Liberal Democrats

www.cityam.com/the-lib-dem-article-50-gamble-is-so-radical-it-might-just-work/

"Jo Swinson’s policy has, if nothing else, achieved two things. It has introduced a measure of clarity to our politics that many have been craving, when so many of our politicians still cling to what the late Sir Geoffrey Howe called in his resignation speech the endless search for separating words from meaning. And it has given committed Remainers a clear political home."

CityAM

I haven't seen an "affordable" home yet that is what I would see as truly affordable.

He might not have said ? No one will know

Paddy was a great man but he was very impatient.

What he said immediately after the referendum result he might not have said a short while later when it was proven beyond doubt that this was a fraudulent referendum, won by lies, cheating and foreign interference,

Urmstongran Tue 17-Sep-19 22:04:53. Agree Well Said

Re the Lib Dem’s & Brexit.

- Lord Ashdown’s words on the day of the 2016 referendum, observing that he was the first leading politician to call for a referendum on EU membership, he added: “I will forgive no one who does not accept the sovereign voice of the British people once it is spoken, whether it be by one per cent or 20 per cent.”

I could not agree more sir.

I agree paddyann but it sounds as if the situation in Scotland is very different from that in England. Here the issue is not whether people choose to rent or buy - and I don't think anyone looks down on people who rent - but that many people have no choice because of the huge increase in property prices (where I live, the average selling price is 11xaverage salary.

right to buy was abolished in Scotland a couple of years ago,We've built 68.000 new affordable homes in the past few years ,many are housing association but a lot are council housing .

Scottish councils are given the budget they MUST spend on housing and if they dont build those houses the money is taken back off them and given to a council who WILL use it for the purpose intended
Renting has never been a situation thats looked down on in Scotland it was the norm for many /most for a very long time .
Long term secure tenancies from either councils or private landlords are far more attractive to a lot of young people I know than tying a variable rate mortgage round their necks for the next 25 years or more.

When I got married 44 years ago we were allocated a brand new 2 bedroom and boxroom house with garden and garage and heating included in the rent .There are still people who live in those houses who moved in at the same time as us.Like in a lot of continental european countries people are happy to rent and there should be no reason why thats seen as a second class choice .Council housing ISN'T subsidised housing ,it should pay its way and be a security for council borrowing .If its not working as it should thats down to bad management

paddyann You may well be an exceptionally good landlord, and there are, of course, some dreadful tenants. However, from the few younger people I know who are renting, or who have at some time rented, including my own children, there seem to be a significant number of landlords who are greedy and unwilling to maintain their properties or make arrangements to repair vital services.

If the market was suddenly flooded with the properties of disgruntled landlords, then prices would be certain to fall. As I say, that would be bad news for some but better news for all the people who just cannot keep pace with continually rising prices.

No doubt some people are happy to rent but my feeling is that the vast majority of people would prefer to contribute a large sum of money towards buying their own home rather than pay for the homes of landlords.

I don't know where you live but in many areas of England - even quite deprived ones - rising rents are placing extreme pressure on tenants. I think you would be very hard pushed in the south east of England to find a decent property to rent at a realistic rent, with no rent rises for 8 years.

Those who, out of preference, do not wish to buy , that is up to them. For those who rent out of necessity, social housing should be vastly increased. Also, I think we should get rid of right to buy - or at least drastically adjust the terms of eligibility and reduce the discounts. Even if the proceeds of selling social housing are invested back, I do not believe that would be sufficient to rectify the problem.

I accept that not everybody wants to own their own home - though I still say, in this country at least, most people do. However, for families who don't know from one year to the next whether they will be able to afford yet another rent rise or who, if they ask that issues such as damp and faulty heating be attended to, are kicked out at the end of their year's tenancy the idea of as home of their own or a secure and affordable private or council tenancy would be like a dream come true.

If people cant afford the very low priced properties now ,why do you think landlords releasing a huge number more will help the market? I have tenants who have no interest in owning a property,they are happy to pay thier rent and have all repairs ,decoration,new flooring ,a stunning new bathroom for one couple or an upgrade to a bigger property WHEN THEY want it .No saving ,or scrimping, a set rent that hasn't been raised for 8 years and they dont want to have it any other way .There are a lot more just like them,why do some believe EVERYONE must own a home? Surely secure tenancies are just as acceptible?

If landlords en masse started selling their properties, then prices would presumably go down and more people could afford to purchase.

That would hit those of us with our own homes - and particularly people with mortgages who had paid peak price for their properties, as did my son and his partner.

However, the housing market has been careering out of control for several years and perhaps such a measure would cool it down. There should be more emphasis on "homes" rather than "investments" and anything that discourages the proliferation of greedy and negligent landlords is, I think, welcome (and I'm not saying all landlords are greedy and negligent but there appears to be a sizable number who are).

Brilliant speech

youtu.be/0GMTNc1LIUM

And landlords who bought houses to let will want to sell them at a reduced value ?

Just out of interest, how many party conferences is Chukka allowed to attend this year?

^As for McDonald’s crackpot idea of giving tenants in private
rental the right to buy after 3 years , a sure way to reduce houses for rent^.

Errr... if the houses have been bought by their tenants then that means fewer people wanting to rent houses, doesn't it? And while these houses are still tenanted there still aren't actually enough to go round...

Of course, building more social housing as well would be a good idea, as we don't have enough housing in this country.

But all I can see here is private landlords squealing...

Oh, don't be so childish, Ug.

Just because you don't like what she and her party stand for it doesn't make its MPs anything like what your petty tirade says.

Playground insults from grown women aren't a good look...

The arrogance of this wee pipsqueak politician!

She's the leader of a tiny slop bucket party of turncoats, liars, defectors and malcontents! All 18 of them.

Keep talking, lassie, you're turning a huge swathe of the country against you, you deluded hypocrite.

Grany young people have joined the Labour Party, they never experienced the damage the far left has done.

As for McDonald’s crackpot idea of giving tenants in private
rental the right to buy after 3 years , a sure way to reduce houses for rent.

newgranny Be careful! Don't criticise Corbyn or McDonnell on gransnet forums - the grannies won't like it!.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan's former policing adviser Leroy Logan has quit Labour and has now joined the Lib Dems.

He will also become policing adviser to the Lib Dems' London mayoral candidate Siobhan Benita.

Wrong again jabber When the Thatcher government brought in the jerrymandering "right to buy" legislation, which was designed to turn council tennants into Tory voters, Local Authorities were expressly forbidden fro using the proceeds to build more council houses.

The money raised for the right to buy was supposed to be put back into social housing! Hardly Mrs T's fault when councils used the money for other purposes! I don't think she ever suggested taxing peoples gardens, even farmers land!, or compelling people to have to sell their own properties,bought with their own cash at discount rates to sitting tennants! Can't see that these measures are going to be vote winners!

McDonnell is in favour of making BTL landlords sell their rental property to tenants at discount prices even if they don't want to sell.

That's what Thatcher did to local councils. Forced them to sell their social housing at well under market rates. I suppose you thought that was Ok?

Especially as many of these former council houses have ended up in the hands of private landlords...

Not just Jo Swinson growsome, basically any politician who refuses to carry out will of the majority of voters in referendum after PM saying it will be honored. Anyone who thinks they can just ignore voters is acting like a dictator and ignoring democracy.