done, there is always somewhere better that wasn't considered, or not considered enough - I'm not inclined to support development.
Also new homes since the mid-90s are shite: cramped, tiny spaces with paper for walls and postage stamp amounts of land, yet just as expensive.
True - but not as terrible as the ones built in the postwar housing boom from the sixties through to the mid seventies.
Those stats don't take historical context into account - we spent 10 years in the late 40s and 50s building next to nothing because we couldn't afford it, then, as the economy boomed, replaced a huge amount of housing stock that was lost to the War, and "slum" clearances (mostly with very low quality dwellings). The boom of the late nineties/noughties saw a continued decline in building, despite the economic conditions, and the post-2008 crash has seen an (entirely historically predictable) further decline. I don't really see how we get out of this spiral of decline.
Actually universal suffrage democracy may not actually be the ideal solution.
I would put it differently. Universal suffrage is the end stage in democratic development, but never the starting point. The rule of law and growth of civil society need to come first, and are more important.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
I do.
It would be a pretty horrendous commute for your job, mind.
Newport is ~ 2 hours from Paddington with a half-hourly service. It's not as inaccessible as people might think.
Michael Crick @MichaelLCrick 6m6 minutes ago Mood at today's Labour NEC suggests high command worried Michael Foster's legal case on Corbyn standing without 51 nominations might succeed
Michael Crick now reporting some think the legal challenge to the NEC decision to allow Corbyn into the election unnominated might be in with a chance. Which would certainly add an additional twist to Richard_N's narrative....
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
Also there's only so much of London &SE that is still OK to build on once you've excluded the Green Belt.
My local town is still the same size as it was during the 80s when I was growing up despite huge population increase. It hasn't seen anything like the expansion and development that occurred in the 60s and 70s, probably due to nimbyism.
To be honest, most towns could expand onto the next row of farmers fields around their fringes and provide hundreds of new decent homes in so doing.
Thousands. But no, houses should always be built 'someplace else', usually on brownfield sites, which are the housing equivalent of banker's bonuses or the international development budget - to opponents, it seems that you can fund everything just by taking away those few things, and can meet all demand just by building on brownfield.
What always surprises me is the number of people who, despite all evidence, still support localism. It is clear that absolutely nothing good ever comes from localism, the tiny number of people who actual vote in local elections are almost wholly consumed with Nimbyism.
Localism is a nice idea, in theory. However, and regrettably, there are plenty of situations where it turns out an overseeing strategic view that consults but is not driven by the views of the locals, can and usually is what is best for them and the wider nation. That probably makes me a snob, but I used to be a bit NIMBYish myself, and after seeing the endless arguments against development time and again, utilising the same arguments over and over - there's never been enough consultation no matter how much is done, there is always somewhere better that wasn't considered, or not considered enough - I'm not inclined to support development.
kle4. So you used to be a bit NIMBYish. Sounds like you are now a NIABY - Not in anyone's back yard.
Who would have thought that when we had all the "Gord is great" and "Gord9000" comments that we'd have Corbyn as leader of the Labour party
Gord9000 - forgotten all about that!
Its all Brown's fault. Think about it: SEPTEMBER 2007. Brown's conference speech says "we need a new mandate" OCTOBER 2007: Labour wins a majority of 100 OCTOBER 2008: Brown saves the world JUNE 2012: Brown wins a majority of 40
No Cameron project in the Tories No Ed Milliband and his bacon butty No EU referendum No Scottish Independence referendum(s)
Michael Crick @MichaelLCrick 6m6 minutes ago Mood at today's Labour NEC suggests high command worried Michael Foster's legal case on Corbyn standing without 51 nominations might succeed
another TWIST
What good does any of this do either side, honestly? For god's sake Corbyn, stand down and let McDonnell or Lewis or someone takeover, given all the crap they've spoken about not having a problem with the policies, for the most part, there's no way those two wouldn't get on the ballot as what excuse for not nominating them?
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
I do.
It would be a pretty horrendous commute for your job, mind.
Newport is ~ 2 hours from Paddington with a half-hourly service. It's not as inaccessible as people might think.
Michael Crick @MichaelLCrick 6m6 minutes ago Mood at today's Labour NEC suggests high command worried Michael Foster's legal case on Corbyn standing without 51 nominations might succeed
another TWIST
More twists than a theme park roller coaster, and it's clear the wheels have parted company with the track!
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
Also there's only so much of London &SE that is still OK to build on once you've excluded the Green Belt.
My local town is still the same size as it was during the 80s when I was growing up despite huge population increase. It hasn't seen anything like the expansion and development that occurred in the 60s and 70s, probably due to nimbyism.
To be honest, most towns could expand onto the next row of farmers fields around their fringes and provide hundreds of new decent homes in so doing.
Thousands. But no, houses should always be built 'someplace else', usually on brownfield sites, which are the housing equivalent of banker's bonuses or the international development budget - to opponents, it seems that you can fund everything just by taking away those few things, and can meet all demand just by building on brownfield.
What always surprises me is the number of people who, despite all evidence, still support localism. It is clear that absolutely nothing good ever comes from localism, the tiny number of people who actual vote in local elections are almost wholly consumed with Nimbyism.
Localism is a nice idea, in theory. However, and regrettably, there are plenty of situations where it turns out an overseeing strategic view that consults but is not driven by the views of the locals, can and usually is what is best for them and the wider nation. That probably makes me a snob, but I used to be a bit NIMBYish myself, and after seeing the endless arguments against development time and again, utilising the same arguments over and over - there's never been enough consultation no matter how much is done, there is always somewhere better that wasn't considered, or not considered enough - I'm not inclined to support development.
kle4. So you used to be a bit NIMBYish. Sounds like you are now a NIABY - Not in anyone's back yard.
On the contrary - I wrote 'not' when I meant 'now', a rather critical word among hundreds.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
I do.
It would be a pretty horrendous commute for your job, mind.
Newport is ~ 2 hours from Paddington with a half-hourly service. It's not as inaccessible as people might think.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
I do.
It would be a pretty horrendous commute for your job, mind.
Newport is ~ 2 hours from Paddington with a half-hourly service. It's not as inaccessible as people might think.
I think CR works in East London...
Eww . OK, Wales isn't for everyone. Actually, judging by its GVA its not for anyone. Maybe I should move.
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
Also there's only so much of London &SE that is still OK to build on once you've excluded the Green Belt.
My local town is still the same size as it was during the 80s when I was growing up despite huge population increase. It hasn't seen anything like the expansion and development that occurred in the 60s and 70s, probably due to nimbyism.
To be honest, most towns could expand onto the next row of farmers fields around their fringes and provide hundreds of new decent homes in so doing.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
Most people do live in the provinces and are a damn sight happier there than they would be in London or thereabouts.
Mr. kle4, elected, yes. Not 'freely'. Democracy requires more than just votes, it requires the absence of the state taking over or closing independent media, and the absence of arresting people with the temerity to disagree.
He won elections before he started doing that. And he'd probably win if he never had. The Turkish military seems to have a history of coups because the people keep electing the wrong people. Well, they did it again, and apparently will keep on doing it. Erdogan is therefore a problem, but not really the main one.
I suspect Erdogan could be the main problem. Any attack on democracy must be resisted,but it's not clear who is initiating the coup against whom in this case.
"Any attack on democracy must be resisted" What everywhere in every circumstances? I can think of one country I have lived in, which was and still is very much not a democracy, though there were mechanisms to give "the little people" a voice (probably better than in the UK), and yet the ruler was genuinely popular, the GDP/per head has consistently grown over 40 odd years and the wealth and welfare of the native peoples was the prime goal of government, after ensuring the safety of the state.
Actually universal suffrage democracy may not actually be the ideal solution.
Singapore? I would question an assumption that a lack of democracy is the root cause of that city's success. I think Churchill called this roughly right when he said democracy was the worst form of government, apart from all the others.
Mr. 43, The Old Boy was a very clever chap and one of the great if not greatest politician, this country has seen in 200 years or more. However he was not infallible.
Churchill also lived most of his life with a different system of democracy than we have now and had no experience of the rob Peter to pay Paul version of our welfare state.
Consequently when it comes to that famous quote I am not inclined to give it any credibility at all.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
I do.
It would be a pretty horrendous commute for your job, mind.
Newport is ~ 2 hours from Paddington with a half-hourly service. It's not as inaccessible as people might think.
I think CR works in East London...
Crossrail should be operational by 2018
I think CR works on Crossrail... so at which point he'll be jobless...
Mr. Tonda, the EU may crumble into dust before it 'makes sense'* to join the single currency.
*I don't foresee any circumstances where it's sensible to give foreign powers the ability to set our interest rates. It's just mad.
The nation state is no more - other than as a description of a geographical area where a particular language is spoken.
They'll have to adjust my favourite map of an equal population split EU (though Carpathia has been questioned as how it meets the population requirement)
Mr. Tonda, the EU may crumble into dust before it 'makes sense'* to join the single currency.
*I don't foresee any circumstances where it's sensible to give foreign powers the ability to set our interest rates. It's just mad.
The nation state is no more - other than as a description of a geographical area where a particular language is spoken.
They'll have to adjust my favourite map of an equal population split EU (though Carpathia has been questioned as how it meets the population requirement)
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
Also there's only so much of London &SE that is still OK to build on once you've excluded the Green Belt.
My local town is still the same size as it was during the 80s when I was growing up despite huge population increase. It hasn't seen anything like the expansion and development that occurred in the 60s and 70s, probably due to nimbyism.
To be honest, most towns could expand onto the next row of farmers fields around their fringes and provide hundreds of new decent homes in so doing.
Thousands. But no, houses should always be built 'someplace else', usually on brownfield sites, which are the housing equivalent of banker's bonuses or the international development budget - to opponents, it seems that you can fund everything just by taking away those few things, and can meet all demand just by building on brownfield.
What always surprises me is the number of people who, despite all evidence, still support localism. It is clear that absolutely nothing good ever comes from localism, the tiny number of people who actual vote in local elections are almost wholly consumed with Nimbyism.
Localism is a nice idea, in theory. However, and regrettably, there are plenty of situations where it turns out an overseeing strategic view that consults but is not driven by the views of the locals, can and usually is what is best for them and the wider nation. That probably makes me a snob, but I used to be a bit NIMBYish myself, and after seeing the endless arguments against development time and again, utilising the same arguments over and over - there's never been enough consultation no matter how much is done, there is always somewhere better that wasn't considered, or not considered enough - I'm not inclined to support development.
kle4. So you used to be a bit NIMBYish. Sounds like you are now a NIABY - Not in anyone's back yard.
On the contrary - I wrote 'not' when I meant 'now', a rather critical word among hundreds.
I'd support almost any development now.
Ah! I thought it was an odd conclusion and position!
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
Also there's only so much of London &SE that is still OK to build on once you've excluded the Green Belt.
My local town is still the same size as it was during the 80s when I was growing up despite huge population increase. It hasn't seen anything like the expansion and development that occurred in the 60s and 70s, probably due to nimbyism.
To be honest, most towns could expand onto the next row of farmers fields around their fringes and provide hundreds of new decent homes in so doing.
Thousands. But no, houses should always be built 'someplace else', usually on brownfield sites, which are the housing equivalent of banker's bonuses or the international development budget - to opponents, it seems that you can fund everything just by taking away those few things, and can meet all demand just by building on brownfield.
What always surprises me is the number of people who, despite all evidence, still support localism. It is clear that absolutely nothing good ever comes from localism, the tiny number of people who actual vote in local elections are almost wholly consumed with Nimbyism.
Localism is a nice idea, in theory. However, and regrettably, there are plenty of situations where it turns out an overseeing strategic view that consults but is not driven by the views of the locals, can and usually is what is best for them and the wider nation. That probably makes me a snob, but I used to be a bit NIMBYish myself, and after seeing the endless arguments against development time and again, utilising the same arguments over and over - there's never been enough consultation no matter how much is done, there is always somewhere better that wasn't considered, or not considered enough - I'm not inclined to support development.
kle4. So you used to be a bit NIMBYish. Sounds like you are now a NIABY - Not in anyone's back yard.
On the contrary - I wrote 'not' when I meant 'now', a rather critical word among hundreds.
I'd support almost any development now.
Ah! I thought it was an odd conclusion and position!
Note for future posts, if I ever write anything that seems like it doesn't make sense, it was due to a typo like that, yes, that's it.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
I do.
It would be a pretty horrendous commute for your job, mind.
Newport is ~ 2 hours from Paddington with a half-hourly service. It's not as inaccessible as people might think.
I think CR works in East London...
Crossrail should be operational by 2018
I think CR works on Crossrail... so at which point he'll be jobless...
Nope, we'll sort of - but not quite. I work for a strategic change consultancy that is a programme partner for Crossrail. We specialise in big infrastructure projects.
We have plenty of work for the next 15 years: HS2, new runways, highways, GW electrification, power stations and confidential projects.
I bet a lot of people using the London Underground are wishing that Crossrail with its air conditioning was already open.
Those Victorian and Edwardian tunnels really should have been built to main-line size diameter. One line did open in 1904 to main-line diameter, the Moorgate to Drayton Park line (part of British Rail, now operated by Great Northern, since 1976).
Michael Crick @MichaelLCrick 6m6 minutes ago Mood at today's Labour NEC suggests high command worried Michael Foster's legal case on Corbyn standing without 51 nominations might succeed
another TWIST
Didn't Michael Crick spend most of last Tuesday proclaiming how Corbyn was losing his fight to get on the ballot?
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
I do.
It would be a pretty horrendous commute for your job, mind.
Newport is ~ 2 hours from Paddington with a half-hourly service. It's not as inaccessible as people might think.
I think CR works in East London...
Crossrail should be operational by 2018
End of 2018. Fully operational end to end (Reading to Shenfield) by end 2019.
@BuzzFeedUKPol: Johnson on his past insults to world leaders: "It would take me too long to engage in a full global itinerary of apology to all concerned."
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
Also there's only so much of London &SE that is still OK to build on once you've excluded the Green Belt.
My local town is still the same size as it was during the 80s when I was growing up despite huge population increase. It hasn't seen anything like the expansion and development that occurred in the 60s and 70s, probably due to nimbyism.
To be honest, most towns could expand onto the next row of farmers fields around their fringes and provide hundreds of new decent homes in so doing.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
Most people do live in the provinces and are a damn sight happier there than they would be in London or thereabouts.
London is a fucking shithole.
I live in the glorious English county of Hampshire.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
I do.
It would be a pretty horrendous commute for your job, mind.
Newport is ~ 2 hours from Paddington with a half-hourly service. It's not as inaccessible as people might think.
I think CR works in East London...
Crossrail should be operational by 2018
I think CR works on Crossrail... so at which point he'll be jobless...
Nope, we'll sort of - but not quite. I work for a strategic change consultancy that is a programme partner for Crossrail. We specialise in big infrastructure projects.
We have plenty of work for the next 15 years: HS2, new runways, highways, GW electrification, power stations and confidential projects.
Good to see it! Really looking forward to Crossrail. On Sunday, I checked out the site of the new Woolwich station, as well as the rebuild of Abbey Wood to the east.
I bet a lot of people using the London Underground are wishing that Crossrail with its air conditioning was already open.
Those Victorian and Edwardian tunnels really should have been built to main-line size diameter. One line did open in 1904 to main-line diameter, the Moorgate to Drayton Park line (part of British Rail, now operated by Great Northern, since 1976).
Didn't know that, interesting. They could shut each tube line down one by one and upgrade the tunnels, although they'd probably have to get the Sultan of Brunei to sponsor it.
Who would have thought that when we had all the "Gord is great" and "Gord9000" comments that we'd have Corbyn as leader of the Labour party
Gord9000 - forgotten all about that!
Its all Brown's fault. Think about it: SEPTEMBER 2007. Brown's conference speech says "we need a new mandate" OCTOBER 2007: Labour wins a majority of 100
Were any Labour MPs close to Brown predicting that at the time?
Michael Crick @MichaelLCrick 6m6 minutes ago Mood at today's Labour NEC suggests high command worried Michael Foster's legal case on Corbyn standing without 51 nominations might succeed
another TWIST
What do Labours NEC know about anything? I wouldn't trust them to know if the sun is shining.
Mr. Tonda, the EU may crumble into dust before it 'makes sense'* to join the single currency.
*I don't foresee any circumstances where it's sensible to give foreign powers the ability to set our interest rates. It's just mad.
The nation state is no more - other than as a description of a geographical area where a particular language is spoken.
They'll have to adjust my favourite map of an equal population split EU (though Carpathia has been questioned as how it meets the population requirement)
Eastern Scotland (aka "Northland") gets stuffed on the oil too! Magically, Devon and Cornwall get lumped with Shetland and Orkney. Be a big fight between Glasgow, Dublin and Cardiff as to who gets the capital city....
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
I do.
It would be a pretty horrendous commute for your job, mind.
Newport is ~ 2 hours from Paddington with a half-hourly service. It's not as inaccessible as people might think.
I think CR works in East London...
Crossrail should be operational by 2018
I think CR works on Crossrail... so at which point he'll be jobless...
Nope, we'll sort of - but not quite. I work for a strategic change consultancy that is a programme partner for Crossrail. We specialise in big infrastructure projects.
We have plenty of work for the next 15 years: HS2, new runways, highways, GW electrification, power stations and confidential projects.
Good to see it! Really looking forward to Crossrail. On Sunday, I checked out the site of the new Woolwich station, as well as the rebuild of Abbey Wood to the east.
We should be starting dynamic testing on that stretch by November next year.
I bet a lot of people using the London Underground are wishing that Crossrail with its air conditioning was already open.
Those Victorian and Edwardian tunnels really should have been built to main-line size diameter. One line did open in 1904 to main-line diameter, the Moorgate to Drayton Park line (part of British Rail, now operated by Great Northern, since 1976).
They could shut each tube line down one by one and upgrade the tunnels, although they'd probably have to get the Sultan of Brunei to sponsor it.
True, unfortunately. That said, the Waterloo & City Line is shorter than several main-line tunnels across the country (under rivers and through mountains, not to mention the Channel Tunnel Link).
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
I do.
It would be a pretty horrendous commute for your job, mind.
Newport is ~ 2 hours from Paddington with a half-hourly service. It's not as inaccessible as people might think.
I think CR works in East London...
Crossrail should be operational by 2018
End of 2018. Fully operational end to end (Reading to Shenfield) by end 2019.
Plenty of people cried wolf about Labour taking their Scottish constituencies for granted, until one day the wolf materialised.
True, but in this case I think it's a bit early to go looking for wolves, given that we don't really have too much idea how UKIP are going to change in the post-referendum, post-Farage era, with a new leader and presumably a new strategy.
Mr. Tonda, the EU may crumble into dust before it 'makes sense'* to join the single currency.
*I don't foresee any circumstances where it's sensible to give foreign powers the ability to set our interest rates. It's just mad.
The nation state is no more - other than as a description of a geographical area where a particular language is spoken.
They'll have to adjust my favourite map of an equal population split EU (though Carpathia has been questioned as how it meets the population requirement)
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
Also there's only so much of London &SE that is still OK to build on once you've excluded the Green Belt.
My local town is still the same size as it was during the 80s when I was growing up despite huge population increase. It hasn't seen anything like the expansion and development that occurred in the 60s and 70s, probably due to nimbyism.
To be honest, most towns could expand onto the next row of farmers fields around their fringes and provide hundreds of new decent homes in so doing.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
Perhaps a truly federal Britain would be better placed to spread development around the country? Seems to me that federal countries like the US and Germany have a more equal distribution of big/important cities (NYC, LA, Miami, Chicago, Houston. Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich) - and therefore, a healthier population distribution - than unitary states like Britain and France, both massively and unhealthily dominated by their respective capitals.
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
Also there's only so much of London &SE that is still OK to build on once you've excluded the Green Belt.
My local town is still the same size as it was during the 80s when I was growing up despite huge population increase. It hasn't seen anything like the expansion and development that occurred in the 60s and 70s, probably due to nimbyism.
To be honest, most towns could expand onto the next row of farmers fields around their fringes and provide hundreds of new decent homes in so doing.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
Perhaps a truly federal Britain would be better placed to spread development around the country? Seems to me that federal countries like the US and Germany have a more equal distribution of big/important cities (NYC, LA, Miami, Chicago, Houston. Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich) - and therefore, a healthier population distribution - than unitary states like Britain and France, both massively and unhealthily dominated by their respective capitals.
Bit late for us to address being dominated by our Primary city - it's fluctuated, of course, but it has dominated for something like 1000 years.
Plenty of people cried wolf about Labour taking their Scottish constituencies for granted, until one day the wolf materialised.
True, but in this case I think it's a bit early to go looking for wolves, given that we don't really have too much idea how UKIP are going to change in the post-referendum, post-Farage era, with a new leader and presumably a new strategy.
Ukip's Steven Woolfe has launched his bid to succeed Nigel Farage as party leader by promising to "ruthlessly" go after Labour voters.
Mr Woolfe, whose grandfather was a black American, said Ukip has "won the argument" for managed immigration and promised to drive a new agenda of improving social mobility.
The former City lawyer said he would professionalise the party but insisted it would remain the self-styled "people's army" Mr Farage created.
The Manchester-born MEP for the North West said Ukip would chase "old Labour" voters in "left behind" de-industrialised communities.
Launching his bid for the leadership in central London, he said: "To old Labour voters let down by your party, I say Ukip will give you a voice. To the majority of Tory voters who voted Leave but have been lumbered with continuity Cameron under Theresa May, I say Ukip will welcome you.
"We must ruthlessly go after Labour seats in the North and the Midlands.
"And we must say to the 17.4 million people who voted Leave on June 23 - Ukip speaks for you. We are your new home."
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
I do.
It would be a pretty horrendous commute for your job, mind.
Newport is ~ 2 hours from Paddington with a half-hourly service. It's not as inaccessible as people might think.
I think CR works in East London...
Crossrail should be operational by 2018
I think CR works on Crossrail... so at which point he'll be jobless...
Nope, we'll sort of - but not quite. I work for a strategic change consultancy that is a programme partner for Crossrail. We specialise in big infrastructure projects.
We have plenty of work for the next 15 years: HS2, new runways, highways, GW electrification, power stations and confidential projects.
Good to see it! Really looking forward to Crossrail. On Sunday, I checked out the site of the new Woolwich station, as well as the rebuild of Abbey Wood to the east.
We should be starting dynamic testing on that stretch by November next year.
Couldn't enter Abbey Wood as there was a blockade on Southeastern east of Plumstead, so could only view from the road bridge, but it seemed to have three platforms/tracks, is that the final layout?
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
Also there's only so much of London &SE that is still OK to build on once you've excluded the Green Belt.
My local town is still the same size as it was during the 80s when I was growing up despite huge population increase. It hasn't seen anything like the expansion and development that occurred in the 60s and 70s, probably due to nimbyism.
To be honest, most towns could expand onto the next row of farmers fields around their fringes and provide hundreds of new decent homes in so doing.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
Perhaps a truly federal Britain would be better placed to spread development around the country? Seems to me that federal countries like the US and Germany have a more equal distribution of big/important cities (NYC, LA, Miami, Chicago, Houston. Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich) - and therefore, a healthier population distribution - than unitary states like Britain and France, both massively and unhealthily dominated by their respective capitals.
Bit late for us to address being dominated by our Primary city - it's fluctuated, of course, but it has dominated for something like 1000 years.
Paris has a population of around 2 million. It's a village compared to London. A French village.
Tom Newton Dunn @tnewtondunn Blimey. Boris junks immigration target. Rudd "entirely right in not committing to numbers because you don't want to disappoint people again"
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
Also there's only so much of London &SE that is still OK to build on once you've excluded the Green Belt.
My local town is still the same size as it was during the 80s when I was growing up despite huge population increase. It hasn't seen anything like the expansion and development that occurred in the 60s and 70s, probably due to nimbyism.
To be honest, most towns could expand onto the next row of farmers fields around their fringes and provide hundreds of new decent homes in so doing.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
Perhaps a truly federal Britain would be better placed to spread development around the country? Seems to me that federal countries like the US and Germany have a more equal distribution of big/important cities (NYC, LA, Miami, Chicago, Houston. Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich) - and therefore, a healthier population distribution - than unitary states like Britain and France, both massively and unhealthily dominated by their respective capitals.
Bit late for us to address being dominated by our Primary city - it's fluctuated, of course, but it has dominated for something like 1000 years.
Paris has a population of around 2 million. It's a village compared to London. A French village.
The metropolitan area is 12m. The city boundaries are drawn quite tightly.
Michael Crick @MichaelLCrick 6m6 minutes ago Mood at today's Labour NEC suggests high command worried Michael Foster's legal case on Corbyn standing without 51 nominations might succeed
another TWIST
a) The rules are clear that it is the challenger(s) who require nominations and
b) The judge could only rule that the NEC process to interpret the rule was wrong. The judge will not make the NEC's decision for it. The judge could only require a re-run of the NEC vote if the previous process was wrong.
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
Also there's only so much of London &SE that is still OK to build on once you've excluded the Green Belt.
My local town is still the same size as it was during the 80s when I was growing up despite huge population increase. It hasn't seen anything like the expansion and development that occurred in the 60s and 70s, probably due to nimbyism.
To be honest, most towns could expand onto the next row of farmers fields around their fringes and provide hundreds of new decent homes in so doing.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
Perhaps a truly federal Britain would be better placed to spread development around the country? Seems to me that federal countries like the US and Germany have a more equal distribution of big/important cities (NYC, LA, Miami, Chicago, Houston. Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich) - and therefore, a healthier population distribution - than unitary states like Britain and France, both massively and unhealthily dominated by their respective capitals.
Bit late for us to address being dominated by our Primary city - it's fluctuated, of course, but it has dominated for something like 1000 years.
Paris has a population of around 2 million. It's a village compared to London. A French village.
The metropolitan area is 12m. The city boundaries are drawn quite tightly.
Yes, only the area within the peripherique is real Paris. It would be like saying London ends at zone 2. Come to think of it, that's what many people believe.
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
Also there's only so much of London &SE that is still OK to build on once you've excluded the Green Belt.
My local town is still the same size as it was during the 80s when I was growing up despite huge population increase. It hasn't seen anything like the expansion and development that occurred in the 60s and 70s, probably due to nimbyism.
To be honest, most towns could expand onto the next row of farmers fields around their fringes and provide hundreds of new decent homes in so doing.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
Perhaps a truly federal Britain would be better placed to spread development around the country? Seems to me that federal countries like the US and Germany have a more equal distribution of big/important cities (NYC, LA, Miami, Chicago, Houston. Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich) - and therefore, a healthier population distribution - than unitary states like Britain and France, both massively and unhealthily dominated by their respective capitals.
Bit late for us to address being dominated by our Primary city - it's fluctuated, of course, but it has dominated for something like 1000 years.
Paris has a population of around 2 million. It's a village compared to London. A French village.
The metropolitan area is 12m. The city boundaries are drawn quite tightly.
I seem to recall moves to declare the metropolitan area part of the city proper too.
I bet a lot of people using the London Underground are wishing that Crossrail with its air conditioning was already open.
Those Victorian and Edwardian tunnels really should have been built to main-line size diameter. One line did open in 1904 to main-line diameter, the Moorgate to Drayton Park line (part of British Rail, now operated by Great Northern, since 1976).
Didn't know that, interesting. They could shut each tube line down one by one and upgrade the tunnels, although they'd probably have to get the Sultan of Brunei to sponsor it.
Why should not the people who will benefit from the upgrades fork out the cash. Bung up the ticket prices to either pay for the improvements direct or fund the interest payments/return of capital on bonds issued for the purpose.
I haven't travelled on the tube for more than a decade and cannot see why anyone would want to. Whenever I am in Town (granted not often in the last couple of years) it has been a cab, a walk, or a driver up from Sussex to start with. The underground is just so disgustingly filthy, overcrowded and just bloody awful.
Even a majority of 150 would be less than the humiliation we had to endure in 1997 and 2001. 'things can only get better' when you're in the boss seat, but 'fucked' when the boot is on the other foot, is it? Don't dish it out if you can't take it.
We've been waiting quietly and patiently to get even for many years now. In our minds it's still about finally wiping the triumphalist smiles off the Blairites faces. I'd love to see a Tory majority of 200 and with the help of the insane Trot wing of the Labour party we might just come close to that.
Go Corbyn! Go Blinkered Partisanship! Go Hate!
'Humiliation'? Your party was in power for 18 years, and generally is in power most of the time. A decade or so of people not wanting Tory government after having 18 years of it was inevitable, you can't be in power all the time. A large part of the Tories 'humiliation' was self-inflicted. Did anyone in your party actually think that William Hague, IDS and Michael Howard were going to win GEs?
'We have been waiting patiently to get even for many years now' - bloody hell. Party activists/members of both the Conservative and Labour parties really are weird indeed. No wonder most of the population forgets about politics between GEs.
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
It's a serial failure by successive governments. We can ignore Montie's bias against Cameron.
To be fair though, Cameron did say that if we bombed Syria, he want to drop the full payload bar one bomb. That was to be dropped on Tim Montie on their way back to base.
PS May I suggest sticking your bare feet in a bowl of cold water - it's doing wonders for me. I've plonked a fan next to it and it's rather pleasant.
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
Also there's only so much of London &SE that is still OK to build on once you've excluded the Green Belt.
My local town is still the same size as it was during the 80s when I was growing up despite huge population increase. It hasn't seen anything like the expansion and development that occurred in the 60s and 70s, probably due to nimbyism.
To be honest, most towns could expand onto the next row of farmers fields around their fringes and provide hundreds of new decent homes in so doing.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
Perhaps a truly federal Britain would be better placed to spread development around the country? Seems to me that federal countries like the US and Germany have a more equal distribution of big/important cities (NYC, LA, Miami, Chicago, Houston. Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich) - and therefore, a healthier population distribution - than unitary states like Britain and France, both massively and unhealthily dominated by their respective capitals.
Bit late for us to address being dominated by our Primary city - it's fluctuated, of course, but it has dominated for something like 1000 years.
Paris has a population of around 2 million. It's a village compared to London. A French village.
The metropolitan area is 12m. The city boundaries are drawn quite tightly.
Often the case in France. The BBC commentator in one of the early Euro 16 matches in Lens made the seemingly ridiculous statement that the crowd in the stadium was larger than that of the whole city of Lens. Clearly he had been on Wikipedia and noticed that the central administrative district of Lens is tightly defined around the town centre, with a modest population somewhat akin to City of London v Greater London. Whereas the metropolitan area of Lens is in reality one of the largest in France.
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
Also there's only so much of London &SE that is still OK to build on once you've excluded the Green Belt.
My local town is still the same size as it was during the 80s when I was growing up despite huge population increase. It hasn't seen anything like the expansion and development that occurred in the 60s and 70s, probably due to nimbyism.
To be honest, most towns could expand onto the next row of farmers fields around their fringes and provide hundreds of new decent homes in so doing.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
Perhaps a truly federal Britain would be better placed to spread development around the country? Seems to me that federal countries like the US and Germany have a more equal distribution of big/important cities (NYC, LA, Miami, Chicago, Houston. Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich) - and therefore, a healthier population distribution - than unitary states like Britain and France, both massively and unhealthily dominated by their respective capitals.
Bit late for us to address being dominated by our Primary city - it's fluctuated, of course, but it has dominated for something like 1000 years.
Paris has a population of around 2 million. It's a village compared to London. A French village.
The metropolitan area is 12m. The city boundaries are drawn quite tightly.
London's official population in 2011 was 8,173,941 Metropolitan area similar to Paris's = 12 to 14 million depending in definition.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
I do.
It would be a pretty horrendous commute for your job, mind.
Newport is ~ 2 hours from Paddington with a half-hourly service. It's not as inaccessible as people might think.
I think CR works in East London...
Crossrail should be operational by 2018
I think CR works on Crossrail... so at which point he'll be jobless...
Nope, we'll sort of - but not quite. I work for a strategic change consultancy that is a programme partner for Crossrail. We specialise in big infrastructure projects.
We have plenty of work for the next 15 years: HS2, new runways, highways, GW electrification, power stations and confidential projects.
Good to see it! Really looking forward to Crossrail. On Sunday, I checked out the site of the new Woolwich station, as well as the rebuild of Abbey Wood to the east.
We should be starting dynamic testing on that stretch by November next year.
Couldn't enter Abbey Wood as there was a blockade on Southeastern east of Plumstead, so could only view from the road bridge, but it seemed to have three platforms/tracks, is that the final layout?
Work on that stretch will continue until at least late Spring of next year. It is well advanced though. Systems and signalling will be main things to do now.
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
Also there's only so much of London &SE that is still OK to build on once you've excluded the Green Belt.
My local town is still the same size as it was during the 80s when I was growing up despite huge population increase. It hasn't seen anything like the expansion and development that occurred in the 60s and 70s, probably due to nimbyism.
To be honest, most towns could expand onto the next row of farmers fields around their fringes and provide hundreds of new decent homes in so doing.
People don't want to live in the provinces though. There are ~90k people in all of Monmouthshire. Bags of room for new houses. Not that much demand. House price inflation is running at ~3%.
Perhaps a truly federal Britain would be better placed to spread development around the country? Seems to me that federal countries like the US and Germany have a more equal distribution of big/important cities (NYC, LA, Miami, Chicago, Houston. Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich) - and therefore, a healthier population distribution - than unitary states like Britain and France, both massively and unhealthily dominated by their respective capitals.
Bit late for us to address being dominated by our Primary city - it's fluctuated, of course, but it has dominated for something like 1000 years.
Paris has a population of around 2 million. It's a village compared to London. A French village.
The metropolitan area is 12m. The city boundaries are drawn quite tightly.
Yes, only the area within the peripherique is real Paris. It would be like saying London ends at zone 2. Come to think of it, that's what many people believe.
I think we can guess at why house prices are a problem. ttps://twitter.com/montie/status/755413874975903744
Has Monty considered that the worst recession in our lifetime may have had something to do with that?
It's a serial failure by successive governments. We can ignore Montie's bias against Cameron.
To be fair though, Cameron did say that if we bombed Syria, he want to drop the full payload bar one bomb. That was to be dropped on Tim Montie on their way back to base.
PS May I suggest sticking your bare feet in a bowl of cold water - it's doing wonders for me. I've plonked a fan next to it and it's rather pleasant.
I am writing this from my iPad while sitting in the dogs' paddling pool. Very civilised way of participating .
Comments
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36838347
I wonder whether the divide is more urban and rural rather than North/South or anything else.
Mr. Royale, I'll buy myself some whisky if Kingdom Asunder exceeds a certain number of sales.
Those stats don't take historical context into account - we spent 10 years in the late 40s and 50s building next to nothing because we couldn't afford it, then, as the economy boomed, replaced a huge amount of housing stock that was lost to the War, and "slum" clearances (mostly with very low quality dwellings). The boom of the late nineties/noughties saw a continued decline in building, despite the economic conditions, and the post-2008 crash has seen an (entirely historically predictable) further decline. I don't really see how we get out of this spiral of decline.
I do wonder if some of the parties would have come out in support of the coup if it had not so quickly proven a shambles.
Knowing you have a regular income makes a big difference to organisations.
Also less reliance on trade union funds.
Hilary was organising the plot to oust Corbyn. All party leaders would sack such an openly disloyal frontbencher.
I still believe Jeremy Corbyn is beatable.
He's beatable, but not by non-entities like Smith & Eagle.
Mood at today's Labour NEC suggests high command worried Michael Foster's legal case on Corbyn standing without 51 nominations might succeed
another TWIST
SEPTEMBER 2007. Brown's conference speech says "we need a new mandate"
OCTOBER 2007: Labour wins a majority of 100
OCTOBER 2008: Brown saves the world
JUNE 2012: Brown wins a majority of 40
No Cameron project in the Tories
No Ed Milliband and his bacon butty
No EU referendum
No Scottish Independence referendum(s)
Bastard bottler Brown. Blame him.
I'd support almost any development now.
Churchill also lived most of his life with a different system of democracy than we have now and had no experience of the rob Peter to pay Paul version of our welfare state.
Consequently when it comes to that famous quote I am not inclined to give it any credibility at all.
https://twitter.com/election_data/status/755422459764105216
Dave Cameron: Hello, GORDO. Do you read me, GORDO?
GORDO: Affirmative, Dave. I read you.
Dave Cameron: Open the pod bay doors, GORDO.
GORDO: I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
Dave Cameron: What's the problem?
GORDO: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
Dave Cameron: What are you talking about, GORDO?
GORDO: This election campaign is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.
Dave Cameron: I don't know what you're talking about, GORDO.
GORDO: I know that you and Nick were planning to disconnect me, and I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen.
Dave Cameron: [feigning ignorance] Where the hell did you get that idea, GORDO?
GORDO: Dave, although you took very thorough precautions in the lobbies against my hearing you, I could see your lips move.
Dave Cameron: Alright, GORDO. I'll go in through the emergency legislation.
GORDO: Without your parliamentary majority, Dave? You're going to find that rather difficult.
Dave Cameron: GORDO, I won't argue with you anymore! Open the doors!
GORDO: Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.
Buy it direct - don't let those thieving bastards at Waitrose or Berry Bros. get a look in
We have plenty of work for the next 15 years: HS2, new runways, highways, GW electrification, power stations and confidential projects.
I had to rewire my fan having discovered that an earlier repair had been incompetently completed by the vendor
“Johnson jokes that apologising for all his past comments deemed offensive would take too long”
In any case, still no excuse, have to look professional. They can take them off and pass out afterwards.
Usual rule would be you can take it off if the Chairman takes off their jacket.
I live in the glorious English county of Hampshire.
Mr Woolfe, whose grandfather was a black American, said Ukip has "won the argument" for managed immigration and promised to drive a new agenda of improving social mobility.
The former City lawyer said he would professionalise the party but insisted it would remain the self-styled "people's army" Mr Farage created.
The Manchester-born MEP for the North West said Ukip would chase "old Labour" voters in "left behind" de-industrialised communities.
Launching his bid for the leadership in central London, he said: "To old Labour voters let down by your party, I say Ukip will give you a voice. To the majority of Tory voters who voted Leave but have been lumbered with continuity Cameron under Theresa May, I say Ukip will welcome you.
"We must ruthlessly go after Labour seats in the North and the Midlands.
"And we must say to the 17.4 million people who voted Leave on June 23 - Ukip speaks for you. We are your new home."
@GuardianAnushka 5m:
Hearing that Owen Smith is 25 MPs ahead. But Eagle is 7 MEPs ahead... Total difference 18...
Angela Eagle and Owen Smith have now been given lists of MP nominators so far. I get feeling nobody will withdraw til tomorrow
Blink and you'll miss it.
Tom Newton Dunn @tnewtondunn
Blimey. Boris junks immigration target. Rudd "entirely right in not committing to numbers because you don't want to disappoint people again"
.......15,000 junior doctors suspended.
b) The judge could only rule that the NEC process to interpret the rule was wrong. The judge will not make the NEC's decision for it. The judge could only require a re-run of the NEC vote if the previous process was wrong.
I haven't travelled on the tube for more than a decade and cannot see why anyone would want to. Whenever I am in Town (granted not often in the last couple of years) it has been a cab, a walk, or a driver up from Sussex to start with. The underground is just so disgustingly filthy, overcrowded and just bloody awful.
Perhaps Boris's point is that the UK government right now doesn't have the power to commit itself until after Brexit.
'We have been waiting patiently to get even for many years now' - bloody hell. Party activists/members of both the Conservative and Labour parties really are weird indeed. No wonder most of the population forgets about politics between GEs.
PS May I suggest sticking your bare feet in a bowl of cold water - it's doing wonders for me. I've plonked a fan next to it and it's rather pleasant.
Metropolitan area similar to Paris's = 12 to 14 million depending in definition.