Some much needed good news

Whitewavemark2

Labour won the Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat with a huge 24% swing.

We can look forward to repeating this all over the country in the GE and get shot of this corrupt, lying, cheating and incompetent government.

And replacing it with another of the same.

The word clouds are interesting, but I don't think they indicate much beyond the fact that the leader of the party in government is always going to have had far more media coverage than the leaders of the other parties have had.

I do note though, that there are a lot of very negative words in Sunak's, and very little that express approval.

Also, that both the Labour & Libdem 'clouds' have the word 'fairness' on them, I couldn't find that anywhere on Sunak's.

I think the exercise would be more appropriate if done during a General Election campaign, towards the end, perhaps, when there would be a bit more equable media coverage of all the parties and voters would be thinking more about them than they would at other times.

Germanshepherdsmum

That would be a district council, not a county council. A budget of that size for external lawyers 30 years ago was not inconsiderable. When I worked for a county council in the late 70s/early 80s the only use of external lawyers was the extremely occasional taking of counsel’s opinion. Otherwise absolutely everything was done in house,

In some cases there is a non-metropolitan unitary authority as now in Somerset which is responsible for planning decisions.

MaizieD

The word clouds are interesting, but I don't think they indicate much beyond the fact that the leader of the party in government is always going to have had far more media coverage than the leaders of the other parties have had.

I do note though, that there are a lot of very negative words in Sunak's, and very little that express approval.

Also, that both the Labour & Libdem 'clouds' have the word 'fairness' on them, I couldn't find that anywhere on Sunak's.

I think the exercise would be more appropriate if done during a General Election campaign, towards the end, perhaps, when there would be a bit more equable media coverage of all the parties and voters would be thinking more about them than they would at other times.

I think the word clouds are very unfair, to all the leaders of political parties and dare I say it, a bit childish.

Callistemon21

Germanshepherdsmum

Councils could be given money to build their own houses (they already have money to buy and rent out existing houses - my local authority is currently buying some for Afghan refugees and the homeless). And the right to buy should be repealed. A disastrous piece of legislation.

Right to buy was disastrous because sometimes the houses were sold way below their value and also because there should have been provision put in place to ensure that Councils used that money to build new homes.

This.

Shocking that council properties were sold off with no plan to replace the loss to social housing. RTB was always nothing more than a money raising racket for central government. Short termist and has led to the current dire issues with housing in this country.

It also raised expectations of home ownership when people had always been content to rent a council house - secure tenancy, external decorations and structural repairs and plumbing issues dealt with FOC by the council. I’m not saying that aspiration to home ownership is in any way a bad thing, but it was accepted that realistically many couldn’t afford it. That has changed and has contributed to setting generations against one another.

Iagree, and also tenencies could be handed down to the next generation I think

tenancies

pascal30

Iagree, and also tenencies could be handed down to the next generation I think

Pretty sure they can’t around here. I have read newspaper reports where adult offspring’s parents have lived, say, 50 years in a council house and their children were born and bred there. But when the parents pass away, the tenancy is ended. It usually ends in local uproar and the “child” is usually offered a flat or tiny property elsewhere which they don’t want.

Grantanow

Germanshepherdsmum

That would be a district council, not a county council. A budget of that size for external lawyers 30 years ago was not inconsiderable. When I worked for a county council in the late 70s/early 80s the only use of external lawyers was the extremely occasional taking of counsel’s opinion. Otherwise absolutely everything was done in house,

In some cases there is a non-metropolitan unitary authority as now in Somerset which is responsible for planning decisions.

Yes you’re right Grantanow, in some areas there are unitary authorities now which cover old county and district functions.

Primrose53 I think tenancies can be handed down but only once. So if a spouse “inherits” it then that is it.

Germanshepherdsmum

It also raised expectations of home ownership when people had always been content to rent a council house - secure tenancy, external decorations and structural repairs and plumbing issues dealt with FOC by the council. I’m not saying that aspiration to home ownership is in any way a bad thing, but it was accepted that realistically many couldn’t afford it. That has changed and has contributed to setting generations against one another.

I agree and that is why we need a massive Council house building programme funded from taxation.